Rate My Professor Sanford Smith

Sanford S. Smith, Ph.D., serves as Teaching Professor in Forest Resources and Natural Resources & Youth Extension Specialist within the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. He holds a B.S. from the University of Maine (1980), an M.S. from Penn State (1987), and a Ph.D. from Penn State (2001). Throughout his career at Penn State, Smith has focused on extension education, particularly in fostering connections between youth and natural resources. His academic interests encompass natural resources and youth education programs, adult volunteerism in conservation and environmental education, private forestland management, forest stewardship, connecting youth with nature, forest dendrology, and botany.

Smith has made significant contributions through his extension work and scholarly publications in environmental education. Key publications include "Transformative Learning in Practice: Examples from Extension Education" (Reichenbach, Muth, and Smith, Journal of Extension, 2013), "Will natural resources professionals volunteer to teach youth?" (Smith, Finley, and San Julian, International Journal of Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 2010), "Forest Story Cards – A Visual Survey Tool for Generating Dialogue about Forests" (Smith, Journal of Extension, 2010), and several others on topics such as watershed curricula, wildlife management exhibits, volunteer recruitment, and publication design for underrepresented audiences in the Journal of Extension between 1992 and 2009. He has developed educational programs like the Future Forest Stewards Program and produced numerous instructional videos for Penn State Extension on forest mycology, wildlife habitat, winter tree biology, conservation history, and forest aesthetics. In recognition of his impact, Smith received the Excellence in Natural Resources Extension and Service Award from the Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals (ANREP) in 2025. His efforts have influenced youth engagement in conservation, natural resources volunteerism, and stewardship of private forest lands, enhancing public understanding of forest resources and environmental stewardship.