Hobbies:  I enjoy playing soccer, whether it is an organized game, a pick-up game, or just kicking a soccer ball around with a friend.  I have a dirtbike that I ride in the summer, and am currently working on getting my motorcycle license.  I enjoy reading nonfiction books, particularly on the subject of food history and culture in America.

My favorite Class at Lafayette so Far:  Calculus 3 or Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science are probably the classes I have taken that I like the most.  Calc 3 was cool because we saw practical applications of the calculus we had learned, such as probability, volumes and surface areas of 3-D shapes, mass and center of mass calculations given a density function, and moment of inertia. Learning the equations of line, plane, and quadric surfaces was also quite interesting.

How Environmental Science Complements my Major:  I think environmental science is important in the field of civil engineering.  Civil engineers encounter issues where knowledge of the environment enables them to make smarter, more sustainable decisions.  Land development is an area of particular relevance because an engineer probably has the responsibility to inform a community of the impacts of a project that will, for example, pave over a riparian buffer.

An Environmental Issue of Particular Interest:  Dam removal and construction is an emerging environmental issue and is interesting because dams have both compelling advantages and disadvantages.  The primary advantage is that dams are an easy, reliable, and renewable way to generate electricity and also can provide a source of water for industries and communities.  On the contrary, they block the migration of fish, accumulate sediment, reduce water quality, and alter nutrient concentration in the lakes into which the dammed rivers flow.  Moreover, dam construction in many countries is forcing people off their land.

Research Done at Lafayette:  First semester I did a research project on ways to get people in power to help the disempowered/oppressed.

Last summer: I worked for my dad as an electrician’s assistant.  Tasks included running wire, installing light fixtures, retrofitting lights, and wiring fire alarm devices.  I also volunteered for the Earth Team at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Syracuse, NY.

Post-graduate Plans:  I plan on getting a job at a consulting firm as a environmental engineer and possibly going to graduate school either after a few years of work or immediately after graduation.  Ultimately, I hope to design systems that provide safe drinking water to poor communities in developing countries and maybe help improve stormwater management systems.