Sage Church

As an environmental science major it is known that we have a very broad field of study. We incorporate nearly every other field of study in our diverse analysis of the environment and anthropogenic impacts on the environment. Environmental Science is a highly interdisciplinary field, and here at Longwood the program is built around this fact to give students the widest possible range of experiences possible. There are also specific scientific processes and scientific writing and presenting goals for every class. These are in place to ensure we all have exposure to and practice in all areas of science regardless of where our future career paths take us. 

The first major goal of the Integrated Environmental Science program here at Longwood is to show how interconnected all of the sciences are, and how environmental science draws a little from all the sciences. My environmental science professors have done a great job of explaining and presenting this since day one. This is even the reason for the name of our major, it is called Integrated Environmental Science because we have to take some classes in all areas of study regardless of our specific concentration. Environmental Science is the study of how our environment works and how humans affect it and are affected by it, and in order to get the full picture of what goes on in the environment we must first have a basic understanding of biology, chemistry, ecology, atmospheric science, geology, and more. Even topics such as sociology and economics are important to environmental science because they show us how or why decisions are being made that may impact the environment. This has really taught me to appreciate all my classes because I have seen how interconnected so many of them are. 

Another key part of the Integrated Environmental Science program is the ability to set up, conduct, and analyze experiments or studies through the proper scientific processes and methods. From a young age all students are taught the scientific method, and this trend continues constantly through every science class I have ever taken. This is because it is the foundation of all sound science and discovery. Without a set process for scientific studies no data would consistently be reliable. This is why it is so important to learn these methods and processes and practice their use in all fields of study. I feel that there is constantly more to learn in this area because we are after all experimenting in order to learn. However, I can also learn more about the processes and more a really study works, and working in Dr. Jackson’s lab has helped me start this learning process. 

Throughout nearly all of my science classes here at Longwood the main focus has always been on formatting and writing a strong research paper. Someone could have one of the most groundbreaking studies ever, but if they cannot convey this in a paper or presentation then it will not be very memorable. I have learned a great deal about writing and formatting many different types of scientific papers from research articles, to proposals, reviews, and general audience papers. However, I have learned even more about how to properly present and discuss scientific findings. Before coming to Longwood I had never made a powerpoint on scientific findings or done a synthesis review powerpoint, so presentations in many of my classes have been very helpful. My LIFE STEM classes were perhaps the most useful for this as Dr. Fortino drilled proper presentation skills into our heads and those skills have helped with all my classes and presentations since then. I still struggle with presentations sometimes, but I have learned so much about how to give a good presentation so far at Longwood. 

In conclusion, the study of environmental science is a rather complex and intricate field of study. The major focuses of our major are geared towards shaping us into the best possible scientists that we can be. In principle once the skills and knowledge of the methods, writings, and implications of the field of environmental science are known the content knowledge will come. It is also very important to be able to share this knowledge through one’s writings and presentations, and taking classes at Longwood has helped me learn more about that importance. Overall I feel that the Integrated Environmental Science program here at Longwood is a very extensive program that prepares its students for all scenarios by providing them with the tools of science and its processes.