Department of Environmental Studies

Spring 2019

Welcome from the Chair

The goal of the Department of Environmental Studies is to enhance society’s ability to create an environmentally-acceptable future.

ENS Newsletter

Student Spotlight: Anna Vancina

Inside this issue:

Welcome 1

Student Spotlight

Anna Vancina

1-2

ENS Student Recycling Research

3

Faculty Head to Ghana 3

Faculty at UN Climate 4

Faculty receives DPI

Grant Money

5

ENS Major Changes 5

ENS Students Receive

Scholarships

5

UIS Graduation 5

Another whirlwind academic year is closing, but even as my thoughts are looking ahead to a summer with ENS students in Japan and China it’s useful to reflect on what has happened recently. We have combined our MA and MS degrees—hopefully simplifying the terminology for future students. A new undergraduate minor is GIS is only a few steps away from being official. ENS faculty have been heavily involved in the development of the U of I System’s Discovery Partners Institute and now serve on most committees on campus (and our involvement outnumbers all other UIS departments, even those with three times the faculty). Our BA in Environmental Studies is now the second largest in Illinois, allowing us to add new courses such as Environmental Consulting. Five ENS students presented their work at the UIS Student Technology, Arts, and Research Symposium, and this year both undergraduate and graduate students completed internships across the na-tion and overseas. We just received notice that we will be adding a new fac-ulty member who will start in August.

Part of this bullet list of accomplishments results from an upcoming pro-gram review, required of all departments at UIS, that essential summarizes everything done in the past seven years. I’m exhausted just thinking about writing that report. - Dennis

Tell us about your experience as an undergraduate

student in the ENS program (favorite classes, field

trips, experiences, etc.)

I started at UIS in fall 2017 as a transfer student, and I

feared that my experience would be less enriching be-

cause I had attended community college first. I was

pleasantly surprised at how quickly I connected with my

professors and formed friendships with my ENS peers.

My growing interest in sustainable agriculture was solidi-

fied when I took Dr. Styles’ Sustainable Food Systems

course my first semester, and my professors gave me

the freedom to focus on this interest in other classes.

My best piece of advice for any undergraduates would

be to bridge the gap between your interests and classes

that aren’t directly related to those interests. Find crea-

tive ways to make those connections and you’ll gain

new, valuable perspectives!

You spent the last semester completing your degree

online. How did this opportunity emerge?

Although Illinois is my home state, North Carolina is

where I belong. I knew I wanted to start my career

there, and I planned my semesters at UIS with the

mindset that if an opportunity arose where I could fin-

ish my degree remotely, that I would be in a position to

take it. It was hard work to make it happen. I was taking

20+ credits each semester that I was on campus and

working part time, but it was worth it. Since moving to

the Raleigh-Durham area I have built up my network,

and there is a large community of sustainable agriculture

professionals that I am now becoming a part of. I never

would have had the opportunity to do this if I hadn’t set

my goals, planned around them, and stayed determined

to reach them.

How did you find your AmeriCorps experience?

Even though I wasn’t actively job searching in spring

2018, I would semi-regularly peruse job board sites just

to see what kind of positions are out there. I recognized

the AmeriCorps position at Good Hope Farm as a good

fit and immediately applied.

Page 4

Student Spotlight: Anna Vancina (continued)

Spring 2019

What does your position entail?

My official title is AmeriCorps Good Hope Farm Commu-

nity Outreach Coordinator. The two main areas of my

work are in environmental education and volunteer man-

agement. My favorite education project that I’ve designed

and implemented is our Vermicompost Adopt-a-Bin pro-

gram. With this program, classrooms adopt a worm bin for

8 weeks and students get direct, hands-on experience with

vermicomposting. Some of my other responsibilities in-

clude development of marketing materials, coordinating

with our farm manager to plan outreach programs, and

data entry for all programming. I also continue to gain

hands-on agricultural experience and am involved in plan-

ning a community garden. The overarching goal of all

these projects is to promote environmental resiliency by

connecting community to the land and to its food.

