Nurcan Atalan-Helicke

Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences  

Office: Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences 210F
Phone: 518-580-8372
Email: natalanh@skidmore.edu

Education:

• Ph.D. Ohio State University, Geography
• M. A., Bilkent University, International Relations
• B. A., Middle East Technical University, International Relations

Courses:

• ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
• ES 224 Political Ecology (civic engagement course)
• ES 303 The Politics of Food
• ES 307 Global Environmental Governance
• ES 302 Environment and Development in the Middle East

Research interests:

• Conservation of agricultural biodiversity
• Access to healthy food
• Genetically engineered food and Islam
• Critical pedagogies and sustainability

Publications:

• Manzanares, A.*, L. Horne, E. Royse, C. B. Azzarello*, M.Jarchow, D. Druckenbrod, N. Babin, N. Atalan Helicke, S. Vincent, S. Anderson, C. Romulo. 2026. "Insights into sustainability: exploring undergraduates’ understanding of food-energy-water nexus connections to climate change." International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.
• Horne, L.*, Manzanares, A*., Atalan-Helicke, N., Vincent, S., Anderson, S., & Romulo, C.  2025.  "An exploratory study of drawing as a tool to evaluate student understanding of the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus." Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences.
• Atalan-Helicke, N.  2024. "Wheat Landraces, Small Farmers and Urban Consumers: Revival of Einkorn in Turkey." Journal of Critical Global Issues 1(1).
• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2023. "Halal Certification in the United States and Expansion of Halal Markets.” In  R. Turaeva and M. Brose (Editors), Religious Economies in Secular Context: Halal Markets,  Practices and Landscapes. (pp. 21-55) Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Winkler*, L., T. Goodell*, S. Blumenthal*, S. Nizamuddin* and N. Atalan-Helicke. 2023. "The COVID-19 Pandemic and Food Assistance Organizations’ Responses in New York’s Capital District." Agriculture and Human Values. 40 (3), 1003-1017.
• Atalan-Helicke, N., A. Schneller, H. Alemayehu Mebrate*, C. Gonzalez*, C. Lois.* 2021.  "Seed  Libraries in the U.S.: Regulations, Seed Saving, Seed Sharing and Seed Sovereignty." In A. B. Hoflund, J.C. Jones and M. C. Pautz (Editors) Administering and Managing the U.S. Food  System: Revisiting Food Policy and Politics. (pp. 163-181). New York: Lexington Books.
• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2020. "Sustainable Halal? The Intersection of Halal, Organic and Genetically Engineered Food in Turkey." Sociology of Islam 8(3-4): 343-363.
• Abiral, B. and N. Atalan-Helicke. 2020.”Trusting food supply chains during the pandemic: reflections from Turkey and the U.S.” Food and Foodways 28(3): 226-236.
• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2020. "Access to Healthy and Clean Food in Turkey: Food Activism and Mothers’ Concerns about Shopping for Change." In Environmental Activism and the Maternal: Mothers and Mother Earth in Activism and Discourse. Edited by R. J. Bromwich, N. Richard, O. Ungar, M. Younger and M. Symons. Demeter Press.
• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2019. "Markets and collective action: a case study of traditional wheat varieties in Turkey." Journal of Economy Culture and Society 59 (1): 13-30.
• Atalan-Helicke, N. 2018. "'You Can Never Give Up Siyez If You Taste It Once': Local Taste, Global Markets, and the Conservation of Einkorn, an Ancient Wheat." Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies 18(2): 33-45.

* denotes student authors