Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 47.62
Liaison Delicia Nahman
Submission Date March 10, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Lafayette College
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Julia Nicodemus
Assistant Professor
Engineering Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution:

1) Lafayette College Career Services offers many opportunities for learning about sustainabiltiy. They provide shadowing opportunities at places such as:
The Nurture Nature Center (a center for community learning about local environmental risks)
TRC Environmental Corporation (working on environmental remediation)
Natural Systems Utilities (observing the solving of the industry's environmental problems)
TetraTech (working for the US EPA on policy and regulatory support issues regarding nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, dissolved oxygen problems in coastal waters)
UMASS Amherst with a PhD Candidate (NSF IGERT Fellow) whose research focuses on offshore wind energy; issues involving the foundation and support structure of offshore wind turbines
O'Brien & Gere "environmental consulting firm, with a focus on compliance with environmental regulations and remediation
Solar Products, Inc (working on the manufacture of infrared heating systems)
The Interim Executive Director of Career Service at Lafayette College is Nanette Cooley.

2) Engineers Without Borders
Lafayette’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders, advised by Anne Raich, is a program where Lafayette students design and implement sustainable engineering projects abroad. Their most recent trip, in August 2012, was to La Fortuna, where Lafayette students engaged the community to help in an environmentally focused project. They took water samples in order to identify problems with water filtration, and examined the water pipeline, in order to determine where any leaks were located.

3) Interim Trips Abroad
The winter Interim 2015 trip to New Zealand, taught by Arthur Kney and Dru Germanoski, explored the interdisciplinary nature of environmental science through scientific observation/data collection, discussion, and readings. The course intended to demonstrate connections between Environmental Engineering and the Natural Sciences resulting in knowledge and skills needed to better understand and communicate issues impacting our global community.

4) Alternative School Break Service Trip
In January 2013, an Alternative School Break trip went to Finca La Gran Vista in Costa Rica where they focused on sustainable agriculture. The project’s aim was to spread awareness of environmentally sustainable agricultural methods to other farmers in the region. It is intended to provide an example for other farms of how to successfully implement organic farming, soil regeneration and conservation, natural herbicides, natural pesticides and enhancement of the natural environment. The trip was overseen by Justin Heines and Josh Smith.


The website URL where information about the immersive program(s) is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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