Department of Environmental Studies & Sciences Hello to all our friends and families! Annual Newsletter 2011-2012
Highlights from this year’s newsletter: - Research projects - New additions - Student stories - Senior profiles - Photo essay And so much more!
A Letter from Jason Hamilton
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reetings ENVS family! Well, spring has finally arrived in Ithaca. The trees haven’t leafed out yet, but they are certainly showing signs of life. Buds are expanding, the magnolia and maple trees are in full flower, the forsythia bushes are practically on fire with yellow blossoms, and the birds are back full of song. While I love winter (we actually had one this year!), I always enjoy seeing everyone’s spirits lift as the sun starts to ride higher in the sky and wake up nature from her seasonal sleep. Department Chair, Jason Hamilton, is pictured here with It seems unbelievable that a year has Hannah Whitehead ‘12. passed and it’s already time for our next process is ongoing, we are all quite gratified by the newsletter. Do you ever feel like you blinked and a results so far. Both our B.A. and our B.S. degrees year went by? Well, if time flies when you’re having look very strong, and we have lots of new ideas fun, I guess it really rockets when you are a new for improvements. We are actively re-designing chair of a department as active as ours. Trying to classes, bringing some new offerings on line, and keep track of what all our students, faculty, alumni, experimenting with even more integrative and & families are up to makes my head spin! With so experiential approaches. much going on, I am hesitant to even try to choose I hope that your spring and summer get you just a few highlights. I’ll let you peruse the newsletoutside a lot. My students and I are busily renoter and decide for yourself what the highlights are. vating our fire pits at the sugar bush, sprucing up In addition to teaching, research, advising, the apiary, getting ready to set up five more hives hosting and giving talks, putting on events, and of bees, learning to identify bee diseases, tracking all the other things we do in our active commufox, coyote, and bobcat across IC natural areas, nity, the ENVS faculty have been hard at work getting ready to plant American chestnut trees in completely reviewing our academic programs and the area, writing educational materials on local considering how to make them even better. We natural history, and much more. Drop us a line participated in (that is, subjected ourselves to) an and let us know what you are up to, or better yet, academic program review this year and invited come by for a visit. I’ll save some of this season’s Dr. Richard Smardon from SUNY ESF as an maple syrup for you. external reviewer to come and really look us over with the proverbial magnifying glass. While this
http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/envstudies/
Our Department by the Numbers 1998
The Environmental Studies Program was created within the Biology Department
2009
The Department of Environmental Studies & Sciences (ENVS) was established
243
Total number of graduates to date
76
Current Environmental Studies majors
46
Current Environmental Science majors
31
Environmental Studies minors
36
Freshman students
37
Graduating seniors
11
Faculty members
Highlights of ENVS Student Activities During the 2011-2012 Academic Year Madison Vander Hill and Mary McKean helped develop the “Retirees In Service to the Environment,” or RISE Program, which is a partnership between the ENVS and Gerontology Departments, IC Natural Lands (ICNL) and retirees in the community. Retirees attend weekly educational workshops and will choose environmental service projects to work on over the summer.
Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) harvested from ICNL by student entrepreneurs. Recently, Danielle, Madison Vander Hill and Emily Shaw received a grant to add a medicinal plant line to the NTFP course. With this grant money they are constructing a solar dehydrator for the permaculture garden, adding more medicinal plants to the permaculture and organic gardens, and making an apiary garden for our bees.
Research to be Published
Community Research
New Program: RISE
Professor Jake Brenner and Stephanie Lavallato, with the help of two former ENVS grads, Emma Hileman and Marin Cherry, recently had their work accepted for publication in the international journal Land Use Policy. Their paper, titled “Land Use Determines Interest in Conservation Easements among Private Landowners,” discusses the factors that determine the willingness of private landowners to protect their land in perpetuity using conservation easements. Their findings suggest that private landowners who are active users of their land, such as harvesting wild foods and recreational activities, are most inclined to grant conservation easements.
