Major Spotlight: Environmental Studies

The next major we’re spotlighting is Environmental Science. We spoke with Sophia Durone, a senior studying Environmental Science and Sustainability with a minor in Sociology. Sophia is graduating a semester early and talked to us about her major and other academic interests here at Barnard. 

Why did you choose this major?

When I started at Barnard I was pretty undecided in terms of what to study. In my second semester, I took a class called Earth's Environmental Systems: The Climate System which looked at atmospheric science. It was about the ozone layer, how our earth is changing with climate change, and reading IPCC reports. That class made me realize that environmental science is super interdisciplinary since it combines subjects like chemistry, biology, physics, anthropology, and policy and applies them to the environment, and I really wanted that in a major. 

Did you have a STEM background coming into this major?

No, not at all! I always thought I wanted to do sociology or something like that in college. But when I got here I realized one of the reasons I didn’t like science in high school was because it all seemed so hypothetical and I couldn't see anything I was learning about. Learning about molecules just seemed a lot less interesting to me than things like trees and animals and plants. And now that I’m actually interested in environmental science, I feel like I’ve been able to really gain an interest in these other more abstract sciences. 

What do you like the best about the environmental science major?

So Barnard environmental science is a small department. For me, that means I’ve been able to really get to know my professors on a personal level. I think that's a huge advantage when you’re working in a science field because so much of the degree has to do with conducting research. So it’s beneficial to be able to create connections that can help you dive into the career world by pursuing research you’re interested in. Even beyond research, just getting to hear stories about how my professors got into their fields and professions has been amazing. 

Environmental science is a really individualized field, like we have a class for majors called Environmental Measurements. It’s just a lab class with environmental science majors and the professor gave us labs and said “you have to accomplish these goals, I’ll give you instructions but you’re figuring out how to do it”. So it was a cool exercise in learning how to use scientific tools in a safe space where I wasn’t scared to mess up, I could just fuel my curiosity to the point of discovering something.

Why did you pick the environment and sustainability track?

There are three options: environmental science, environmental biology, and environment and sustainability. Since I think I want to go into more of a public policy realm I picked environment and sustainability. It’s also allowed me to take electives that go along with that interest, like environmental law. 

How hard has it been to complete your major and distribution requirements?

I had a few AP credits coming into college, around twelve. So definitely not a ton of AP credits, but I am graduating a semester early and I’m pretty much done with my major besides my senior thesis. I accidentally fulfilled all my distribution requirements, I never had to go out of my way aside from PE and a language. And then I just decided I was going to do a sociology major as well because I only had to take a few more classes to finish it. Overall, aside from chemistry and biology the Environmental Science classes have definitely left me with a lot of mental capacity to take things I’m interested in, which is another reason I like it. 

How did you end up with a sociology minor?

I took the introductory class in my first year and it was just really cool and interesting to me. Kind of like why I enjoyed environmental science, I like how interdisciplinary it is. I enjoy getting to use all the knowledge I’ve gained across my educational experience to learn through methods like research papers, ethnology reports, and engaging with peers in discussions. The sociology minor is only five classes, so it was quick to complete. 

Did you come into college knowing you were going to graduate early?

Not at all. I just realized when I was a second semester sophomore that if I just took 15 credits (which is an average course load anyway) for the next three semesters I could graduate early. 

What is your senior thesis requirement like?

For environmental science, everyone has to do a thesis, which involves joining a professor's existing research project or creating your own with a faculty member at Barnard. Or you could reach out to the American Natural History Museum or the New York Botanical Garden to see if they’re doing any projects…basically, just research institutions around NYC to join one of their projects. 

For my thesis, I’m doing a project up at Black Rock Forest, about an hour and a half upstate. I lived there this summer during Summer Research Institute and my project is about carbon storage in sugar maple trees. So that involved (unfortunately) cutting down some sugar maple trees to weigh them and create a growth curve to be able to look at a plot of sugar maple trees and determine how much carbon can be stored there. And then using that information to hopefully save sugar maple trees in the future once we can contextualize and understand how important they are for ecosystems. 

What have your favorite classes been?

I think that the first class in environmental science that I ever took, the Climate Systems class, was my favorite because it really threw me into the field. I was using really hard math and sciences that I had never learned before, and it just showed me how much capacity the field of environmental science has, which is way more than I originally thought. Also the Ethnobotany class I’m taking this semester seems really cool. We get to take a field trip to the New York Botanical Garden later in the semester, as well as taste some fruit and vegetables that are used as herbal medicine. 

I also did a geological excursion to Death Valley last spring. You have to apply, and a group of 20 underclassmen students get in. You learn all about the geological history of Death Valley and then you actually get to go over Spring break and sleep in tents and hike. It did cost $500 to go, which felt like a lot at first, but it was super worth it and I know how much more it would have cost to do otherwise.

What is your relationship with Columbia like?

I think that being an environmental science student at Barnard in particular while also having access to the lab resources at Columbia has been really beneficial for me. I can create just as much of a relationship with Columbia professors as Barnard professors while also having lab opportunities at Barnard that I wouldn't necessarily get at a larger institution. At Barnard, there’s just a smaller pool of candidates, and I can meet with my advisor and he can walk me through all the available opportunities.

In terms of taking classes, every semester it’s been around half and half between Barnard and Columbia classes. There have been some semesters where I take more of my classes at Columbia, but it’s usually pretty much even. It’s been nice to take classes like Chemistry at Barnard because I got to be in a peer tutoring group and do a lot of other specialized stuff specifically for Barnard students. 

Learn more about the Environmental Science majors here and the Sociology department here.