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SENR

School of Environment and Natural Resources

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Peer Leaders

SENR Peer Leaders help to integrate new students into the SENR community and smooth the transition to being an Ohio State student. Peer Leaders assist with ENR 1100, SENR's new student Survey course, and lead a variety of experiences to provide resources for their peers. These are the Peer Leaders for 2023:

Hifsah Ayub

Portrait of woman surrounded by flowers

Ayub.11@osu.edu
Major: Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (EEDS)
Specialization: International Development
Hometown: Pickerington, Ohio

Career Interests: In the future I hope to have a career centered around environmental sustainability. Like most people in SENR, I just want to make the world a cleaner, healthier place!

Favorite Part of SENR/OSU: My favorite part of OSU is the opportunity to connect with people from various backgrounds and interests. It's a place where you can learn from a diverse range of individuals and their experiences, both within and outside of the SENR community. It's inspiring to see how within SENR, people with similar interests and goals take unique paths in life. Even within the same major, we bring diverse experiences that shape our individual journeys.

Other Campus Involvements: 

  • Resident Advisor- Blackburn/Haverfield Complex
  • Student Ambassador for SENR

 

Skyler Goody

Skyler Goody
Goody.6@osu.edu
Major: Environmental Policy and Decision Making (EPDM)
Specialization: EPDM Honors Research Track
Hometown: Chillicothe, Ohio

Career InterestsI’m very on the fence about my future career right now but I love rural areas and small towns, local government, and regional entities! It’s very gratifying to be able to see changes you contributed to in a community. 

Favorite part of SENR/OSU: The people in SENR are great to be around! It’s really nice going to class and seeing so many familiar faces every semester, even though OSU is so big.

Internship/Research Experiences: This summer I was placed with a host community through Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission to work in a local community and learn how they can work with regional entities, expand and create services, and make changes at the local level. I really enjoyed working with this community and playing a part in their development! 

Other Campus Involvements:

  • Food Recovery Network
  • Community of Appalachian Student Leaders
  • Honors undergraduate research thesis 

 

Trent GregoryTrent Gregory


gregory.532@osu.edu
Major & Specialization: Natural Resource Management, Natural Resource Administration and Management
Minor: Entomology
Hometown: Marysville, OH

Career Aspirations: I would love to go into some sort of outdoor education job. I have always loved the idea of being an educator so I feel like outdoor education meets that love and combines it with my love of nature. I just finished an internship this summer at a wholesale plant nursery called Millcreek Gardens. I learned the ins and outs of plant care and maintenance along with learning better propagation skills.

Favorite Part of SENR: I love how you are always running into people you meet in class at events or around west campus and how that allows me to foster better relationships.

Other Campus Involvements: I am currently the co-president for the Bee Club and also attend the Sierra Club. I work as a computer repair technician at the Tech Hub at OSU.

A Piece of Advice for New Students: Allow yourself to explore all your future options instead of focusing on just one thing. I have interned at places and studied topics I would have never thought I would have been interested in because I allowed myself to take a step out of my comfort zone and explore something new.

 

Chris KalmanChris Kalman


Kalman.39@osu.edu
Major & Specialization: Environmental Science, Ecosystem Restoration
Minor: I have minors in both Science and Engineering in Public Interest and Philosophy
Hometown: Lewis Center, Ohio

Career Aspirations: I'm not certain what my future holds. I have a deep interest in both ecology and law; my hope is that I'll be able to spend my life working in both realms, whatever form that may be, helping to close the gap between science and policy to better care for our planet. To do this, I plan on pursuing either a JD or a Master's (perhaps both) after I finish my time here at Ohio State. But as for today, I know I want to be spending my time learning and working outside and in the field! As of now, I think I'll be doing this by returning to the Yale Conservation Scholars program this summer.