Medicinal Plants
Danielle Prizzi has been doing independent research with Jason Hamilton on white pines, medicinal plants and kombucha for the past two semesters. This research is expanding the range of
Five ENVS students — Lee Ann Hill, Brian Duphily, Jess Wilhem, Cam Zerbian, Eve Rosenkranz - have been working with professor Susan Allen-Gil to examine the contribution of the Ithaca and Cornell campuses on the loading of pharmaceuticals and personal care products into the Ithaca Wastewater Treatment Plant with. College students, as a segment of the general population, are heavy users of birth control, antidepressants, and stimulants such as caffeine and ritalin. They are working with the Ithaca Waste Water Treatment Plant and Cornell University’s Dr. Anthony Hay to look at the use and excretion rates among college students of these compounds, as well as their fate in the treatment process and presence in Cayuga Lake. Next year, students plan to analyze the data from water samples of the effluent and from Cayuga Lake, and will perform more toxicity tests on the effluent and biosolids.
Student Internships
During the Fall 2012 semester, Stephanie Lavallato interned for the Sierra Club’s Labor and Trade program. Throughout the semester she learned about the importance of our trade relations and regulations and the effects they can have on the environment. Her time at the Sierra Club was spent following international solar trade disputes, researching proposed trade agreements, and doing Congressional outreach on these issues. Emily Wilson, an ENVS minor, has been participating in an internship through the ENVS department with the Cornell Durland Alternatives Library. At the library, she has spent much of her time as Volunteer Curator of a new section on Ecofeminism. This has entailed much research into relevant texts; those that explore the intersection(s) of the historical patriarchal oppression of women and that of environment, as well as outreach to patrons and the local community.
Expansion of NTFP from Ian Bidwell Big things are happening at South Hill Forest Products. This year’s class has really raised the bar by writing (and receiving!) Commit-To-Change grants to streamline and enhance our business, on top of tackling the new offering of ecological consulting for the Nature Conservancy, growing gourmet mushrooms, and SMASHING the maple syrup production record set two years ago. The lab is busier than ever as steam beeswax extractors, hand-painted bee hives, seeds for garden expansion, and fancy-shmancy Dremel tools all jostle for space on (and under) tables, benches, chairs – just about any horizontal surface. The Commit-to-Change grant contest highlighted the students’ initiative, creativity, problem-solving skills, and teamwork, and I think few other academic offerings provide this kind of development in such a hands-on way. Continuing work on American chestnut reintroduction, new methods of beeswax processing, and improved efficiency across the board are all evidence of a
whole new level of research and development in NonTimber Forest Products. I took the class in my junior year and so fully appreciate the amount of time and effort each and every student has put into this enterprise. As a Teaching Assistant for this year’s class (alongside the fabulous Stephanie Bartzick), I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for management skills and the difficulties inherent in running any kind of multi-faceted operation like this. When I started college I never thought I’d have the opportunity to participate in such a unique and experiential class such as Non-Timber Forest Products, let alone play a part in managing it. Everyone should take part in the many awesome opportunities the ENVS department offers. Four years is not nearly enough to get a taste of everything – but let’s just say that I’m not the only one who loved Non-Timber Forest Products enough to take it twice!
Summer Research from Lee Ann Hill
As a Research Assistant for professor Chris Sinton I looked at the potential migration of heavy metals from Ithaca Gun Company, a registered Superfund site, to the Fall Creek delta on Cayuga Lake. Fellow students Ian Bidwell and Curt McConnell helped collect sediment samples in the floodplain area, and I took samples from within the channel. I used X-ray fluorescence methods to analyze the samples for heavy metals. Sediment samples from the stream and nearshore delta showed little difference in lead concentration, however, samples from the floodplain adjacent to Fall Creek show elevated concentrations of lead. These levels do not pose an immediate hazard, but further study of the floodplain and delta is needed.
Michael Smith On Sabbatical Michael Smith has been on sabbatical for the 2012-13 academic year. Since January he and his family have been living and working in rural Nicaragua on sustainability-related projects. Among the projects have been the construction of a children’s center out of adobe and other natural building materials and an agro-ecological restoration project on a piece of land that was once totally deforested and drenched in pesticides. In May he will be giving a seminar on the environmental history of Latin America at the University of Costa Rica. He looks forward to incorporating ideas from his experiences into courses and more informal exchanges with the ENVS community!
