[{"id":894,"date":"2023-11-17T14:07:05","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T14:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=894"},"modified":"2023-11-17T14:17:44","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T14:17:44","slug":"cultural-comparisons-to-further-environmental-understanding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/17\/cultural-comparisons-to-further-environmental-understanding\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultural Comparisons to Further Environmental Understanding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Associate Professor of German, Julia Ludewig, grew up in Germany and has always been
\na \u201ctree hugger.\u201d<\/h3>\n
Ludewig loves the collaborative spirit of the ESS department and emphasizes the importance of humanities in understanding ecological issues.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>During a recent summer, Professor Ludewig co-led an educational trip to Germany with ESS Assistant Professor Jesse Swann-Quinn titled “How Green is Green: Sustainability of Germany Past and Present.”<\/p>\n

The journey explored diverse aspects of sustainability, from wind power in the north to the “green capital of Europe,” Freiburg, and even the environmental challenges posed by open-cast coal mining in East Germany. This trip allowed students to gain a profound understanding of Germany’s regional sustainability and cultural aspects. Ludewig also teaches “German Environmentalism,” offering students the opportunity to delve deeper into similar topics.<\/p>\n

She believes that cultural comparisons are essential in helping students appreciate the intricate relationship between humans and the non-human world. Her continued dedication to environmental education provides a unique intersectionality for students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Associate Professor of German, Julia Ludewig, grew up in Germany and has always been a \u201ctree hugger.\u201d Ludewig loves the collaborative spirit of the ESS department and emphasizes the importance of humanities in understanding ecological issues. During a recent summer, Professor Ludewig co-led an educational trip to Germany with ESS Assistant Professor Jesse Swann-Quinn titled […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “Cultural Comparisons to Further Environmental Understanding”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":583,"featured_media":897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761.jpg",216,154,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761.jpg",216,154,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761.jpg",216,154,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761.jpg",216,154,false],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761.jpg",216,154,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761.jpg",216,154,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761.jpg",216,154,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-453883761.jpg",216,154,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Associate Professor of German, Julia Ludewig, grew up in Germany and has always been a \u201ctree hugger.\u201d Ludewig loves the collaborative spirit of the ESS department and emphasizes the importance of humanities in understanding ecological issues. During a recent summer, Professor Ludewig co-led an educational trip to Germany with ESS Assistant Professor Jesse Swann-Quinn titled…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/583"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":773,"date":"2023-11-10T05:33:29","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T05:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=773"},"modified":"2023-12-04T20:11:59","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T20:11:59","slug":"renewable-energy-in-action-community-energy-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/10\/renewable-energy-in-action-community-energy-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Renewable Energy in Action – Community Energy Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

The approach by Allegheny faculty is to get students excited about how the wide range of issues their department tackles differs from class to class, person to person, year to year. One thing all faculty have in common is the stance that the ever-changing and immediate need to address environmental issues is best tackled hands-on. In this way, innovation at Allegheny is action.<\/h3>\n
Because the faculty of environmental science and sustainability come from radically different backgrounds, innovation is a natural outcome of their instruction.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>Professor and physicist Ian Carbone has a materials science background, lending a unique perspective to the environmental science program. With an interest in energy efficiency, his work with students focuses on improving living conditions for the residents of Meadville and the surrounding communities. He and his class start by conducting energy audits. These have included the community recreation center, the Unitarian Church, and a local elementary school.<\/p>\n