What has your experience been like balancing

online school and work?

I got really lucky and have a wonderful supervisor who

understood that I needed to focus on both the job at hand

and on finishing school. She allowed me to be flexible with

my hours, so I would always get to the office early each

morning so I could devote more of my afternoon hours to

coursework.

What’s the best thing about being an AmeriCorps

volunteer?

The best part about being in AmeriCorps is that it has

been a great way to transition from college into the work-

ing world. Since the program is in large part treated as a

learning experience, I have lots of opportunities for pro-

fessional development that I can count towards my hours

in addition to my day-to-day responsibilities. In the fall I

attended the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s

annual conference where I connected with agricultural

professionals from all over the state, and this spring I am

getting sent to a non-profit summit to learn more about

careers in this sector. Being in a cohort also gave me the

opportunity to develop new friendships, which can be

difficult when starting a career in a new city.

How has your work at UIS helped your experience in

AmeriCorps?

I think the most important work that anyone can do at the

undergraduate level is to demonstrate your ability to apply

concepts learned in the classroom to the real world. For

my capstone project, I developed a full workshop on sus-

tainable food systems to teach 4-H youth. I put a lot more

work into my project than some of my peers, but being

able to show that I can apply my knowledge in a hands-on

way was my ticket into AmeriCorps (especially since I did-

n’t have my degree before beginning my service!). I was

lucky to have professors at UIS who were supportive of

the projects I wanted to undertake and who helped me

along the way. It was this application of knowledge and

these relationships that allowed me to land my Ameri-

Corps position and to hit the ground running.

Where do you see yourself after graduation?

With the mountain, coastal, and Piedmont areas of North

Carolina, there is ample opportunity to work in different

environmental fields. I am currently applying for jobs

across the state, and my goal in the short term is to contin-

ue expanding my network and to get as much professional

experience as I can. I really enjoy helping others to learn

through informal education lessons or volunteerism, and

ideally I would like to move forward in a non-profit or

local government setting that will allow me to continue

developing my skills in this kind of work.

ENS undergraduate, Anna Vancina, at work as

a member of AmeriCorps in North Carolina.

ENS Students Recycling Research

Spring 2019 Page 3

In Fall 2018, ENS students conducted a study, funded by PepsiCo Recycling, to determine whether or not aesthetically

pleasing bins would increase recycling behavior. The researchers randomly deployed both “bedazzled” recycling bins featur-

ing colorful nature photos with phrases, such as “thanks for pitching in,” on them and traditional blue recycling bins in

main campus buildings to test their hypothesis. The students found that “bedazzled” or more aesthetically pleasing recy-

cling bins did not increase recycling behavior on the Spring-

field campus.

“Education will be a big part of this effort to increase recy-

cling on campus,” said Marissa Jones, a UIS environmental

studies major who helped conduct the study. “We’ll be

working with RAs and the Residence Life leadership team

during upcoming training sessions. The idea will be for them

to spread the word to students and become champions for

campus recycling.”

The 20 “bedazzled” recycling bins and 20 standard blue

recycling bins purchased by the PepsiCo Recycling grant will

still be put to good use on campus. The UIS Department of

Residence Life will be deploying the recycling containers in

residence halls and near townhouses/apartments to increase

recycling convenience.

“Even though the bedazzled bins did not prove effective, we were able to identify common forms of contamination in our

recycling bins, and we're designing an education program to help eliminate confusion about these items,” said Dr. Megan

Styles, ENS assistant professor. “We also found that our campus is good about recycling paper, but we really need to im-

prove when it comes to plastics and metals.”

The research project, along with other student projects, was presented at UIS’ annual Student Technology, Arts, and Re-

search Symposium, held April 17 to 19.

