Environment alumni have gone on to help protect the environment in both their personal and professional lives, working as educators, in environmental advocacy, in environmental consulting, as engineers, and in a range of other roles. They have also enrolled in a variety of graduate school programs, including programs in Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, and Public Policy. If you are an Environment alum, we would love to hear what you’re doing and share your news with other alumni. Please contact us at bdp@uts.cc.utexas.edu any time!
Read on to hear about what some of our Environment alumni have been doing since they graduated.
James Pape
Geosciences, Graduated Spring 2008
James researched Pleistocene-aged sediments from Cathedral Cave in Nevada through the Texas Memorial Museum’s Vertebrate Paleontology Lab. He also researched oxygen isotope ratios and their ability to contribute to gaining information about climate and rainfall patterns. After graduation, James attended The University of Arizona to obtain a Master’s degree in Economic Geology.
Angela Wariso
Chemical Engineering, Graduated Spring 2007
Angela coupled her Chemical Engineering major with a BDP in the Environment in order to investigate issues of sustainability. Working with Dr. Desmond Lawler, Angela researched water purification and reverse osmosis. She also reviewed air permit applications during her internship with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. After graduation, Angela began a position at Mustang Engineering as an Instrumentation Engineer.
Noah Weiss
Chemistry, Graduated Spring 2007
Noah pursued a BDP in the Environment in order to explore the relationship between science and environmental issues. Under the supervision of Dr. James Holcombe, Noah interned at the Environmental Health and Safety Department of the Celanese Bishop Facility. He also conducted research on trace metal analysis. In Fall 2007, Noah began pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Arizona State University.
Brian Adornato
Mechanical Engineering, Graduated Fall 2006
Brian chose the Environment BDP to augment his Mechanical Engineering degree. As a BDP student, he researched biodiesel for the Texas Department of Transportation, and he interned for the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems in Austin. In Fall 2007, Brian began pursuing a joint Masters in Mechanical Engineering and Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He hopes to use engineering to solve social problems through a career in policy, possibly with the Department of Energy.
Jennifer Rawlings
Geography, Graduated Spring 2006
The Environment BDP provided Jennifer an avenue to focus her interests in natural resource management in various internships and research experiences. Jennifer graduated with Honors from the Geography Department. After graduation, she started her career with Dynamac Corporation, an environmental consulting firm, as a Pollution Prevention Specialist.
Lisa Laton
Biology, Graduated Spring 2005
Through the BDP, Lisa conducted research at McKinney Roughs Nature Park, where she compiled an interpretive trail guide for the park. During her last semester, she was an outdoors education instructor for a fifth grade science class in the Del Valle School district. By teaching young students about the natural world, she has integrated her passions for sustainability, ecology and the importance of education. After graduation, Lisa traveled to Ecuador as a volunteer at biological stations within the Andes Mountains and Amazon Basin regions.
Lynnsey Morrison
Biology, Graduated Spring 2005
The Environment BDP helped Lynnsey understand ecological concerns on a much broader scale. She fulfilled her connecting experiences by working in a butterfly lab on campus. There she learned about the insects’ behavior and relationships with the plants around them. After she graduated, Lynnsey enrolled in the Ph.D. program in animal behavior biology at the University of Nebraska, working with Pinyon Jays on social cognition under Dr. Al Kamil.
Jennifer Piland
Applied Learning and Development, Graduated Summer 2004
Through the Bridging Disciplines Program, Jennifer had the opportunity to intern at two environmental education facilities, McKinney Roughs Environmental Research Park and The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. These experiences helped her form great career networks for the future. After graduation, Jennifer moved to Washington D.C. to work as an advocate and public educator for environmental justice.
Shannon Lee
Geography, Graduated Spring 2004
Through the BDP, Shannon worked at Hornsby Bend Environmental Center on an educational display about Austin’s solid waste accumulation, and she interned at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Austin headquarters. After she graduated from UT, Shannon moved to Minnesota to become a program assistant for the Environment program at the McKnight Foundation. She supports the Foundation’s grantmaking efforts related to the Mississippi River and to renewable energy.
“One of the biggest advantages of being an undergraduate student at UT is the amount of opportunity for undergraduates to get involved in research. Taking advantage of this opportunity will not only give you a head start for graduate research, it can empower you as an individual. BDPs are wonderful because they allow you to make your own research projects so you can pursue your own interests (related to your major or not).”