LSP Environmental Studies Community Event Reports

Jeffrey Biel
Current Event 1
Enviro Studies

On Wednesday, October 8, 2008, I attended the Environmental Studies Program open house event at 295 Mercer at 5:00 PM. This event was held for prospective majors, as well as, anyone who might have an interest in pursuing a career in the field of Environmental Studies. When I first arrived at the open house, many of the professors from the program were walking around and introducing themselves to the guests. At first, the event was very informal which led to tremendous conversation between the guests and faculty. The core faculty from the program, Professors Dale Jamieson, Anne Rademacher and Tyler Volk, were all open to any questions and conversations that arose. After brief introductions, the professors allowed for a question and answer portion and then another opportunity to talk to any of the professors individually.

Although all the professors who attended were extremely interesting and knowledgeable, Professor Dale Jamieson proved to be the most conversant. Professor Jamieson is teaching Ethics and in the Environment this semester, but after learning that his specialty is the study of climate-change, I became particularly intrigued. We began to discuss climate-change and global warming and how each presidential candidate intends to deal with the issues. I believe that because of the economic turmoil, the war in Iraq, and the race and gender issues that have existed during this election period, many people have stopped being concerned with where the candidates stand on environmental issues, even though it is an enormous issue.

When asked which candidate would support the environment more, Professor Jamieson noted that either candidate would be better than the last eight years under George W. Bush. Between Obama and McCain, Obama appears to have a better plan to help the environment and reduce global warming, but as Professor Jamieson warned, it is unclear what a candidate will do once in the white house. Professor Jamieson reminded us that it was George Bush who ran for president supporting the Clear Air Act and then immediately renounced it once in office. Professor Jamieson also told us of the confusion that exists throughout the environmental studies field concerning where exactly Senator McCain stands on the environment. After looking at the websites of both candidates, Senator Obama has over nine pages dedicated to climate-change and the environment, while Senator McCain has one paragraph outlining his plan. Senator McCain’s lack of information on how he hopes to help the environment is particularly startling because of his past support for bettering the environment. Senator McCain was always a strong advocate for environmental needs as evident when he introduced the first ever climate-change legislation to congress in 2003 (although it was voted down by congress on two separate occasions).

Professor Jamieson also discussed the views of the vice presidential candidates. Joe Biden appears to support Obama’s views on the importance of reducing greenhouse gases and using government spending to improve the environment, while Sarah Palin is a known climate skeptic and could potentially hurt the McCain campaign as a result. Clearly the issue of the environment has not been on the forefront during this election, but any plans to help the environment, regardless of size or structure, would be an improvement from the Bush administration.

The professors and faculty of the program also discussed potential job opportunities that one could get with an Environmental Studies degree. Initially I thought that all Environmental Studies majors would have to continue to pursue a graduate degree in the field. Graduate programs are necessary if one hopes to pursue a career in an environmentally related field, such as biology, climate-change or programs in environmental policies. Although most undergraduates do continue to graduate school, it is not entirely necessary. I was even more surprised to learn that an Environmental Studies undergraduate degree can be used towards becoming a physician. Most pre-med majors I know will receive an undergraduate degree in biology or chemistry, but that is not completely necessary. Another career choice with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies could be environmental law. As Professor Jamieson discussed, there is an enormous demand right now for lawyers that have a concentration in Environmental Studies.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed attending the Environmental Studies open house. Initially, I though that the open house was going to be boring and monotonous because I do not intend on majoring in Environmental Studies, but it actually turned into great discussion of topics that affect everyone, regardless of major. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation with the professors, I would have liked the program to be a little more structured. Many people were having extremely interesting conversations throughout the room and it was impossible to hear everyone’s individual conversations. Attending the open house was definitely beneficial and it opened my eyes to many new views and ideas concerning both the environment and the field of Environmental Studies.