From basic walk-throughs of buildings to identify where air is escaping and mechanical systems are out of date to using infrared cameras to study the type of insulation inside walls, students learn practical skills and building owners get free insight about how to save on energy consumption. To further illustrate why investments into building upgrades make sense, students create computational models of the building. This, combined with local weather data and the building characteristics gathered by walking and measuring the building, can predict how much energy the building consumes in a typical year. This energy model, enables operations teams to comprehend the benefits of a new furnace or additional insulation in an attic, among other costs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sometimes the outcome of the energy audits are the case for installing solar panels, which Carbone has trained his students to do themselves. Since its inception in 2021, he has safely guided students through two complete solar installation projects. Community collaborations between Allegheny students and local nonprofits to get solar panels on buildings include the design of the project by students.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most innovative and practical outcome of taking the community energy design course, is that each student will take a national certification exam through the North American Board of Energy Practitioners. The Photovoltaic Associates exam is an entry-level professional credential that students can include in their resume. Carbone says, \u201cFor students to get out into the real world and do this hands-on work, and then be able to take this exam is incredibly unique and beneficial not just to them, but to our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The approach by Allegheny faculty is to get students excited about how the wide range of issues their department tackles differs from class to class, person to person, year to year. One thing all faculty have in common is the stance that the ever-changing and immediate need to address environmental issues is best tackled hands-on. […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “Renewable Energy in Action – Community Energy Design”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":583,"featured_media":806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1059546824_sm-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"The approach by Allegheny faculty is to get students excited about how the wide range of issues their department tackles differs from class to class, person to person, year to year. One thing all faculty have in common is the stance that the ever-changing and immediate need to address environmental issues is best tackled hands-on.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/583"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":778,"date":"2023-11-10T05:21:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T05:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=778"},"modified":"2023-11-15T19:19:34","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T19:19:34","slug":"unleashing-the-power-of-gis-and-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/10\/unleashing-the-power-of-gis-and-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"Unleashing the Power of GIS and Drones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Understanding the latest mapping technologies is essential for any career in environmental science and sustainability. As with all majors at Allegheny, the ESS department is fully equipped with everything students need to work outside and make real contributions to the field.<\/h3>\n
From conservation to wildlife patterns, knowing how to use and apply the technology is critical.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Geographic Information Systems<\/a> (GIS) are so much more than a tool for creating accurate maps. With speed and precision, they can overlay on other maps to give insight to the relationship between areas. In environmental science, this can provide answers to questions of climate injustice, habitats and ecosystems. Drones enable students and scientists to literally see \u201cthe big picture\u201d when it comes to studying everything from waterways to forests. Allegheny is one of the few colleges in the country to have a course specifically designed to teach students how to use these technologies, which enable them to interface with a range of external organizations.<\/p>\n

Over the course of 23 years, Christopher Shaffer, GIS manager and instructor, says the ESS program has evolved along with powerful technology to study the environment. Drone usage in particular has brought a level of insight that was previously not possible. Students are equipped with the latest tools, instilling a level of knowledge and sophistication that makes them highly qualified. Since the FAA requires licensure to operate drones, Allegheny provides the training and preparation for national certification. This highly sought after course is offered in tandem with practical training that students say secured them their ideal jobs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Understanding the latest mapping technologies is essential for any career in environmental science and sustainability. As with all majors at Allegheny, the ESS department is fully equipped with everything students need to work outside and make real contributions to the field. From conservation to wildlife patterns, knowing how to use and apply the technology is […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “Unleashing the Power of GIS and Drones”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":583,"featured_media":780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635.jpg",900,600,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635.jpg",900,600,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635.jpg",900,600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635.jpg",900,600,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635.jpg",900,600,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635.jpg",900,600,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/drone-e1699594492635-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Understanding the latest mapping technologies is essential for any career in environmental science and sustainability. As with all majors at Allegheny, the ESS department is fully equipped with everything students need to work outside and make real contributions to the field. From conservation to wildlife patterns, knowing how to use and apply the technology is…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/583"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":783,"date":"2023-11-10T05:11:34","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T05:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=783"},"modified":"2023-11-15T15:40:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T15:40:59","slug":"sustainability-from-a-transnational-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/10\/sustainability-from-a-transnational-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability from a Transnational Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

Collaborating across campus is inherent in student work at Allegheny College. Seemingly disparate majors and minors work together all the time to ensure students learn to see the world and its challenges as interconnected.<\/h3>\n
Faculty relish the opportunity to find ways to challenge students to think critically about issues, and how to do everything better.<\/div>\n

When Assistant Professor Jesse Swann-Quinn traveled to Germany with Julia Ludewig, Associate Professor of German, students spent three weeks studying the European Union\u2019s leader in sustainability. The country has a long history of environmentalism, while at the same time being a leader in resource extraction. This intersects with all other forms of cultural and political history, making it a unique case for study.<\/p>\n