ENS Faculty head to Ghana, West Africa

In Summer 2018, our own Dr. Ruez accompanied a group of seven University of Illinois Springfield students and two oth-er faculty members to Ghana, West Africa, as part of an international study abroad trip. The UIS students and faculty are investigating the prevalence and risk factors for diabetes, hypertension and hepatitis C co-infection with HIV among the Ghanaian population. They are also assessing water quality by collecting samples from local sources and testing for coli-form, E. coli and other harmful properties. This is the first time that UIS has sent students to Ghana for a summer study abroad program. Contact Dr. Ruez for more information about his research in Ghana, druez2@uis.edu.

Page 4 Spring 2019

Dr. Derman attends the United Nations Climate Negotiations

Dr. Brandon Derman traveled to Katowice, Poland in December to observe the latest round of the United Nations climate

negotiations. The Katowice negotiations (COP24, in UN lingo) came on the heels of two major climate reports: the IP-

CC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees and the second volume of the US’ Fourth National Climate Assess-

ment. Both reports underscored key themes in recent scientific observations: that climate change is here now, poses ex-

treme risks, and is progressing more quickly than previous studies predicted. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions

from human activities continue to rise. Current evidence suggests we have a mere dozen years to drastically reduce emis-

sions if we are to stave off climate disruption that could prove catastrophic for vulnerable earth systems and human com-

munities. As such, negotiators, scientists, and members of civil society anticipated COP24, where countries gathered to

hammer out the “rule book” for the world-wide Paris Agreement to reduce emissions, with bated breath.

Dr. Derman’s latest research looks at how civil society groups (NGOs and social movements) have made “climate justice” a

stake in UN negotiations and other venues. Katowice and coming negotiations may well prove crucial for such groups,

who demand “fair shares” of necessary emissions cuts among countries, and a thoroughgoing “just transition” to protect

the most vulnerable people as we develop coordinated responses to climate change – and as warming continues.

Page 5 Spring 2019

ENS Faculty Receives DPI Seed Grant

The Discovery Partners Institute is a new interdisciplinary research institute led by the University

of Illinois System that will bring world-class research faculty and staff to Chicago to work side-by-

side with students and businesses. It will foster next-generation innovation that creates new busi-

ness and economic growth, while promoting entrepreneurship and empowering inventors of the

future.

The first round of funding was announced in March and ENS’ very own, Dr. Anne-Marie Hanson

was among those to receive the funding for the creation of the Center for Urban Resilience and

Environmental Sustainability. Professors Donald Wuebbles, Amy Ando and Timothy Lindsey

from the Urbana campus, Anne-Marie Hanson from Springfield and Elizabeth Kocs from Chica-

go will collaborate on the project. It will focus on tools to help cities build resilience to climate

change, promote human welfare and address the interdependence of urban water, food and ener-

gy. For more information about DPI, https://dpi.uillinois.edu/

While many of our students receive scholarships annual, three are

particularly focused on our majors.:

Gabriella Spitzer, MA- Environmental Studies Alumni Scholarship

Anna Vancina, BA- Maurice W. Scott Scholarship in Public Affairs

Hayley Goban, BA- Thomas A. Shearer Scholarship

More information about UIS scholarships, including how you start

your own, can be found at https://www.uis.edu/financialaid/

scholarships/

A total of 32 ENS students, both graduate and undergraduate, will

finish their degrees this academic year.

ENS Undergraduate Marshal – Caleb Froidcoeur

MA Graduate Marshal – Beth Kramer

MS Graduate Marshal—Joshua Rai

MA Academic Honors – Holly Hershberger and Karrie Quirin

MS Academic Honors—Joshua Rai and Anthony Linarez

Congratulations to all of our Spring 2019 graduates!

UIS Spring 2019 Graduation ENS Students Receive

Scholarships

ENS Master’s Degree Changes

As of Fall 2019, the Department of Environmental Studies will be changing the Master’s degree program. Instead of offering both a Master of Arts and a Master of Science degree, ENS will now offer a Master of Science degree with three concentrations: 1) Environmental Planning and Management 2) Sustainable Development and Policy and 3) General Environmental Science. The admission requirements and application process remain the same. As always, changes are made with our student’s best interest in mind. If you have any questions, please contact the department at ens@uis.edu

Department of Environmental Studies

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