Dear Environmental Studies Students:
Welcome back from break! Please see this week’s announcements below. Seniors, please note the announcement regarding your degree audits.
Course Information for the New Semester
1. Important reminder for all graduating seniors
2. UN256 – Environmental Law and Policy
ESP News
1. Save the Date – Science Networking Night 2013
Graduate School Information
1. Bard MBA in Sustainability
Upcoming Conference and Forum Opportunities
1. Colby College Conference on Students as Catalysts for Large Landscape Conservation – 3/1
Internship Opportunities, Travel Opportunities and Graduate School Presentations
1. Institute for Sustainable International Studies – Summer Field Documentary Program
2. Job Opportunity with Audubon International
3. Green Corps
4. Volunteer in Africa
5. Environment Massachusetts
Best,
Kevin
--
B. Kevin Brown
Graduate Assistant, Environmental Studies
617-552-2477
Devlin 213
Office Hours: Monday 11:00am-5:00pm, Tuesday 10:00am-2:00pm, Wednesday 1:00-3:00pm, and Thursday 1:00-5:00pm
In order to graduate as an ESP minor, you must make sure you have all six required courses done by the end of next semester. Please review your degree audit as soon as possible to ensure that all of your requirements are met. If you have questions about the requirements, first check the ESP website (http://www.bc.edu/envstudies/), and then get in touch with ESP grad assistant Kevin Brown (at this email or in Devlin 213) or Prof. Noah Snyder by email or during office hours (Tuesday and Wednesday 3-4:0pm). Recall that only one course can count toward both your major and minor requirements. Also note that the Student Services computer system does not always apply this rule correctly, so you should check your degree audit carefully.
There are still a few spots open in this semester’s Environmental Law and Policy course. Please see below for more information about the course.
Course gives undergrads insight into law and legal fields
Published in the Thursday, November 13, 2008 Edition of
By Kelly Cupo
As registration for spring semester approaches, some students might think they have their schedule mapped out. A little-known course (taught on Main Campus through the Law School) offers a different choice for undergraduates interested in law, and environmental law.
The Environmental Law course was brought to Boston College’s campus in 1991 by BC Law School professor Zygmunt Plater, and is designed to introduce students to the legal system and the analytical thinking behind its practice.
Each of the four sections is taught by a pair of law students handpicked by Plater. Covering everything from statutes to policy, the course first helps students develop a general law background, then apply the technical knowledge to specific cases in the field of environmental law.
Undergraduates of various majors who take this course are coming away with recommendations, a window into law, and in certain cases, job opportunities.
Plater’s environmental law program is unique at BC because it is the only law-school-like class offered to undergraduates that is taught by current students of law. After the graduate students are selected, they are trained during the fall semester under Plater to become effective instructors. The students come from BC Law, Harvard Law School, and Boston University Law School. Right now, the eight teachers are preparing the curriculum for Spring ‘09 on their own.
Historically the result is a curriculum infused with guest speakers and mock trials. Currently, Environmental Law teacher Ari Sommer, BC Law ‘09, said of next semester, “I know that we plan to give a broad overview of the structure of government, how to read cases, how disputes become law, and how the legislature works, all before really delving into the various environmental protections.”
Each class is organized in a different way, since the grad student pairs are given great flexibility. This flexibility is a result of Plater’s belief in leaving the course’s organization up to the teachers.
In regard to his being more involved in the instruction, Plater recalled his years of teaching only grad students. “They know better what undergrads will know and not know. So this way they can tailor-make a law course that will be best, since they instinctively know better than I do what the students need,” he said.
The experience of taking a class led by law students was highly valued by past student Amber Slattery, A&S ‘10, because of the grad students’ relevant insights into the exploration of law after college. “You can’t get better perspective on the realities of law school than from a third-year law student just a few weeks away from graduation,” Slattery said.
Slattery also noted that the accessibility of the grad students prevented her from being intimidated by new and dense information, because she always felt they were there to help. The relationship between undergraduates and grad students, which Plater stressed could never involve dating, could yield certain valuable advantages for students.
For example, Bradley Roberts, a section instructor last year and BC Law ‘08, was described in his student reviews as approachable.
At the end of the course, Roberts linked a student in his Environmental Law class to a job at the U.S. Justice Department, where he worked. Another past teacher, Mandy Eckhoff, BC Law ‘05, said that recommendations provided by the teachers of this course could be very helpful for students applying to law school.
This class also offers the ability to take law courses from BC as an undergraduate. Many students who have excelled in Environmental Law have been able to take certain classes such as International Environmental Law.
It is Plater’s philosophy that the unique opportunity the environmental law class brings is not at all exclusive to the pre-law track. He strongly recommends the class to any type of major.
