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James Madison University - Madison Magazine - Summer 2009 - Index

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[Christie-Joy Brodrick Hartman]
A holistic approach to
environmental issues
By Chris Bolgiano
A
passion for nature since childhood led integrated science and technology
professor Christie-Joy “C.J.” Brodrick Hartman to the unlikely
career path of heavy-vehicle technologies. “I was born in Michigan but
grew up mostly in Arizona,” she says, “where I spent a great deal of time
outside swimming, playing tennis and going to summer camps.”
Hartman’s parents, both teachers, moved the family to California for
the higher education opportunities. “They encouraged me to take a nonconventional
career path,” says Hartman, who earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in environmental
and civil engineering at California Polytechnic State University and the University
of California at Davis. “I realized that transportation was a big part of the overall
sustainability of Earth, and I decided to pursue transportation technology and policy.”
Hartman’s doctoral work included experimenting with fuel cell auxiliary power
units for trucks. As she gained experience, her focus broadened from specific issues
like tailpipe emissions and energy efficiency to life cycle analyses that include environmental,
economic and social impacts of transportation. “When I was done with
my schooling and looking at career opportunities,” she says, “JMU had this fantastic
opportunity in the College of Integrated Science and Technology to do research and
conduct outreach to the community and to teach. That was everything I was looking
for, so it was an easy decision to come here.”
Since coming to JMU in 2002, Hartman has contributed to grant proposals, winning
$2 million for transportation and air pollution applied research and education, as well as
an award from the Society of Automotive Engineers. But formal academic success has not
stifled her spontaneity, as she proved when she jumped into the big yellow Smog Dog
mascot suit for one of her outreach programs after the usual role-playing student fell ill. “I
couldn’t get out of the suit,” she remembers, “and I had to ask a colleague for help.”
Hartman’s holistic approach to environmental issues includes critically analyzing and
making choices about popular green actions. She chose not to buy a hybrid car to do weekend
highway commutes to the Roanoke area, where her husband, Jason Hartman (’85M),
is a CPA and partner in Brown, Edwards and Co. “I prioritize taking the bus for in-town
transportation, conserving home energy, minimizing waste and
‘... there is no
one solution
to the many
dilemmas we
face.’
— Christie-Joy
Brodrick Hartman,
director of the Institute
for Stewardship of the
Natural World
eating local, vegetarian foods. ... There are always trade-offs.”
Finding ways to equip JMU and individuals to make
environmentally sound choices will be her newest challenge:
Last September, JMU President Linwood H. Rose named
her executive director of the new Institute for Stewardship
of the Natural World (Read more on Page 26).
“The institute will address environmental issues through
science and critical thinking,” Hartman says. “Green is
extremely trendy right now, but there’s no ‘green easy button,’
no one solution to the many dilemmas we face. But
there is a tremendous opportunity for us to make small
individual changes to make a large difference.” M
Since joining the JMU
faculty in 2002, integrated
science and
technology professor
Christie-Joy “C.J.”
Brodrick Hartman has
helped win some $2
million in grants for air
pollution research and
education. Her newest
project? Taking the
helm of JMU’s Institute
for Stewardship
of the Natural World.
20 MADISON MAGAZINE
PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANE ELLIOTT (’00)