My Environmental Science Major
Before I arrived at Barnard College, I didn’t really know much about what environmental science was or that I could even study it in college. As an first-year, I had the intention of being a biology major or a neuroscience and behavior major on a pre-med track. It was not until the summer of my first year that I found the world of environmental science by working on an urban farm in Brooklyn. At the farm, I learned how to plant and harvest vegetables and how to educate other people about what farming and local produce can mean for their health and the environment.
When I began the fall semester of my sophomore year, I knew that I wanted to study something that involved the climate and our earth system. I did enjoy biology, but not enough for me to commit to a major. I wanted to understand how science connects to humans and the places we live more, and environmental science allows me to do just that. It is connected to and interlinked with other sciences such as physics, chemistry, biochemistry, and biology so I’m still able to pursue other science interests. The environmental science courses I have taken explored a variety of essential topics ranging from various types of rocks, ways to handle waste management, climate change for the end of times, and so much more.
The Barnard environmental science department is small and I value this because it is possible to build close relationships with other people in the department and get the mentorship I need. There is also a wide spectrum of research projects and interests in the environmental science department, whether it is from student interest, professors, or speakers that are invited to come present on different topics. It is significant to me that what I study has a greater application to not only myself but the community at large and selecting environmental science as my major was a decision I have zero regrets about. I am still pre-med and plan to attend medical school, but I do not think it is possible to extract our environment and climate system from any career or interest we have.
The courses offered at Columbia and Barnard on environmental science are even for people outside the major who are interested in learning more. There are wonderful courses that do not focus heavily on complex science topics and veer into the humanities or the conversation of sustainable development. This is another thing about environmental science that I love: that it is accessible and applicable knowledge that is relevant to all of us and places that we call home. So I encourage everyone to take a course in environmental science, attend an event or talk held by the department, and if those seem like a stretch, take whatever you're studying or passionate about and find ways it interacts with the environment.
-Lea Jean-Françios