Favorite Part of SENR: The people! SENR has a way of making such a large university feel smaller, seeing familiar and welcoming faces around the college really makes it a second home. All of us share a common passion not only for the environment but also to make change, as a result everyone here is on the same team and wishing the best for each other; I've found that to be an increasingly rare and fruitful environment.

Other Campus Involvements: Grading SIA for ENR 2501 and SENR Ambassador

A Piece of Advice for New Students: My biggest advice would be to just talk to people. Your classmates, your teachers, and the people around you are going to be your biggest resources in college. Environmental science has you take some classes that can be pretty difficult, knowing classmates to study with or going to your professor for help can make the entire experience easier and more enjoyable. Trying to get over that hump of being shy and making those connections benefits you socially, academically, and professionally as you progress through your time at Ohio State. No one thrives alone!

 

Mike PenkaMike Penka


penka.3@osu.edu
Major & Specialization: Environmental Science, Water Science
Minor: Minor in Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability
Hometown: Powell, OH

Career Aspirations: While I do not have any concrete plans for my future, I am interested in research and field work and the many jobs that involve these two aspects of the environmental field. I have spent the last two summers conducting research at Stone Lab, and after getting my Master's I hope to work in a similar setting, whether it be through agency work or direct employment by a biological field station. In any case, I hope to continue working in with aquatic ecosystems and the many problems facing them today.

Favorite Part of SENR: My favorite aspect of SENR is how personal the school can be. Ohio State is a very large university, and SENR's small size allows for personal connections and community in a way not available on the larger university level.

Other Campus Involvements: I work as a research technician in Dr. Suzanne Gray's lab and am in the University Honors program.

A Piece of Advice for New Students: Seek out the many opportunities available within SENR early and get to know professors in areas that interest you.

 

Alex Poling

APpoling.238@osu.edu
Major: Environmental Policy and Decision Making (EPDM)
Specialization: Communication and Behavior Change
Minor: Professional Writing 
Hometown: Warren County, Ohio

Career InterestsI'm hoping to go into environmental/science communications! There are a lot of options within that, but I'm broadly interested in making science and environmental information more accessible to everyone.

Favorite part of SENR/OSU: Meeting and working with a wide variety of people who are all passionate about the environment.

Internship Experience: I did an internship last year with the Knowledge Exchange within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. In that role, I wrote articles about research coming out of the College for general audiences. The topics I covered included bees, green infrastructure, soil health, environmental sociology, and more.

Other Campus Involvements:

  • Undergraduate Student Government - Speaker of the 56th General Assembly
  • Buckeyes for Accessibility - Treasurer
     

Emma RobinsonEmma Robinson


robinson.2709@osu.edu
Major & Specialization: Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife, Fisheries and Wildlife
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio

Career Aspirations: Once I graduate from Ohio State, I'm hoping to pursue further studies in bird conservation, as well as creative science communication.

Favorite Part of SENR: My favorite aspect of Ohio State is the SENR community. Ohio State is a pretty big place, but SENR makes finding friends and connections easier.

Other Campus Involvements: I'm the President of Ornithology Club, am working on an Honors Research thesis, and am one of the Outreach Interns at the Ohio State Wetlands

A Piece of Advice for New Students: Pursue new opportunities, like volunteering in a research lab or trying a new club. It may just be the thing which inspires what you want to for your career!

 

Maddie Wilson

Maddie Wilson
Contact: wilson.4477
Major & Specialization: Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife, Honors - Aquatic Sciences
Hometown: Dayton, OH

Career Aspirations: I plan to attend graduate school after graduation. I would eventually like to work as a research scientist/ecologist for a government agency!

Favorite Part of SENR: SENR is full of amazing people. I have made some of the most meaningful connections with other students and faculty through classes and student involvement. I also love that I get to experience outdoor, hands-on coursework throughout my studies.

Other Campus Involvements: I am one of the Co-Presidents of SENR Ambassadors for the upcoming school year, and am doing an Honors Thesis in Dr. Lauren Pintor's Lab.