500-Word Draft

October 3, 2022

Major: Environmental Science 

Questions for one Professor

• What can I use this major for after college?
  • How will it ‘shape’ my life?
• How many years of schooling?
• What’s the biggest challenge you face teaching this major?
• Why should I pick this major over other majors? (sell me on it)
  • How would you pitch this major to someone who’s on the fence about declaring it?
• What skills will I get out of this major?
• Did you major in Environmental Science? If you, why’d you choose it in college?
  • What led you to teach this major?
• Are there any useful minors that tie into this major?
  • I’m also interested in English, could that minor be useful?
• What could I do during college to ensure I get a job with this degree after graduation?
• How adaptable is this degree?

Questions for two Students

• What made you pick this major?
  • Was it your first choice?
• Was this major what you expected it to be like?
• Did you come into college knowing you wanted to major in this?
• If you had to explain the major to someone who’s never heard of it before, what would you say? (sell me on it)
• What kind of classes do you take?
• What do you do outside of class related to this major? 
  • Internships? work studies? Part-time jobs?
• What challenges do you face with this major?
• What is the workload like?
• What do you plan to do with your degree after college?
• Do you minor in anything? Why/why not?
• What skills have you learned from majoring in Environmental Science? 
• Is it a very hands-on major?
• What type of work would I be doing?
  • Research? Writing papers? Laboratory experiments?
• Are you going to study abroad? If so, what did you do there regarding your major in another country? 
• What’s the hardest and easiest course you’ve taken in the major? why?

Professor:

-Leah Bymers, M.S.

Teaching Professor

School of Marine and Environmental Programs

2 Students:

Why This?

I wanted to explore the major of Environmental Science because all throughout high school, I was always interested in learning about the environment and what I can do to help improve it. I always gravitated towards science related classes and found them the most interesting. I also was in my high school’s Environmental Action Club so I could work with my classmates to improve my school’s sustainability habits. 

At this point in time, climate change and the health of the planet is at the forefront of virtually everyone’s minds. The globe is warming, the ocean level is rising, habitats are being destroyed and with it animal populations are dying out, and the overall environment is suffering. These are the consequences of human actions, and it is our responsibility to fix them before it is too late. We must cut back on our carbon emissions, not use disposable products, switch to renewable energy sources and become more environmentally conscious. 

I really admire the people that study the environment because they genuinely want to help people and make a difference in the world. I admired how hands-on the sciences are and how scientists don’t make arguments based on opinions, but instead back up their conclusions with facts and evidence. I want to work with my peers to help improve the environment and help change peoples’ mindsets about what they can do to make a difference. 

750 Word Draft (2nd Draft)

October 10, 2022

Environmental Science 

Questions for one Professor

• What can I use this major for after college?
  • How will it ‘shape’ my life?
• How many years of schooling?
• What’s the biggest challenge you face teaching this major?
• Why should I pick this major over other majors? (sell me on it)
  • How would you pitch this major to someone who’s on the fence about declaring it?
• What skills will I get out of this major?
• Did you major in Environmental Science? If you, why’d you choose it in college?
  • What led you to teach this major?
• Are there any useful minors that tie into this major?
  • I’m also interested in English, could that minor be useful?
• What could I do during college to ensure I get a job with this degree after graduation?
• How adaptable is this degree?

Questions for two Students

• What made you pick this major?
  • Was it your first choice?
• Was this major what you expected it to be like?
• Did you come into college knowing you wanted to major in this?
• If you had to explain the major to someone who’s never heard of it before, what would you say? (sell me on it)
• What kind of classes do you take?
• What do you do outside of class related to this major? 
  • Internships? work studies? Part-time jobs?
• What challenges do you face with this major?
• What is the workload like?
• What do you plan to do with your degree after college?
• Do you minor in anything? Why/why not?
• What skills have you learned from majoring in Environmental Science? 
• Is it a very hands-on major?
• What type of work would I be doing?
  • Research? Writing papers? Laboratory experiments?
• Are you going to study abroad? If so, what did you do there regarding your major in another country? 
• What’s the hardest and easiest course you’ve taken in the major? why?

Professor:

Bethany L. Woodworth, Ph.D.

Email address: bwoodworth@une.edu

Teaching Professor of Environmental Studies

Director, Interdisciplinary Minor in Climate Change Studies

Coordinator, Green Learning Community

Fellow, American Ornithological Society

I have emailed Dr. Woolworth and she has returned my email. We are in the process of working out a meeting time this week. 

2 Students:

Why This?

I wanted to explore the major of Environmental Science because all throughout high school, I was always interested in learning about the environment and what I can do to help improve it. I always gravitated towards science related classes and found them the most interesting. I also was in my high school’s Environmental Action Club so I could work with my classmates to improve my school’s sustainability habits. 