A lot of sustainability is about efficiency, reducing resource use, and reducing waste. Looking at the German models gave insight to different economic systems and material systems that are more circular rather than linear. Swann-Quinn says \u201cThe ability to study how another country approaches ecological economics offers students evidence that it’s possible to prioritize the environment over radical GDP growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Collaborating across campus is inherent in student work at Allegheny College. Seemingly disparate majors and minors work together all the time to ensure students learn to see the world and its challenges as interconnected. Faculty relish the opportunity to find ways to challenge students to think critically about issues, and how to do everything better. […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “Sustainability from a Transnational Perspective”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":583,"featured_media":785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability.jpg",900,600,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability.jpg",900,600,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability.jpg",900,600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability.jpg",900,600,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability.jpg",900,600,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability.jpg",900,600,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/world-map-sustainability-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Collaborating across campus is inherent in student work at Allegheny College. Seemingly disparate majors and minors work together all the time to ensure students learn to see the world and its challenges as interconnected. Faculty relish the opportunity to find ways to challenge students to think critically about issues, and how to do everything better.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/583"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":786,"date":"2023-11-10T05:11:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T05:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=786"},"modified":"2023-11-29T20:09:50","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T20:09:50","slug":"biodiversity-studies-in-the-french-creek-watershed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/10\/biodiversity-studies-in-the-french-creek-watershed\/","title":{"rendered":"Creek Connections Builds Watershed Education Outreach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes the mark of innovation is survival.<\/h3>\n

Allegheny faculty and students have been studying the French Creek Watershed for 50 years. Over time, some local elementary, middle, and high school students have endured closures and consolidations, leading to less opportunities for getting out into their local environment. Field trips are cut from budgets, leaving students to learn from sometimes outdated books.<\/p>\n

Bringing students directly to the soil and water helps them to understand the vital role the watershed plays in their daily lives, keeps them connected to their community, and fosters a love of science.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With the help of leaders like Wendy Kedzierski, director of Allegheny\u2019s Creek Connections<\/a>, Allegheny students work with young area students to get back outside. More than just a field trip, Creek Connections allows students to act as citizen scientists and do real field work. On a monthly basis, kids are contributing to the study of watershed health.<\/p>\n

“Creek Connections<\/a> could not exist without the Creekers (Allegheny College students) going to the schools and stream sites to teach middle and high schoolers,” says Director Kedzierski. “Creekers use what they are learning in their classes as well as specialized training to bring engaging, hands-on environmental education to students throughout western Pennsylvania. The college students gain valuable experience teaching others and finding effective methods of communication in addition to general workplace skills.”<\/p>\n

The data the students are collecting provides critical information about the water quality in their own area. \u00a0Students learn that “we all live downstream” and that what happens on land affects the water and the plants and animals living in the water. Spending time outdoors investigating their local waterways leads to an environmentally informed community. On a broader level, Allegheny\u2019s environmental science and sustainability program instills an understanding of the value of nature itself, which is the first step toward impacting our world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe teachers really appreciate our assistance. When we are doing this work with their students, they don’t have to be the expert on water quality monitoring on aquatic ecology, on all the things that we can help teach, \u201d says Kedzierski.<\/p>\n