The Big Stories of the Year: What’s New? Aquaponics
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NVS’s environmental archeology faculty Paula Turkon is keenly interested in sustainable food systems. This year, professor Turkon and her senior research class designed and built an aquaponics system to research the viability of the environmental, educational and economic aspects of a student-run aquaponics system. Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture (fish farm) and hydroponics (growing plants in nutrientenriched water). It works by mimicking a natural ecosystem by using the nitrogen cycle to convert the ammonia that fish excrete to the nitrates that plants can use as nutrients. The
New Faculty: Rebecca Brenner
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am a environmental/social scientist. I worked for many years as an environmental consultant, preparing complicated NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) assessments and working through the public participation process as consultant for both the California Energy Commission and California Public Utilities Commission. This all happened during the time when California divested its fossil fuel electrical generating plants and assets. My consulting group acted as independent group to assess the impact
integrative approach to aquaponics eliminates the drawbacks of aquaculture and hydroponics systems on their own. There are also benefits to producing plants in soil-less environments, including eliminating the need for fertilizers and pesticides, and reducing the possibility of disease within the soil. It is an innovative and sustainable method of food production that holds great promise for the future. Conservation of water resources is a pressing issue, especially in arid environments that are already feeling the pressures of population growth and dwindling water supplies. Aquaponics uses about 90 percent less water than conventional agriculture. The flexibility and diversity of aquaponics systems
allows them to be built in a variety of environments, and is especially beneficial for producing food in an urban environment. The ENVS system is a small-scale example for a method of food production that can be employed in larger greenhouses or even a basement or backyard. Now that the system is up and running, Paula’s goal is to see the project continue and expand to serve as an example of sustainability for educational institutions everywhere. The success of non-timber forest products inspired them to potentially produce herbs or even tilapia that could be sold to finance the continuing research of the system they have built.
to the environment of divesting power plants from a utility to a private owner. I also study the gap between policy and science and worked with a team to pull together a book looking at the gap under the lense of vulnerability, adaptation and resilience. Here at Ithaca College I currently teach Topics in Humanities: The Human Relationship with the Natural World. In the course we investigate some controversial questions that sit at the core of our moral connection with nature. This is accomplished through an assortment of readings and applying the theories presented in those readings to current topics such as animal rights, hydrofracking, population,
energy, agriculture, environmental justice and more. Students should come out of this course with a better understanding of how we as humans connect with our natural world, our place in it and how we as individuals value and prioritize the environment. I think it is unique because students are ‘forced’ to not only consider but also take the other side of the argument in class debates. In ENVS I think its likely that most students agree on certain perspectives - but to really understand the core of their individual values and the base of the morals that they (and human society) use to make decisions students need to clearly understand different perspectives.
Environmental Studies & Sciences Abroad A Student Feature
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’day ENVS friends
and family! I’ve been living down unda’ for the Spring semester studying. Sustainability and Environmental Action with the School for International Training. The program has been very immersive and highly experiential. Over the past couple of months I’ve visited hydroelectric dams, historic conservation hotspots, and direct action tree sitters in Tasmania and seen lots of examples of sustainability initiatives in Melbourne, Sydney, and Byron Bay. I’ve seen one kangaroo, countless wallabees, a couple of sleepy koalas, a few wombats, and learned to surf (kind of). I’ve gotten the chance to experience a bit of Aboriginal culture when camping with Arakwal natives
in Bundjalung Kuntri, and even learned how to throw spears and boomerangs. I also got the chance to visit an Anti-Coal
Seam Gas fracking protest here in the Northern Rivers and deliver solidarity from New York. On top of all that, I’ve made friends with several leeches, and have immensely enjoyed living only a block from an amazingly picturesque
beach. I love being able to go to the farmer’s market and buy local bananas, mangoes and coffee. And if you ever get the chance to try wattle seed and macadamia nut ice cream, please do not hesitate. Surprisingly, I have yet to be bitten by anything poisonous. As I write this, I’m sitting at a desk in Mullumbimby, New South Wales Byron Region Community College, where I am working on my monthlong Independent Study Project. I’m conducting audits on energy, waste, and possibly water use in the building and working to develop a list of recommendations for future improvements in these areas. It’s a bit like sustainability consulting, and I’m excited
to have this long chunk of time to work on it! Coming to Australia and seeing environmental problems and solutions firsthand has rekindled a sense of urgency for me, and has opened my eyes to many of the problems we face in our own country. Getting the chance to re-learn what I understand in a new place and with different cultures has been incredibly useful in redefining my environmental and social philosophies. Experiencing first-hand the area’s natural beauty and seeing direct action being taken to defend it has helped me to develop a love for the area and a greater sense of efficacy in protecting the environment worldwide. Sending good vibes and support back home!