At this point in time, climate change and the health of the planet is at the forefront of virtually everyone’s minds. The globe is warming, the ocean level is rising, habitats are being destroyed and with it animal populations are dying out, and the overall environment is suffering. These are the consequences of human actions, and it is our responsibility to fix them before it is too late. We must cut back on our carbon emissions, not use disposable products, switch to renewable energy sources and become more environmentally conscious. 

I really admire the people that study the environment because they genuinely want to help people and make a difference in the world. I admired how hands-on the sciences are and how scientists don’t make arguments based on opinions, but instead back up their conclusions with facts and evidence. I want to work with my peers to help improve the environment and help change peoples’ mindsets about what they can do to make a difference. 

1,000 Word Draft

October 13, 2022

Environmental Science 

Questions for Bethany

• What can I use this major for after college?
  • How will it ‘shape’ my life?
• How many years of schooling?
• What’s the biggest challenge you face teaching this major?
• Why should I pick this major over other majors? (sell me on it)
  • How would you pitch this major to someone who’s on the fence about declaring it?
• What skills will I get out of this major?
• Did you major in Environmental Science? If you, why’d you choose it in college?
  • What led you to teach this major?
• Are there any useful minors that tie into this major?
  • I’m also interested in English, could that minor be useful?
• What could I do during college to ensure I get a job with this degree after graduation?
• How adaptable is this degree?

Questions for two Students

• What made you pick this major?
  • Was it your first choice?
• Was this major what you expected it to be like?
• Did you come into college knowing you wanted to major in this?
• If you had to explain the major to someone who’s never heard of it before, what would you say? (sell me on it)
• What kind of classes do you take?
• What do you do outside of class related to this major? 
  • Internships? work studies? Part-time jobs?
• What challenges do you face with this major?
• What is the workload like?
• What do you plan to do with your degree after college?
• Do you minor in anything? Why/why not?
• What skills have you learned from majoring in Environmental Science? 
• Is it a very hands-on major?
• What type of work would I be doing?
  • Research? Writing papers? Laboratory experiments?
• Are you going to study abroad? If so, what did you do there regarding your major in another country? 
• What’s the hardest and easiest course you’ve taken in the major? why?

Professor:

Bethany L. Woodworth, Ph.D.

Email address: bwoodworth@une.edu

Teaching Professor of Environmental Studies

Director, Interdisciplinary Minor in Climate Change Studies

Coordinator, Green Learning Community

Fellow, American Ornithological Society

I have emailed Dr. Woodworth and set up an interview time for Tuesday Oct. 18th at 11:30am

2 Students:

• Emailed Sawyer Ohman, upperclassman in Environmental Science Major: have not received a response

• Emailed Bethany Woodworth asking for other student contacts for interviews

Why This?

I wanted to explore the major of Environmental Science because all throughout high school, I was always interested in learning about the environment and what I can do to help improve it. I always gravitated towards science related classes and found them the most interesting. I also was in my high school’s Environmental Action Club so I could work with my classmates to improve my school’s sustainability habits. 

At this point in time, climate change and the health of the planet is at the forefront of virtually everyone’s minds. The globe is warming, the ocean level is rising, habitats are being destroyed and with it animal populations are dying out, and the overall environment is suffering. These are the consequences of human actions, and it is our responsibility to fix them before it is too late. We must cut back on our carbon emissions, not use disposable products, switch to renewable energy sources and become more environmentally conscious. 

I really admire the people that study the environment because they genuinely want to help people and make a difference in the world. I admired how hands-on the sciences are and how scientists don’t make arguments based on opinions, but instead back up their conclusions with facts and evidence. I want to work with my peers to help improve the environment and help change peoples’ mindsets about what they can do to make a difference. 

Final Draft

27 October 2022

Project 1: Major Exploration

Why This

I wanted to explore the major of Environmental Science because I was always interested in the environment throughout my childhood and how I could improve. I gravitated towards science-related classes and found them the most interesting during high school. I also was in my high school’s Environmental Action Club, which allowed me to work with my classmates and faculty to improve my school’s sustainability habits. 

At this point, climate change and the health of the planet are at the forefront of virtually everyone’s minds. The globe is warming, the ocean level is rising, habitats are being destroyed and with it, animal populations are dying out, and the overall planet is suffering. These are the consequences of human actions and it is our responsibility to try to fix them before it is too late. We must decrease our carbon emissions, cut back on the use of disposable products, switch to renewable energy sources, and become more environmentally conscious. 

