Our Career Services team (shown in lead photo above) at this year's Garden Party held on May 6 to celebrate graduates. Photo by Duane Gandelot.

Don't miss this video on student reflections and memories of their time in SENR. 

ENR Community,

It is bittersweet to share with you all that Molly Giammarco will be leaving her role with SENR to take a position as a Clinical Research Coordinator at OSU’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Molly has been an integral part of our community for over 3 years, fielding countless phone calls, questions, and emails from students, as well as many of us.  We are sad to see Molly go but are so excited for her as she embarks on this next chapter of her career!

Please join us in celebrating Molly next Wednesday, 5/18, 1- 2:45 in the Kottman 2nd floor lobby. Drop in to give Molly your well wishes and snag a treat. We hope to see you there! - SENR Academic Team

The Sustainability Institute (SI) is thrilled to announce the winners of the annual SI Student Grants for 2022 and we are super excited and proud to share the news. 

Congratulations to the SENR grant awardees, including:

• John Brett, a master’s student in the School of Environment and Natural Resources, is researching the impact of high-resolution tree measurements on the improvement of ecosystem services measurements. 
• Undergraduate environmental science student Cade Capper is putting his funding toward the potential of bioretention cells to serve as reproductive habitats for monarch butterflies in urban areas.  
• Environmental social sciences student Iresha Jayasinghe plans to look at environmentalism through an international lens by examining Asian college student perspectives on their connection to nature and pro-environmental behaviors. 
• Joelle Jenkins, a master’s student in the School of Environment and Natural Resources, is keeping her research local by exploring conceptualizations of sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion between decision-makers and local residents in Columbus, Ohio. 
• Soil science master’s student Brittany Multer is focusing her efforts on concrete weathering as a mechanism for carbon sequestration. 
• Liam Nigro, an environment, economy, development and sustainability undergraduate, will direct his funding toward a project entitled “Seeds of Renaissance: Sustainable Pathways to Community Wellness and Resilience through Art.”

Read more on these funding awards. 

The Environmental Social Science (ESS) Lab released the 2020 Campus Sustainability Survey report. The ESS Lab works with campus partners at Ohio State to answer critical sustainability questions, provide insights to some of our challenges, and mark our progress toward a more sustainable campus. 

What to know:

• Student knowledge of sustainability remained steady, though poor performance on a few key items suggest important areas for improvement in the coming years. Given the findings, 3 key suggestions are offered.

Find out what these suggestions are and access the full report.

Faculty member Robyn Wilson was a participant on the May 5 Hauser Policy Impact Fund webinar (recording forthcoming) on the role of the social and behavioral sciences in understanding and addressing climate change. The webinar focused on how society and policy makers should assess risks associated with climate change. The webinar used reports from the National Academies' Board on Environmental Change and Society to explore how the social and behavioral sciences can be used to greater effect in decision making about risk assessment and climate change.

Dr. Wilson is a current member of the US EPA Board of Scientific Counselors, and a former member of the National Academies Board on Environmental Change and Society and the US EPA Chartered Science Advisory Board.

Krystal Pocock, aquatics instructional aid in the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR), who works closely with faculty engaged in outdoor field research identified a training need for our SENR graduate students and organized an opportunity to attend Wilderness First Aid Training at Old Woman’s Creek. Read about what graduate students learned here.

The Ohio State Student Chapter of Ducks Unlimited had a very successful year overall, raising about $20,000 for wetlands conservation for their parent organization, Ducks Unlimited Inc.  The Chapter President was Nathan Patton, a student in CFAES/FABE.  Officers from SENR this year included Cameron Gatto (Vice President) and Andrea Spurck (Secretary).  Robert Gates (SENR) was the faculty advisor.  The highlight of the year was a banquet held at the Franklin County Fairgrounds on April 14, 2022.  The banquet was attended by over 75 guests and raised $16,500 for wetland conservation. 

The officer and members are a dedicated group proud that they could do their part in contributing to wildlife conservation and raising awareness of the role of hunting and hunters in wildlife habitat conservation. The DU student Chapter is looking forward to more, focusing on outreach events that connect our community with wildlife conservation through hunting, attracting new members through informative meetings and activities, and once again putting on an even more successful banquet next spring!

Lead Read Today, a platform from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business’ Leadership Initiative features in their April 12 newsletter, doctoral student Claire Rapp's recent work with faculty member Robyn Wilson on wildfire management and the importance of trust and cooperation. Read the newsletter article here.

The Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society Nominations Committee recently announced the results of their 2022 Board and Officer elections - faculty member Shoshanah Inwood was elected President-Elect and Lecturer Jason Parker was elected to serve on the board for a one-year term.

Upcoming Graduate Exit Seminars

Plan to join Ashly Dyck's graduate exit seminar on May 18, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. in Kottman Hall 333 or via Zoom.
Ashly will present, "50 years of change: Quantifying soil C stability under long-term tillage and cropping systems in Wooster, OH using size and density fractionation, natural 13C abundance, and mid-infrared spectroscopy."

The Ohio Woodland Stewards (OWS) program to offer:

A webinar on 

The Itsy Bitsy… TOTALLY INCREDIBLE Spiders of our Forest
Join OSU Extension Educator Ashley Kulhanek, as we talk all about spiders! She will dismiss the myths and dive into the incredible world of spiders dwelling in a forest near you.

May 20, 2022 10:00 AM 

Register here.

Upcoming Workshops

MAPLE SYRUP GRADING WORKSHOP at Ohio State Mansfield

June 22, 2022 - 9:00am to 11:30am

Registration Deadline: June 16 |  Details and registration here.

MAPLE BOOTCAMP: OHIO at Ohio State Mansfield

June 22, 2022 - 12:30pm to June 24, 2022 - 3:30pm

Registration Deadline: June 14 |  Details and registration here.

**If you missed the OWS program webinar, "Top 15 Trees for the Landscape" with Secrest Arboretum Curator Jason Veil, the recording is available here.

The Environmental Professionals Network to offer a summer field trip!

IF YOU LISTEN CAREFULLY…IT SOUNDS LIKE LOVE

Jun 14, 2022, 8:00am - 11:00am

This three-hour morning program based at The Point at Otterbein (Westerville) will take participants through a series of immersive experiences both indoors and outdoors exploring prairie restoration and ecological preservation activities in the rapidly growing corridors of northern Franklin and southern Delaware Counties. 

The Point at Otterbein

Details and registration here.