“Everyone with a liberal arts education ought to understand laws in civil society. Everyone will have to know how to work with and get around lawyers,” he said.
Plater said that this course is especially beneficial to this end, since it is the nature of Environmental Law to cover many aspects of law.
Former teacher Jason Gagnon, BC Law ‘08, agreed, and said, “The course isn’t just for those people considering a career in the law. It teaches that environmental law impacts us all, indeed we interact with it on a daily basis.”
Another value of this course stems from growing opportunities in environmental law practice and relative industries.
Eckoff said that policy will have to be made in coming years to decrease new forms of pollution. Further, Sommer said, “My guess is that companies and corporations will need to hire more environmental lawyers into their in-house counsel’s office to consider possible environmental liabilities of current and future operations.”
In light of the recent election, Roberts said the need for a background in environmental law will increase because of President-elect Barack Obama’s intention to focus on environmental issues on a national scale.
The value of this program to undergrads is matched by its value to the grad students who make it possible. Eckoff, Sommer, Gagnon, and Roberts agreed that engaging with students and having to teach law made them stronger lawyers. Their knowledge was reinforced through teaching, and they were able to pursue their passions for environmental law.
“For me, the semester I spent teaching environmental law was the most rewarding experience I spent at BC Law, and that is saying a great deal,” Gagnon said.
save the date – science networking night 2013
March 12, 2013: Higgins AtriumWhat is Science Networking Night? An evening of networking with BC alumni in various science careers. In 2012, we hosted alumni from Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Dana Farber, Children’s Hospital, EBI Consulting, Zoo New England, EPA, BC Bio Labs, and several other organizations. We will send more details and information for students in the spring. For now, please mark your calendars so we can avoid scheduling conflicts with your department.
The Bard Center for Environmental Policy and the Bard MBA in Sustainability are looking for motivated students who are ready to embark on an exciting educational journey. We would be very grateful if you could forward this email to students or recent graduates at your university / college who might enjoy finding out about our pioneering master's degree programs (see below).
Our students come from a variety of academic disciplines, and they bring to Bard a passion about their future role as environmental and business leaders. Interdisciplinary course work, faculty-student mentorships, and professional hands-on experiences provide the platform students need to succeed academically and professionally. Both Bard CEP and Bard MBA offer competitive merit fellowships, project assistantships, and campus employment opportunities for qualified candidates.
Thank you in advance for your help spreading the word to Bard College students interested in graduate school!
With Graditude,
Molly Williams and Katie Van Sant
Bard Graduate Programs in Sustainabilitywww.bard.edu/gps
The Bard MBA in Sustainability focuses on the business case for sustainability. We train students to see how firms can integrate economic, environmental, and social objectives, the triple bottom line, to create successful businesses that build a more sustainable world. Graduates of the Bard MBA Program will transform existing companies, start their own businesses, and pioneer new ways of operating that meet human needs, while protecting and restoring the earth’s natural systems. The Bard MBA is a low-residency program structured around “weekend intensives” with regular online instruction between these residencies. Five of these intensives are held each term: four in the heart of New York City and one in the Hudson Valley. Residencies take place over four days, beginning Friday morning, and ending Monday afternoon.
Website: http://www.bard.edu/mba
Contact: Katie Van Sant MS '07
E-mail: kvansant@bard.edu
Phone: 845-758-7388
Application Due Dates: Early: January 15, 2013; Regular: March 15, 2013; Final: May 15, 2013
Our students come from a variety of academic disciplines, and they bring to Bard a passion about their future role as environmental and business leaders. Interdisciplinary course work, faculty-student mentorships, and professional hands-on experiences provide the platform students need to succeed academically and professionally. Both Bard CEP and Bard MBA offer competitive merit fellowships, project assistantships, and campus employment opportunities for qualified candidates.
Thank you in advance for your help spreading the word to Bard College students interested in graduate school!
With Graditude,
Molly Williams and Katie Van Sant
Bard Graduate Programs in Sustainabilitywww.bard.edu/gps
The Bard MBA in Sustainability focuses on the business case for sustainability. We train students to see how firms can integrate economic, environmental, and social objectives, the triple bottom line, to create successful businesses that build a more sustainable world. Graduates of the Bard MBA Program will transform existing companies, start their own businesses, and pioneer new ways of operating that meet human needs, while protecting and restoring the earth’s natural systems. The Bard MBA is a low-residency program structured around “weekend intensives” with regular online instruction between these residencies. Five of these intensives are held each term: four in the heart of New York City and one in the Hudson Valley. Residencies take place over four days, beginning Friday morning, and ending Monday afternoon.