I admire those who study the environment because they genuinely want to help people and make a difference in the world. I how scientists back up their conclusions with facts and evidence instead of making decisions based on opinion. I want to work with my peers to help improve the environment and I think getting an Environmental Science degree could be a step in the right direction toward reaching that goal. 

Professor

I interviewed Bethany Woodworth, a teaching professor in the Environmental Studies department and a coordinator of the Green Learning Community. I talked with Professor Woodworth on October 18th, and she essentially sold me on the major. The first question I asked professor Woodworth was if she could explain the difference between Environmental Science and Environmental Studies. She responded, “During the first two years they are very similar, you’re getting foundational information that’s relevant to your career. After that, the two majors go in different directions. The Environmental Science program focuses on science … They (students) would tend to go onto careers where they would be research assistants, or go onto graduate school … The Studies is for students who are more interested in the ways humans interact with nature.” Professor Woodworth explained how Environmental Science is more technical, whereas studies revolve around the social side of things, like making laws and working with political science. I then asked her what I could do during college to ensure that I get a job with the degree after graduation. She responded, “There are three things: internship, summer jobs, and getting in with a research lab.” We talked for a while about the different internships, work studies, and research opportunities at the school that could be helpful for the major. 

Students

I interviewed Juliana Horne, a Senior majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Climate Change. One question that I asked Juliana was what skills she learned from the major. She responded, “Communication is one… how you communicate the science aspects of things with other people who didn’t go to school for environmental science, or studies, or whatever, like how you explain that to someone who doesn’t know all of the in-depth stuff that you know.” I thought this was interesting because I am very interested in writing, and I gathered that this major requires people to communicate findings through writing effectively. I also asked her if Environmental Science is a very hands-on major, to which she answered, “It’s definitely more of a hands-on type of thing, I think Science is more hands-on because of the lab situations. The labs that you take are not like when you’re in an actual lab room, you’re going out and doing fieldwork, which is super appealing to me.” We talked about the fieldwork extensively because I am the type of person that needs activity instead of sitting still and learning from a book. 

I also interviewed Meghan Hanks, a Senior majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Art. I asked Meghan if she had to explain the major to someone who has never heard of it before, what she would say. In other words, I asked her to sell me on it. She responded, “It’s got that mixture of outside and inside, and it really has that focus on protecting the environment and different ways that you can do that. Or you can go with the climate change path.” I then asked her what the workload for the major was like. She answered, “It’s doable, you’ll have your days where it’s a lot. If you go and talk to the ENV professors and say ‘Hey, I am in way over my head,’ they will help you make a plan. I know I haven’t found it to be too hard.” I found this comforting because she explained how the ENV professors are extremely approachable, kind, and understanding, and care about their students. Overall, it was really helpful to interview people both majoring in Environmental Studies and Environmental Science because it helped me differentiate between the two very similar majors. 

Schoolwork and Real-World Work

Environmental science is an extremely hands-on and research-oriented degree. In my first year, the curriculum would consist of more general classes. These would include Biology and Chemistry classes, Statistics for the Environmental Sciences, Economics, and a Literature class. In my second year, the classes would start to become more field oriented. I would take a Global Perspectives class, Conservation and Preservation, Environmental Policy, a GIS class, and an Ecology Field Lab. I would also need to do an internship. In my interview with Professor Woodworth, she suggested doing an internship over the summer at some point in my second two years. After my first two years, I would talk with my academic advisor to create a schedule specifically for my third and fourth years. I would choose 16 credits in Environmental Science, Marine Science, Chemistry, Physics, and/or Psychology. On top of these required courses, there are many electives to choose from, ranging from Wetland Restoration to Climate Change Adaptation, to Women and the Environment. After taking these classes, I could easily go on to graduate school and get a master’s degree or even a PhD. With this degree, I could become an environmental specialist, marine biologist, wildlife biologist, researcher, or even an environmental conservationist. 

 Reflection

When I came to UNE, I was most interested in Environmental Science but I had many other interests as well. Because of this reason, I decided to enter my first semester Undeclared to give myself more time to explore other major opportunities. After interviewing Professor Woodworth, Juliana, and Meghan, I realized Environmental Science is still the major that appeals to me the most. These interviews inspired me to meet with my Academic Advisor and make a tentative schedule for next semester that reflects the Environmental Science major. I will most likely declare it before leaving for winter break in December. 

I am very excited about some of the classes I will be taking in the coming years and I will hopefully be able to bring real change regarding the environment and the climate crisis. I am very excited to work with the professors in the ENV department. Based on the interviews, they all seem like great people who are very dedicated to their work. One thing that surprised me was that the department was a lot smaller than I thought and does not have as many students as I thought it did. Overall, I enjoyed this project and I am excited to pursue the Environmental Science major this coming semester.