- - - - - Jeremy Betterley ‘14
Our Seniors’ Favorite Memories: A Word Cloud
Meet Our Seniors, Ready to Take on the World
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hese are our seniors, ready to leave Ithaca College and do incredible things in the field of environmental studies and sciences. Jasper Adams Hometown: Leverett, MA Major: Studies Favorite memory: Late night syrup boils in NTFP, and animal tracking in Sentinels Post-grad plans: Potentially going to graduate school, or coming back to IC for another bachelor’s degree. Morgan Bagg Hometown: Catonsville, MD Major: Science Favorite memory: Scaling Bob Rob for salamanders in Field Biology and playing games in Sentinels Post-grad plans: Working as an outdoor and environmental educator at a camp, or as a fish and wildlife technician in either Oregon, Maryland or Texas Juliet Barriola Hometown: Bronx, NY Major: Studies Favorite memory: Environmental Sentinels freshman year is still one of my favs. Post-grad plans: I plan to do AmeriCorps for a year. I’m looking into environmental education and community garden positions on the West Coast.
Ian Bidwell Hometown: Oneonta, NY Major: Studies Favorite memory: NTFP, twice! Post-grad plans: To be determined Martin Brown Hometown: McLean, VA Major: Studies Favorite memory: My cultural immersion trip to Brazil where I took a permaculture design program Post-grad plans: Go to South Carolina with all my friends and park on Lake Keowe Devin Castaldi-Micca Hometown: W. Hartford, CT Major: Studies Favorite memory: Environmental Law & Policy class Post-grad plans: Unknown Gabriella Ciabattoni Hometown: Pennsauken, NJ Major: Studies Favorite memory: Dept. dinners Post-grad plans: Make my way out West, pursue a career in invasive species management, and eventually create my own homestead. Allison Currier Hometown: New York, NY Major: Studies Favorite memory: Making a ruckus and working to divest IC from fossil fuels Post-grad plans: Will graduate in Dec.
Kacey Deamer Hometown: Binghamton, NY Major: Env. Studies & Journalism Favorite memory: UNFCCC in Cancun with International Env. Policy Post-grad plans: Attending the University of Southern California for a masters in Specialized Journalism, focused on climate science and oceanography. Brian Duphily Hometown: Ashburnham, MA Major: Science Favorite memory: Doing a research project with Susan Allen-Gil analyzing sewage sludge Post-grad plans: I am going to UMASS Boston for an MS in Env. Science Samantha Epstein Hometown: New City, NY Major: Science Favorite memory: Belize! Post-grad plans: Get more experience over the summer so I can get a (real) job Jade Gardephe Hometown: Greenwich, NY Major: Studies Favorite memory: Traveling to Belize with ENVS 204 Post-grad plans: Take time off to decide if I want to go to graduate school
Emma Garrison Hometown: Olympia, WA Major: Studies Favorite memory: Fracking research with Susan and the trip to Utah for NCUR 2012 Post-grad plans: Applied to a few jobs with AmeriCorps mostly out West Lauren Goldberg Hometown: North Attleboro, MA Major: Studies Favorite memory: Starting Bomber Bikes on campus and its successes Post-grad plans: To be determined Kenneth Greiser Hometown: Saderton, PA Major: Science Favorite memory: The Sentinels leaf book project. I have so many “war” stories from that thing Post-grad plans: Will graduate in Dec. Max Grigri Hometown: Wenonah, NJ Major: Science Favorite memory: Growing mushrooms and tapping trees with NTFP Post-grad plans: Get a job in biological field research LeeAnn Hill Hometown: Roxbury, NJ Major: Science Favorite memory: Traveling to Louisiana to examine the BP oil spill; and traveling to Belize.
