News

Several St. Olaf College faculty members were recently featured as guests on KYMN Radio’s “St. Olaf College on the Radio Week.” This special program is a part of the larger College on the Radio series, which includes in-depth interviews with faculty members –– primarily from St. Olaf and Carleton College –– and is made possible through a collaboration with the St. Olaf Buntrock Institute for Freedom and Community. Listen to the full slate of stories on the KYMN Radio website.

Associate Professor of Practice in Biology Diane Angell 

Angell’s research focuses on the restoration and reconstruction of prairies, specifically how changing landscapes affect the population of small mammals and bumblebees. In her episode, Angell discusses local prairies, community action, and the ethics of human intervention in nature.

Converting your lawn into a native plant habitat can help sustain the rusty patched bumblebee, a critically endangered species. 

“The patterns of where [these bees are found] seem to be focused in more urban areas,” Angell said in her interview. “In more urban or suburban areas, there’s actually less risk of exposure to insecticides. The other thing about people’s yards is that they tend to put a diversity of plants in, [which makes] pretty good habitats for the rusty patched bumblebee.” 

She also offers a nuanced perspective on the extinction of endangered bumblebee species. Angell said that although the loss of these insects may not have catastrophic effects on prairies as a whole, the consequences of extinction can be difficult to anticipate.  

“It’s really hard to predict which species do what, and sometimes we’ve been unexpectedly affected by the loss of a species where we really didn’t predict or understand the consequences [of its extinction],” she said.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science Caleb Schmotter

Schmotter’s research explores the structure, malleability, and political dimensions of ethnic identity, as well as the effects of public support on judicial politics. In his episode, Schmotter discusses judicial independence, court curbing, and the important role that the judiciary plays in maintaining democracy.

Schmotter explains the thermostatic effect and how it works in terms of public support for the judiciary. 

He said, “When we think about the thermostatic effect in the realm of judicial independence, the idea is that public opinion operates [is similar to] turning up or down a thermostat. If the judiciary is too independent, public support drops to pull them back in. If the judiciary is too weak, or we’re concerned that it’s beholden to other interests, public support rises.” 

“Public support tends to be pretty low in Latin America and Eastern Europe, as many people experienced repressive military dictatorships and communist regimes,” Schmotter explained. “People didn’t think that the system worked for them. In parts of Africa, a lot of it has to do with huge social upheaval in the wake of decolonization, and people see these systems as designed for them.”

In order to strengthen public support, Schmotter believes courts should focus on demonstrating procedural justice and transparency in order to assert their legitimacy. 

Since August 2025, additional St. Olaf professors previously featured on the show include:

• Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Will Leeson
• Marie M. Meyer Distinguished Professor of History Steve Hahn
• Professor of Art and Art History, Asian Studies, and Russian Language and Area Studies Karil Kucera
• Assistant Professor of Economics and Interim Director of Business and Management Studies Naafey Sardar
• Associate Professor of Biology and Director of Neuroscience Norman Lee
• Professor of Economics Anthony Becker
• Professor of Music Louis Epstein
• Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian Language and Area Studies Giulia Dossi
• Associate Professor of Economics and Department Chair Allison Luedtke
• Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Physics Anne Gothmann