Website: http://www.bard.edu/mba
Contact: Katie Van Sant MS '07
E-mail: kvansant@bard.edu
Phone: 845-758-7388
Application Due Dates: Early: January 15, 2013; Regular: March 15, 2013; Final: May 15, 2013
The Bard Center for Environmental Policy believes that to solve environmental challenges and achieve sustainability in our institutions and in society, government and business policies must be grounded in the best available science. Bard CEP’s cohort-based program and intensive, campus-based, first-year curriculum require students to synthesize information from a range of disciplines and sources. The emphasis on science-based policy enables students to progress from knowledge of the issues to the formulation of feasible, effective policy responses. Distinctive program features include a modular approach to course work; close student-faculty interaction; professional internships; practical training in geographic information systems (GIS), statistics, leadership, and communication strategies; and research opportunities created to fit student interests.
Website: http://www.bard.edu/cep
Contact: Molly Williams MS '08
E-mail: mwilliam@bard.edu
Phone: 845-758-7071
Application Due Date: Early: January 15, 2013; Regular: March 15, 2013; Final: May 15, 2013
Students as Catalysts for Large Landscape Conservation
Colby College
March 1, 2013
The Environmental Studies Program at Colby College, in conjunction with partner universities, colleges, and research institutions, is hosting a conference on March 1, 2013 in Waterville, Maine, that will focus on students as catalysts for large landscape conservation.
This conference will provide students, practitioners, and scholars with the opportunity to network with, and learn from, peers and leading experts from North America and beyond working in the field of large landscape conservation.
One feature of the conference will be a conservation innovation contest for students. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit essays or creative contributions, such as videos. Authors of winning contributions will receive travel reimbursements to attend the conference up to $500. One essay will be considered for inclusion in a forthcoming book on large landscape conservation to be published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Additional essays will be considered for publication in an issue of an international conservation journal. Students unable to attend the conference are encouraged to attend via web conferencing.
The organizers also are soliciting student posters for display and presentation at the conference. These posters will not be considered as part of the conservation innovation contest for students.
For additional information about the student essay contest, registration, and other conference details, see: http://web.colby.edu/landscapeconservation/
For questions about the conference, please contact: landscapeconservation@colby.edu
ISIS has expanded our faculty and courses for the summer 2013 programs. In addition to our popular animal science field courses, students can now explore the “Geography and History of Maya Gold (Chocolate!), documentary film making, and contemporary and traditional health and healing in Belize.
ISIS offers a range of field courses over the summer:
- Marine Conservation Biology
- Tropical Forests: From Destruction to Conservation
- Wildlife Medicine, Biology and Conservation
- Documentary Filming in Belize: Art, Culture and Wildlife
- Maya Gold: The Geography and History of Chocolate
- Indigenous Knowledge: Saving, Growing and Sharing in the 21st Century
- Health, Healing and Ethnomedicine in Belize
- Large Animal Veterinary Practices in the Tropics
For more information about instructors and syllabi and to download forms, see the ISIS website. The application deadline is March 15th 2013.
The 2013 summer sessions run in June and July. The courses are designed as 3 credit hour courses and students receive credits from Sacred Heart College transferrable with home institution approval, The two week Documentary Film field school is run by Emmy® Award winners, Carol and Richard Foster and Danny Velazquez. It is $2,995, which includes lab fees, is offered July 6 – 20. Enrollment is limited to 10 students.
For Custom or Existing Belize Programs: The ISIS Team creates or enhances quality, faculty-led courses incorporating Belize's natural resources into the course work. If you would like to organize a group from your university to work with the Fosters, or others in Belize, please contact me. Visit our website, www.isisbelize.com, or our Page at Facebook for more information.
Sincerely,
NancyNancy L. Adamson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Institute for Sustainable International Studies
San Ignacio, Cayo,
Belize, Central America
Executive Director
Institute for Sustainable International Studies
San Ignacio, Cayo,
Belize, Central America
GREEN CORPS
Green Corps The Field School for Environmental Organizing
Green Corps is looking for college graduates who are ready to take on the
biggest environmental challenges of our day.
In Green Corps year-long paid program, you¹ll get intensive training in the skills you¹ll need to make a difference in the world. You¹ll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems ‹ global warming, deforestation, water pollution, factory farming and many others ‹ with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. And, when you graduate from Green Corps, we¹ll help you find a career with one of the nation¹s leading environmental and social change groups.
For more information, read below or visit our web site: www.greencorps.org.
In your year with Green Corps:
You¹ll get great training with some of the most experienced organizers in the field: Green Corps organizers take part in trainings with leading figures in the environmental and social change movements: people such as Adam Ruben, political director of MoveOn.org, and Bill McKibben, author and founder of "350.org".
You¹ll get amazing experience working on environmental issues across the country: Green Corps sends organizers to jumpstart campaigns for groups such as Rainforest Action Network and Environment America in San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and dozens of other places in between.
