Seniors in the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment certificate program return from their internships and share their experiences and with other certificate students in their third year of the Certificate Seminar ES 495. They continue active participation in Center-sponsored activities and complete any outstanding certificate requirements. Now the students integrate their experiences gained from their majors, additional course work, internships and research into their senior integrative projects.
During the year they present their progress to students and faculty in the Certificate Seminar. They present their final senior integrative project as either an individual study or an honors thesis at an annual public event, and prepare posters and abstracts of their work. Finally, the seniors attend a ceremony in their honor where they receive their Certificates in Environmental Studies.
GNCE Class of 2024
Lara Beckius
Environmental Studies and Economics majors
Center Environmental Interest: Evaluating indoor farming practices in urban regions to gauge if they have the ability to feed the rapidly growing population
Carine DeBenedittis
Architectural Studies & Environmental Studies majors
Center Environmental Interest: Explore New York City's use of architecture to protect the city from environmental threats; especially sea level rise and flooding from natural disasters
Hannah Grinnell
Environmental Studies major, Anthropology minor
Center Environmental Interest: Exploring the Indigenous Protected Areas (IPCAs) conservation model as a tool to promote biodiversity conservation
Sarah Hall
Environmental Studies major
Center Environmental Interest: U.K.’s expansion of offshore wind and how it can be transferred to U.S. policy, R&D, and industry economics
Winona Hunter
Environmental Studies major, Anthropology minor
Center Environmental Interest: Comparison of U.K. and New England wind farm successes and resistance through case studies
Keri Krasnoff
Chemistry and Environmental Studies majors
Center Environmental Interest: Ocean acidification projection and solutions
Emma Lanahan
Environmental Studies major
Center Environmental Interest: How policy, economics, society and science play a role in implementing community level agro-ecological farming practices and how to sustain and support them
David Neelappa
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology majors
Center Environmental Interest: Plants in the Northeast U.S. and their potential medicinal value
Grace Robinson
Biology and Government majors
Center Environmental Interest: Manatee conservation policies including examining threats and developing potential policies that will help conserve the endangered species
Renee Smith
Biology major, Chemistry minor
Center Environmental Interest: Study effects of plant and fungi interactions, such as in soil fungi and pathogens to discover new and practical applications for sustainable agriculture and habitat management
Edin Sisson
Botany major, English and Biology minors
Center Environmental Interest: How the impacts of climate change affect aquatic botanical ecosystems their primary consumers
Luke Sparreo
Botany major, Environmental Studies minor
Center Environmental Interest: Evaluating plant diversity in the newly created "conservation areas" on Connecticut Highway roadsides, comparing techniques between the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Connecticut College Arboretum
Aparajita Tyagi
Biology major, Statistics minor
Center Environmental Interest: History of land use affecting the biomass and diversity of mussel species by studying the water systems at Barn Island.