This confluence of aquatic ecology, citizen science, and water quality make Creek Connections a leader in environmental science learning that begins at a young age, with area youth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes the mark of innovation is survival. Allegheny faculty and students have been studying the French Creek Watershed for 50 years. Over time, some local elementary, middle, and high school students have endured closures and consolidations, leading to less opportunities for getting out into their local environment. Field trips are cut from budgets, leaving students […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “Creek Connections Builds Watershed Education Outreach”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":583,"featured_media":800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm.jpg",1000,668,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm.jpg",1000,668,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm.jpg",1000,668,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm.jpg",1000,668,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm.jpg",1000,668,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm.jpg",1000,668,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1409412758_sm-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Sometimes the mark of innovation is survival. Allegheny faculty and students have been studying the French Creek Watershed for 50 years. Over time, some local elementary, middle, and high school students have endured closures and consolidations, leading to less opportunities for getting out into their local environment. Field trips are cut from budgets, leaving students…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/583"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":769,"date":"2023-11-09T16:09:52","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T16:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=769"},"modified":"2023-11-10T15:50:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T15:50:18","slug":"troubleshooting-in-freshwater-ecology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/09\/troubleshooting-in-freshwater-ecology\/","title":{"rendered":"Troubleshooting in Freshwater Ecology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thinking independently and creatively is essential to the Allegheny College student. In environmental science and sustainability, it\u2019s especially critical to tackle scientific challenges. No matter the setting, or tools, ESS faculty ensure students are comfortable solving problems.<\/h3>\n
Sometimes our scientific thinking flourishes using the latest GIS technology. And sometimes it thrives knee-deep in mud.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>Casey Bradshaw-Wilson, Associate Professor and Co-Director of Watershed Conservation Research Center<\/a> knows there is no shortage of hands-on projects for her students. With a focus on freshwater ecology and conservation, Bradshaw-Wilson teaches her students how to troubleshoot the challenges of ecological research. Students are offered many opportunities to conduct research throughout the French Creek watershed, primarily with fishes, aquatic invertebrates and amphibians. One example is a long-term project determining the effects that Round Gobies, an invasive fish, have on native species. Students help conduct annual surveys throughout the watershed, eDNA studies to help locate any new introductions or movement, projects regarding juvenile drift, resource positioning with native fishes, and food web projects including aquatic macroinvertebrates and native mussels.<\/p>\n

Community partners are essential to the students\u2019 learning and ensures their work has real-world applications. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Regional Science Consortium, Foundation for Sustainable Forests, Crawford County Conservation District, French Creek Valley Conservancy, and the Erie National Wildlife Refuge are just a few examples of productive collaborations available to Allegheny students.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thinking independently and creatively is essential to the Allegheny College student. In environmental science and sustainability, it\u2019s especially critical to tackle scientific challenges. No matter the setting, or tools, ESS faculty ensure students are comfortable solving problems. Sometimes our scientific thinking flourishes using the latest GIS technology. And sometimes it thrives knee-deep in mud. Casey […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “Troubleshooting in Freshwater Ecology”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":583,"featured_media":772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393.jpg",1107,738,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393.jpg",1107,738,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393.jpg",1107,738,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393.jpg",1107,738,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393.jpg",1107,738,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-897957812-e1699593591393-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Thinking independently and creatively is essential to the Allegheny College student. In environmental science and sustainability, it\u2019s especially critical to tackle scientific challenges. No matter the setting, or tools, ESS faculty ensure students are comfortable solving problems. Sometimes our scientific thinking flourishes using the latest GIS technology. And sometimes it thrives knee-deep in mud. Casey…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/583"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":681,"date":"2023-11-07T20:44:51","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T20:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=681"},"modified":"2023-11-15T16:50:41","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T16:50:41","slug":"the-collaborative-work-of-carbon-reduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/07\/the-collaborative-work-of-carbon-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"The Collaborative Work of Carbon Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Allegheny College has always been a place where ambitious goals are set. Students are action-oriented in addition to learning beyond their majors and minors. This is never more evident than when students collaborate to reach campus sustainability goals.<\/h3>\n
With a cache of partners across campus, the sense of community in environmental science and sustainability is deep.<\/div>\n

This was most definitely the case when Kelly Boulton \u201807, director of sustainability, began leading the journey toward campus carbon neutrality, which the College achieved in 2020<\/a>. The achievement was recognized by the United States Department of Energy in 2023 as part of their Presidents\u2019 Climate Leadership Commitments. Her efforts are fortified by ESS students, whose work enabled attaining the ambitious goal.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The accomplishment reflects more than a decade of effort to achieve efficiency in operations, engage students in research and action, and build collaborations with partners in our local community, the federal government, and the national collective of sustainability leaders in higher education. The research, engagement, and ingenuity of students led to a wide range of sustainable aspects of campus life, including rain gardens, environmental community art, a comprehensive composting program, green roofing, LEED\u00ae certified buildings, geo-exchange heating and cooling, porous parking lots, wind generated electricity, and an annual campus-wide energy challenge.<\/p>\n

