Rebecca McKinsey • For the Post • rm279109@ohiou.edu
A woman who started taking classes at Ohio University at age 11, had a degree at age 20, and spent her time since traveling the world conducting environmental research has returned to Athens to share her experiences and insight.
After a five-year absence, 25-year-old Natalie Kruse comes back to OU as an assistant professor with the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. She created a course for seniors and master's students called Watershed Management, and she will begin teaching Spring Quarter.
Kruse started taking classes at OU when she was 11 years old after her parents asked if she would rather run track or take college courses.
Everyone runs track
she recalled saying. I guess I'll start taking classes at OU.
Nine years later, Kruse graduated with a degree in civil engineering and a minor in geology. She then went to Newcastle University in the United Kingdom to pursue a Ph.D. in hydrogeochemical engineering with a focus on modeling pollution production in abandoned underground mines.
During a two-year post-doctoral study following the completion of her degree, she conducted studies on renewable energy markets, air quality, mining communities and the sustainability of biofuels. Her research took her through England, China, India, Uganda and South Africa.
I think she is going to be an invaluable asset to the university in her research and her teaching said Michele Morrone, OU's director of environmental studies.
Kruse said she hopes to use the experience she gained to make environmental advances in Athens.
What I was really passionate about was post-mining and post-industrial pollution Kruse said. I really care about the Appalachian region and that my work can do a lot to help this region
and so I came back to OU.
Kruse's academic background and research experience will make Kruse a valuable asset for OU, said Mark Weinberg, director of the Voinovich School.
She fits in extremely well on one of our major focuses with environmental studies
and she also has a big interest in some of the environmental issues of this region
he said.
Kruse will have an impact not only at OU but also in surrounding Appalachia, Morrone said.
It's not just working with the university community or the Athens community; it's trying to work with both of them and integrate them as much as possible
Kruse said.
As she returns to OU, Kruse looks forward to recreating professional relationships with the people who taught her as an undergraduate.
I think that I'll be able to prove myself and develop a rapport with them
she said. I'm actually really excited about it rather than being nervous about what it will be like
because I know the potential of working with these people that taught me.
Kruse's ties to the late Mary Stoertz, an associate professor who worked on watershed repair through the Voinovich School, had a major influence on her decision to return to OU, said Hans Kruse, Natalie's father and professor in the McClure School of Information and Telecommunications Systems.
As a parent
I am incredibly proud of what she has done
he said. She has accomplished so much for being so young