You¹ll have a real impact on some of the biggest environmental problems we¹re facing today: Green Corps organizers have built the campaigns that helped keep the Arctic safe from drilling, that led to new laws that support clean, renewable energy, that convinced major corporations to stop dumping in our oceans and much, much more.
You¹ll even get paid: Green Corps Organizers earn a salary of $23,750. Organizers also have a chance to opt into our health care program with a pre-tax monthly salary deferral. We offer paid sick days and holidays, two weeks paid vacation and a student loan repayment program for those who qualify.
And when you graduate from the program, you¹ll be ready for what comes next: Green Corps will help connect you to environmental and progressive groups that are looking for full-time staff to build their organizations and help them create social change and protect our environment.
In the next few months, weŒll invite 35 college graduates to join Green Corps in 2013 -2014. We¹re looking for people who are serious about saving the planet, people who have taken initiative on their campus or community, and people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work for change over the long haul.
If you think you¹re one of those people, visit www.greencorps.org to apply to join the 2013-2014 class of Green Corps¹ Field School for Environmental Organizing.
Green Corps¹ year-long program begins in August 2013 with Introductory Classroom Training in Boston, and continues with field placements in multiple locations across the U.S. Candidates must be willing to relocate.
For more information, visit http://www.greencorps.org or contact Aaron Myran, Recruitment Director, at jobs@greencorps.org.
biggest environmental challenges of our day.
In Green Corps year-long paid program, you¹ll get intensive training in the skills you¹ll need to make a difference in the world. You¹ll get hands-on experience fighting to solve urgent environmental problems ‹ global warming, deforestation, water pollution, factory farming and many others ‹ with groups such as Sierra Club and Food and Water Watch. And, when you graduate from Green Corps, we¹ll help you find a career with one of the nation¹s leading environmental and social change groups.
For more information, read below or visit our web site: www.greencorps.org.
In your year with Green Corps:
You¹ll get great training with some of the most experienced organizers in the field: Green Corps organizers take part in trainings with leading figures in the environmental and social change movements: people such as Adam Ruben, political director of MoveOn.org, and Bill McKibben, author and founder of "350.org".
You¹ll get amazing experience working on environmental issues across the country: Green Corps sends organizers to jumpstart campaigns for groups such as Rainforest Action Network and Environment America in San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and dozens of other places in between.
You¹ll have a real impact on some of the biggest environmental problems we¹re facing today: Green Corps organizers have built the campaigns that helped keep the Arctic safe from drilling, that led to new laws that support clean, renewable energy, that convinced major corporations to stop dumping in our oceans and much, much more.
You¹ll even get paid: Green Corps Organizers earn a salary of $23,750. Organizers also have a chance to opt into our health care program with a pre-tax monthly salary deferral. We offer paid sick days and holidays, two weeks paid vacation and a student loan repayment program for those who qualify.
And when you graduate from the program, you¹ll be ready for what comes next: Green Corps will help connect you to environmental and progressive groups that are looking for full-time staff to build their organizations and help them create social change and protect our environment.
In the next few months, weŒll invite 35 college graduates to join Green Corps in 2013 -2014. We¹re looking for people who are serious about saving the planet, people who have taken initiative on their campus or community, and people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work for change over the long haul.
If you think you¹re one of those people, visit www.greencorps.org to apply to join the 2013-2014 class of Green Corps¹ Field School for Environmental Organizing.
Green Corps¹ year-long program begins in August 2013 with Introductory Classroom Training in Boston, and continues with field placements in multiple locations across the U.S. Candidates must be willing to relocate.
For more information, visit http://www.greencorps.org or contact Aaron Myran, Recruitment Director, at jobs@greencorps.org.
volunteer in africa
One Heart Source is currently accepting applications for our 2013 Volunteer Programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and the last deadline is February 5th!
One Heart Source is currently accepting applications for our 2013 Volunteer Programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and the last deadline is February 5th!
As an OHS Volunteer, you will:
* Live with a host family and be an active member of their household.
(Zanzibar only)
* Work with primary school students through a mentorship program focused on building strong Math and English foundations while empowering students.
* Work closely with members of the community to create social uplift.
* Lead after-school programs in non-traditional subjects like dance, debate, art, and sports.
* Work with a small, dynamic team of international university students.
We at One Heart Source believe in creating lasting social change through education and human connection. We encourage you to take a step towards a more socially just future for the youth of some of the most marginalized communities in the world.
APPLY NOW FOR OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS!
For more information and to download the program application, please visit:www.oneheartsource.org/volunteer
Environment Massachusetts has a number of internship opportunities posted on their website. For more information, please visit http://environmentmassachusetts.org/page/jobs or contact Alison Giest, Environment Massachusetts, New England Federal Field Associate, at agiest@environmentmassachusetts.org or 813-215-3604.