When Allegheny College ESS graduates go onto a wide array of next steps, they start their journeys equipped with real-world experience and tangible accomplishments.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Allegheny College has always been a place where ambitious goals are set. Students are action-oriented in addition to learning beyond their majors and minors. This is never more evident than when students collaborate to reach campus sustainability goals. With a cache of partners across campus, the sense of community in environmental science and sustainability is […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “The Collaborative Work of Carbon Reduction”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1346915337_sm-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Allegheny College has always been a place where ambitious goals are set. Students are action-oriented in addition to learning beyond their majors and minors. This is never more evident than when students collaborate to reach campus sustainability goals. With a cache of partners across campus, the sense of community in environmental science and sustainability is…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":673,"date":"2023-11-07T20:37:57","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T20:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=673"},"modified":"2023-11-14T22:03:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T22:03:10","slug":"cultural-criticism-of-energy-and-environmental-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/07\/cultural-criticism-of-energy-and-environmental-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultural Criticism of Energy and Environmental Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Making difficult subjects accessible is a hallmark of Allegheny College faculty. Finding that relatable entry point for students to begin learning can take many forms. In the ESS department, that often means getting outdoors, and sometimes getting out of intellectual comfort zones, too.<\/h3>\n
Cultural criticism related to energy and environmental justice in contemporary U.S. culture takes many forms.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>From literature and movies to graphic novels and photography \u2014 it can all help us to reflect and reimagine our relationships to the more-than-human world. The Indian writer Amitav Ghosh says that, \u201cThe climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of the imagination,\u201d and Assistant Professor Delia Byrnes agrees. She teaches her environmental science and sustainability students that cultivating our critical imaginations through art and storytelling is a vital part of building climate resilience and shared understanding.<\/p>\n

Students often voice excitement at learning about the broader systems that have contributed to planetary degradation\u2013systems such as capitalism, colonialism, racism, and heteropatriarchy, to name a few. A side-effect of the burden of climate change \u2014 what\u2019s often referred to as eco-anxiety, climate anxiety, or climate despair \u2014 can affect ESS students. Students sometimes think it\u2019s a depressing major and can feel hopeless, overwhelmed, and despairing. These are completely logical emotional responses to the world they\u2019ve inherited. But \u201cdoom-spiraling\u201d forestalls action: why bother working for change if it seems hopeless?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To combat this, Byrnes created a project called \u201cAnother World is Possible: An Ecotopian Podcast\u201d in which students worked in small groups to develop and research their own \u201cecotopian\u201d (eco-utopian) word or concept that can help us conceptualize justice-based solutions to an environmental problem. This project culminated in student-produced podcasts to communicate their research and storytelling to a broad audience. Students invented words like \u201cdichotomyth\u201d (dichotomy + myth) that theorizes the problematic dichotomy between humans and the nonhuman world, and \u201ctraumaship\u201d (trauma + friendship) to develop an understanding of how Gen Z\u2019s shared grief around climate change can be mobilized toward community resilience.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Making difficult subjects accessible is a hallmark of Allegheny College faculty. Finding that relatable entry point for students to begin learning can take many forms. In the ESS department, that often means getting outdoors, and sometimes getting out of intellectual comfort zones, too. Cultural criticism related to energy and environmental justice in contemporary U.S. culture […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “Cultural Criticism of Energy and Environmental Justice”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm.jpg",955,637,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm.jpg",955,637,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm.jpg",955,637,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm.jpg",955,637,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm.jpg",955,637,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm.jpg",955,637,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-623897682_sm-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Making difficult subjects accessible is a hallmark of Allegheny College faculty. Finding that relatable entry point for students to begin learning can take many forms. In the ESS department, that often means getting outdoors, and sometimes getting out of intellectual comfort zones, too. Cultural criticism related to energy and environmental justice in contemporary U.S. culture…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":638,"date":"2023-11-07T15:16:22","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T15:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=638"},"modified":"2023-11-15T19:16:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T19:16:30","slug":"role-of-aquatic-mammals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/07\/role-of-aquatic-mammals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of Aquatic Mammals in the Watershed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Allegheny students have always been able to work with the rich natural resources abundant in the region. Wildlife provides an interactive, outdoor classroom that offers endless opportunities for study and research. As always, students partner with local organizations to produce meaningful science for the benefit of all of us who live and work in the area.<\/h3>\n
French Creek is considered one of the most biologically diverse streams east of the Mississippi River, and Allegheny students have been lucky enough to study it for decades.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>One of the French Creek residents, the otter, is a key figure in the ecosystem. Because these aquatic mammals mark their territory on land, students can study their latrines. The odor attracts other mammals to the Creek and they too will mark territory. By studying the content of those latrines, students learn what those predators are eating, enabling insight to which fish are being consumed. “This look into biodiversity provides a link to which species are necessary for the environmental health of the area,” says Assistant Professor Kelly Pearce.<\/span><\/p>\n

