Dr. Elise L. Amel
Professor of Psychology
Academic History
B.S., St. Norbert College, 1989
M.A., Purdue University, 1992
Ph.D., Purdue University, 1994
Dr. Amel began teaching at UST in 1997 and frequently teaches General Psychology, Research Methods, Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Conservation Pscyhology. Her research interests include how individual differences such as mindfulness and personality relate to how individulas and organizations approach environmental sustainability. She also studies the types of goals best suited to obtaining a sustainable lifestyle or work ethic. Amel regularly includes students in her research team (conducting library research, data collection, entry and analysis) and is currently the director of UST's Environmental Studies program.
Expertise
Conservation Psychology
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Awards & Honors
Undergraduate Research & Collaborative Scholarship Undergraduate Research Award, May 2011
Undergraduate Student Government Accolades, May 2008
Division of Student Affairs Faculty Award for Excellence in Service Learning, May 2003.
Recent Publications
Amel, E.L., & Manning, C.M. (2012). Exploring the effectiveness of ecological principles as a method for
integrating environmental content into psychology courses. Ecopsychology, 4(2), 127-136.
Manning, C.M., Amel, E.L., & Bock T.S. (2012). Environmental sustainability and introductory psychology:
A natural partnership. Ecopsychology, 4(2), 122-126.
Conway, J.M, Amel, E.L., & Gerwien, D.P. (2009). How much do we learn from community service
learning? A meta-analysis of academic, personal, social, and citizenship outcomes. Teaching of
Psychology, 36(4), 233-245.
Manning, C.M., Amel, E. L., Forsman, J. W., & Scott, B. A. (2009). Framing climate change solutions: The
importance of getting the numbers right. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and
Management, 1(4), 326-339.
Amel, E.L., & Manning, C.M., & Scott, B.A. (2009). Mindfulness and sustainable behavior: Pondering
attention and awareness as means for being green. Ecopsychology, 1(1), 14-25.
Amel, E.L., & Manning, C.M. (2009). The mechanics of human behavior. In W. Jedlicka (Ed.) Packaging
sustainability. New York: Wiley.
Amel, E.L., & Uhrskov, A. (2008). Designing the academic course: Principles and practicalities. In S.E.
Spencer, and K. Tuma (Eds.), The guide to successful short-term programs abroad (2nd ed, pp.73-
106). Washington, DC: NAFSA.
Recent Presentations
Amel, E.L. (2012, June). Thinking like an ecologist: A short-hand method for business students. In E.
Goodstein (Chair), Business Sustainability and Education: How Far? How Fast? Symposium for the
annual meeting of the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, Santa Clara, CA.
Amel, E.L. (2011, August). The business of integrating the earth into our curriculum: Sustainability in I/O
& consumer psychology. In A.T. Brook (Chair), Greening Your classes: Incorporating environmental
sustainability across the psychology curriculum . Symposium at the 116th Annual Convention of the
American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C.
Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., Forsman, J.W., & Scott, B.A. (2011, April). Goal specificity, goal difficulty and
perceived need to develop skills in the context of environmental sustainability. Symposium for Society
for Human Ecology, Las Vegas, NV.
Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., & Scott, B.A. (2011, April). To fly or not to fly: Motivational barriers to
sustainable corporate travel. Invited poster for the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial
and Organizational Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., Forsman, J.W., & Scott, B.A. (2010, April). Goal specificity and goal
acceptance in the context of environmental sustainability. In A.M. Sanders, & A.H. Huffman (Chairs),
Earth and I/O: Implications for a sustainable workforce. Symposium for the annual meeting of the
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., Forsman, J.W., & Scott, B.A. (2010, April). Seeing the world through green-
colored glasses? Openness to experience and organization-wide Environmental sustainability
efforts. In C.L.Z. DuBois (Chair), Environmental sustainability: Exploring the dimensions and
prediction of green behavior. Symposium for the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., & Scott, B.A. (2009, August). Goal setting feedback and environmental
sustainability: The importance of making invisible information visible. In D.A. DuBois (Chair), Social
Design for sustainability: Exploring the design characteristics of the organizational ecology.
