Environment | Student Profiles
Students in the Environment BDP form a community with shared interests in understanding and addressing a wide range of contemporary environmental issues—from climate change to sustainable building, and from air and water pollution to environmental policy. Environment students have come from a wide range of majors at UT, including Advertising, Anthropology, Art History, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Engineering, Geography, Geology, Government, Journalism, Philosophy, Plan II, Public Relations, and many others.
Name: Alex Briceño
BDP: Environment
Major: Biology and Pre-Med
Why did you apply to the Environment BDP?
I applied to the Environment BDP because I have always known that something was horribly wrong with the way people treat our planet. The Environment BDP was an opportunity for me to learn about important issues involving the environment and become more competent in a field of study that is a big part of the future for everyone on this planet.
What have you done for your connecting experiences?
My first connecting experience was a Maymester with Dr. Dick Richardson to Costa Rica, where I studied Sustainable Agriculture. I cannot begin to explain all the different things I learned involving sustainable development and agriculture. This course inspired me to buy land in the future and build a completely self-sufficient house on it. My second connecting experience was a Maymester with Dr. Mary Poteet in 2007 to Lizard Island, Australia, where I conducted field research both in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef as well as on the island itself. Swimming in the most beautiful coral reefs in the world was definitely the biggest highlight of my Australian Maymester. Also I learned valuable methods for conducting field research in both a marine and terrestrial environment.
What would you say has been the biggest benefit of being in the BDPs?
For me the biggest benefit has been getting the chance to be recognized in the large university community where I have often felt like one of the masses. This includes getting to work one-on-one with great professors and the BDP staff. I have also been exposed to wonderfully interesting ideas involving environmental issues that I would not have learned without participating in this program.
Coming soon — past profiles of Environment students!
To read about Environment students who have participated in Connecting Experiences, see the Environment Connecting Experiences page.
"The greatest benefit for me has been gaining knowledge and experience in a field that I am interested in that was not available within my major. The best part about the connecting experiences for me is seeing how the concepts taught in the classroom tie in to real world applications."
- Noah Weiss, Environment