Kyle Powys Whyte facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kyle Powys Whyte
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| Education | BA, business administration, Babson College MA, University of Memphis PhD, 2009, Stony Brook University |
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| Institutions | University of Michigan Michigan State University |
Kyle Powys Whyte is a special kind of thinker, known as an Indigenous philosopher. He also studies how climate change and environmental problems affect people fairly, especially Indigenous communities. This is called environmental justice. He teaches about the environment and how to keep it healthy at the University of Michigan. Before that, he was a special professor at Michigan State University.
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About Kyle Powys Whyte
His Background and Learning
Kyle Powys Whyte is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, an Indigenous group. He first studied business at Babson College. After that, he became very interested in how people think and how to make things fair for everyone.
He went on to earn two more degrees. He got his Master's degree from the University of Memphis. Then, he earned his PhD from Stony Brook University in 2009. A PhD is the highest degree you can get in a subject. While studying for his PhD, he won a special award called the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award.
Working for a Better Future
After finishing his PhD in 2009, Professor Whyte started teaching at Michigan State University (MSU). He also began working with Chris Caldwell at the College of Menominee Nation. They worked together at the Sustainable Development Institute.
As a professor, he encouraged different groups to work together. He wanted politicians, climate scientists, environmentalists, and Indigenous peoples to team up. Their goal was to find solutions for global warming.
Professor Whyte helped write an important report called the National Climate Assessment. He also worked with the U.S. Global Change Research Program. This program helps the government understand climate change. He was also part of several environmental groups. These included the National Indian Youth Council and the Pesticide Action Network. He also served on a U.S. government committee about climate change.
In 2015, he received the Bunyan Bryant Award. This award recognized his teamwork with people and groups across Michigan. They were all working to help communities deal with global warming's effects.
Leading and Collaborating
In 2015, Professor Whyte became the first Timnick Chair in the Humanities at Michigan State University. In this role, he worked with scientists from MSU. He also worked with researchers from Wisconsin's College of Menominee Nation. Their goal was to improve relationships between Indigenous tribes and science groups. This was especially important when dealing with climate change.
He later received an award from the National Science Foundation. This award was for his project called "Integrating Indigenous and Western Knowledge." This project helps combine traditional Indigenous knowledge with modern science. It aims to improve how we learn about Earth's sciences.
Moving Forward
In his last year at MSU (2019–2020), Professor Whyte became a Full Professor. This is a very high teaching rank. He and Chris Caldwell also won an award from MSU for their teamwork. He also received an award for his research that helps communities.
In 2020, Professor Whyte moved to the University of Michigan. He became a George Willis Pack Professor there. He teaches at the School for Environment & Sustainability. He also works with a program that studies science, technology, and public policy. This program is part of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