Symposium for the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, Chicago, IL.
Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., & Scott, B.A. (2009, April). Employee perceptions and organizational
opportunities on the path to going green. In A. H. Huffman (Chair), “Working” through environmental
issues: The role of the I/O psychologist. Symposium for the annual meeting of the Society for
Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Amel, E.L., Scott, B.A., Manning, C.M., & Forsman, J.W. (2009, April). Increasing Employees’ Green
Behavior: The role of I/O constructs such as attitudes, norms, motivation, and leadership. In M. Dela
Rosa (Chair), What is I/O psychology’s role in supporting green business initiatives? Symposium for
the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans,
Louisiana.
Amel, E.L. (2009, April). The psychology of sustainability. Invited address for the Annual Conference of
the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
Amel, E. L., Manning, C.M., Scott, B. A., Forsman, J. W., & Black, E.M. (2008, November). You say
ANWR, I say NPRA…let’s call the whole thing off: The effects of framing on willingness to drill for
oil. 1st Annual Klima 2008 Conference, Hamburg, Germany via Internet.
Amel, E.L., Scott, B.A., & Manning, C.M. (2008, September). Many paths lead to green: Differences
between parents’ and non-parents’ environmental motivations. In B.A. Scott (Chair), Shades of green:
Implications of human diversity for environmental education and advocacy. Symposium for Society
for Human Ecology, Bellingham, WA.
Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., & Scott, B.A. (2008, August). I/O and conservation psychology: A natural
partnership for sustainability. Poster presented at the 116th Annual Convention of the American
Psychological Association, Boston, MA.
Amel, E.L., Scott, B.A., Manning, C.M., & Bock, T.S. (2008, April) Creating a sustainable
curriculum: Case examples from a psychology department. Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability, Decorah, IA.
Amel, E., Manning, C. and Scott, B. (2007, November). Discrepancies between what we say we value
versus our daily decisions. Poster session presented at 1st Annual Behavior, Energy and Climate
Change Conference, Sacramento, CA.
Amel, E.L., Scott, B.A., Manning, C.M. & Stinson, J. (2007, August). I’m not an environmentalist, I just
behave like one. In E. L. Amel (Chair), Conservation psychology in the field. Symposium conducted
at the 115th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
Selected Student Papers
Kelly, B., Manning, C.M. & Amel, E.L. (2012, June). Conservation psychology in Germany. Paper for
the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, Santa Clara, CA. Selected for Best Student
Paper.
Hays, A. (2012, February). Impact of urban gardening on a university campus. Selected for Scholars at
the Capitol, St. Paul, MN. Sponsored by a 2011 $4,000 Community-Based Research Grant
http://www.stthomas.edu/bulletin/2012/02/15/cilce-corner-garden/
Lyons, R.E., Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., & Scott, B.A. (2011, April). To fly or not to fly: using the
theory of planned behavior to understand personal travel. Symposium for Society for Human
Ecology, Las Vegas, NV.
Lyons, R. & Amel, E.L. (2010, May). Pets as purses: Treating pets as accessories and its influence on
how humans value the natural environment. Annual Conference of the Midwestern Psychological
Association, Chicago, IL.
Forsman, J.W., Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., & Scott, B.A. (2010, April). Applying the transtheoretical
model of change to sustainable work behaviors. In A.M. Sanders, & A.H. Huffman (Chairs), Earth and
I/O: Implications for a sustainable workforce. Symposium for the annual meeting of the Society for
Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Forsman, J.W., Amel, E.L., Manning, C.M., & Scott, B.A. (2008, September). Getting hooked: Finding
effective frames for religious and Residence-related worldviews. In B.A. Scott (Chair), Shades of
green: Implications of human diversity for environmental education and advocacy. Symposium for
Society for Human Ecology, Bellingham, WA.
Duclos, E.L. (2007, April). The influence of self-efficacy and knowledge in sustainable behaviors. Poster
session presented at the 21st National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Dominican
University of California. Sponsored by a $4,000 Young Scholars grant.