Otters are top predators in the system. If the Watershed is unhealthy for example, we have poor water quality. This could cause fish die-offs, and ESS students will see that represented in the otter population. Healthy otters are indicators of healthy ecosystems. The very fact that there are otters in the French Creek means that there’s a robust food web underneath that can support their population. This indicates high quality water.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Making these discoveries and connections develops Allegheny students into future conservationists and Watershed stewards. They begin to understand the connection between humans and wildlife and the incredible biodiversity here and in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Learn more about Allegheny’s Watershed Conservation Research Center<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Allegheny students have always been able to work with the rich natural resources abundant in the region. Wildlife provides an interactive, outdoor classroom that offers endless opportunities for study and research. As always, students partner with local organizations to produce meaningful science for the benefit of all of us who live and work in the […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “The Role of Aquatic Mammals in the Watershed”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-877843528_sm-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Allegheny students have always been able to work with the rich natural resources abundant in the region. Wildlife provides an interactive, outdoor classroom that offers endless opportunities for study and research. As always, students partner with local organizations to produce meaningful science for the benefit of all of us who live and work in the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":628,"date":"2023-11-07T15:06:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T15:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/?p=628"},"modified":"2023-11-15T16:08:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T16:08:57","slug":"teaching-the-who-what-when-and-how-behind-the-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/2023\/11\/07\/teaching-the-who-what-when-and-how-behind-the-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching the Who, What, When and How Behind the Why"},"content":{"rendered":"

College campuses have always been places where students rally and argue and dissent. College-aged students are prime for self-experimentation and exploration, as they discover who they are and who they will be. Part of this is having opinions.<\/h3>\n
Allegheny College encourages curiosity and discourse, and environmental science and sustainability are certainly areas ripe for debate.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Professor Eric Pallant has long argued over his 37 year career at Allegheny that students can voice their opinion, but they have to back up why they agree or disagree with a certain thing. Against fracking? Fine. Why are you against it? Pallant says, \u201cI think you can be an activist, but you cannot in our department, for the most part, be simply opposed<\/i> to things.\u201d This is especially true in the ESS department. So much of environmental science is exploratory, like the installation of solar panels on area buildings. Students who were involved in an energy audit for a local organization were excited to imagine the possibilities of solar panels as a renewable energy solution. But the audit resulted in a lesson in reality. The cost greatly outweighed the benefit, and the project did not move forward.<\/p>\n

This preparation for the real world of work is useful. Students from Allegheny go out into the workforce prepared to back up their ideas with facts. Every graduate of the environmental science and sustainability program has published and presented at least 4 or 5 papers to various external entities by the time they graduate. This is particularly helpful in the area of environmental justice, which can be a tough sell. Students are taught that they might be coming to a problem that a lot of others before them tried to solve. If they want to build a better mousetrap, they better understand how to do it in a way that makes sense.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

College campuses have always been places where students rally and argue and dissent. College-aged students are prime for self-experimentation and exploration, as they discover who they are and who they will be. Part of this is having opinions. Allegheny College encourages curiosity and discourse, and environmental science and sustainability are certainly areas ripe for debate. […]<\/p>\n

Continue Reading “Teaching the Who, What, When and How Behind the Why”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-program-innovations"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm.jpg",1000,667,false],"gallery-thumb":["https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/files\/2023\/11\/iStock-1437296366_sm-299x299.jpg",299,299,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/author\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Program Innovations<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"College campuses have always been places where students rally and argue and dissent. College-aged students are prime for self-experimentation and exploration, as they discover who they are and who they will be. Part of this is having opinions. Allegheny College encourages curiosity and discourse, and environmental science and sustainability are certainly areas ripe for debate.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.allegheny.edu\/es50\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]