Associate Professor, U.S. Naval Academy

Senior Scholar, UVa Center for Politics

            Howard Ernst serves as an associate professor of political science at the United States Naval Academy and as a Senior Scholar at University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. Dr. Ernst received his Ph.D. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia in the spring of 2000. While at the University of Virginia, Ernst received several academic awards, including the Governor's Fellowship, Bradley Fellowship, and University of Virginia's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship. Since arriving at the Naval Academy in the fall of 2000, Dr. Ernst has taught U.S. Government and Constitutional Development; Research Methods; Environmental Politics; Interest Groups, Parties and Elections; The Legislative Process; and a numerous capstone courses. He currently serves as the course coordinator for the Naval Academy’s core course, U.S. Government and Constitutional Development, and received an honorable mention for the Naval Academy’s APGAR Teaching Award in the spring of ‘04.

Ernst's research focuses on the American political system, with special attention given to citizen influence on sub-national politics and environmental policy. Professor Ernst has published several books and academic articles, including: Dangerous Democracy? The Battle over Ballot Initiatives in America (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001); Chesapeake Bay Blues: Science, Politics, and the Struggle to Save the Bay (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003); The Encyclopedia of American Political Parties and Elections (Facts on File, 2005); and The Political Science Toolbox: A Research Companion to American Government (Rowman and Littlefield 2008). Dr. Ernst's most recent publication, Fight for the Bay: Why a Dark Green Environmental Awakening Is Needed to Save the Chesapeake Bay, is scheduled to be released by Rowman & Littlefield in October of 2009. This work was selected as the runner-up for the 2010 Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Environmental Writing. 

Dr. Ernst’s is best known for his work in the area of environmental politics and is considered a leading authority on the Chesapeake Bay restoration program. This publications have been adopted in courses as diverse as a graduate seminar at Yale University’s School of Forestry, New York University’s School of Law, and Johns Hopkins University’s School of Geography and Environmental Engineering, in addition to dozens of public policy courses taught in political science departments throughout the country. Beyond the his work's academic impact, Dr. Ernst's findings have been highlighted in numerous media outlets, including the Washington Post, National Public Radio’s Diane Rehm Show, and the PBS Frontline documentary  (Poisoned Waters). Ernst’s work has resulted in invitations to testify before Congress and to guest lecture at institutions such as Yale University, New York University, Gettysburg College, Johns Hopkins University, University of Virginia, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Institute, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Catholic University, and other centers of higher education.