Post-grad plans: Seeking employment, with grad school on the horizon Tess Hooper Hometown: Philadelphia, PA Major: Env. Studies & Outdoor Adventure Leadership Favorite memory: Belize Post-grad plans: Will graduate in Dec. Christina Kranz Hometown: Madison, WI Major: Science Favorite memory: Sharing my soil analysis of ICNL with the college and at the GSA conference in NH Post-grad plans: Finding a great first job in environmental science Stephanie Lavallato Hometown: Whitehouse Station, NJ Major: Studies Favorite memory: Getting published as an undergrad Post-grad plans: Ha, that’s funny. Kian Lew Hometown: Ridge, NJ Major: Science Favorite memory: Going out into the woods for Sentinels and learning how to build a fire from nothing but wood and rope
Rachel Lowy Hometown: Fairfield, CT Major: Studies Favorite memory: Boiling sap and growing mushrooms Post-grad plans: Learn to roller blade, get a dog, and probably do something with my degree Shaileen McKenna Hometown: Manorville, NY Major: Science Favorite memory: Going to amphibian crossings led by Leann Kanda; and Chris Sinton’s sarcastic remarks. Post-grad plans: Working with a marine research center to help with search and rehabilitation of seals, dolphins and whales. Jenny Moore Hometown: Annandale, VA Major: Studies Favorite memory: Sentinels Post-grad plans: Stay in Ithaca while working for Cornell’s plant breeding and genetics dept. Stephen Norton Hometown: Winchester, MA Major: Studies Favorite memory: Stump parties, and finding a bobcat on motion camera in ICNL Post-grad plans: Working as a wilderness skills instructor with Primitive Pursuits Emily Shaw Hometown: Cortlandt Manor, NY Major: Studies Favorite memory: NTFP and
Sentinels and, of course, the ENVS dinners Post-grad plans: Either Driftless Folk School work study or Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, then back to Ithaca for a while until I find another adventure Dillon Shults Hometown: Newfield, NY Major: Science Favorite memory: Research projects Post-grad plans: Internship with Alaska’s fish and game for the summer Peter Slothower Hometown: Ithaca, NY Major: Env. Studies & Architectural Studies Favorite memory: Hiking around the RUA with LULSC Post-grad plans: Working in a plant nursery, travel, then eventually grad school Emily Taugner Hometown: Chicago, IL Major: Science Favorite memory: Just getting to know people in the department Post-grad plans: Science Center educator this summer, then work for a year, then grad school Madison Vander Hill Hometown: Madison, WI Major: Studies Favorite memory: Sharing the IC Permaculture Garden with the campus community
Post-grad plans: Landscaping and working at the Finger Lakes Running and Triathlon Company Jessica Wilhelm Hometown: Oxford, OH Major: Science Favorite memory: Amazon class Post-grad plans: Graduate school
Jessica Wunsch Hometown: Philadelphia, PA Major: Studies Favorite memory: ENVS dinners with the whole department at EcoVillage Post-grad plans: Heading out West, hopefully Amber Zadrozny Hometown: Milford, CT Major: Studies Favorite memory: Working in the Organic Garden Post-grad plans: Working at Early Morning Farm Other graduating seniors: Briana Bender Abigail Gepner Ren Ostry Danielle Prizzi
Senior Integration Projects
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ringing together and making sense of everything that you’ve experienced in your four years at IC is a really important part of your ENVS education. In previous years, students wrote a tortuously long integrative reflection paper. It wasn’t enjoyable for the students, nor did it allow for much creativity or hands-on reflection. Two years ago, the focus shifted and students were given free rein on how they wanted to explore the notion of “integration” of the past four years. And the students really dove in, showing off the skills they’ve developed and the experiences they’ve had. The Class of 2011 set a pretty high bar with their projects, from a bilingual book for migrant farm workers to a dorm room solar heat exchanger made from Keystone cans. The Class of 2012 shared their creative ideas, which included interpretive dances and World of Warcraft videos; building sculptures, bikes and Adirondack chairs. The class of 2013 followed suit, further expanding the notion of integration. Projects included a homestead plan by Ian, an animation by Jade, and a quilt by Emma. There were sculptures and experiments, paintings and photos, food and more food. Check out the photos here of students sharing their awesome projects at the Expo.
ENVS Action Photos of Work, Play, Study, Etc.
School of Humanities and Sciences Department of Environmental Studies & Sciences 953 Danby Road • Ithaca, NY 14850
KEEP A LOOK OUT Cool things will be happening during the summer, and through the coming year.
Make sure you check our website for updates on our environmental adventures!
www.ithaca.edu/hs/ depts/envstudies
