This spring, our program recognized five seniors for outstanding work in environmental studies.
These students have contributed to Washington University and their local and global communities in many significant ways, and we look forward to seeing what they'll do next. Congratulations!
Environmental Studies Award for Academic Achievement
Outstanding senior(s) who stands out for their academic accomplishments. Consideration is based upon GPA, the number/breadth of environmental coursework, and feedback from faculty.
- Kalen Davison - Kalen focused on the study and writing of environmental policy. He worked as a research intern in Auckland, New Zeland, with Zero Waste Network; in Washington, D.C. as a policy intern with Scenic America; and with the Interdisciplinary Environmental Law Clinic at WashU. Kalen also published a paper for the Washington University Political Review titled “Seas of Green: Rethinking Eco-Labelling.” He intentionally took the most challenging writing courses for his Writing minor and won the Boysko Award for best essay of critical prose by a junior or senior in a literature course. He was a WashU Writing Center consultant for a year and a teaching assistant for Quantitative Political Methodology.
- Jacob Longmeyer - Jacob worked as a Tyson researcher, and he has taken every bio/cons class possible. Jacob also served in leadership roles with Burning Kumquat and the Tyson Conservation Corps.
Environmental Studies Award for Scholarship and Research
Outstanding senior(s) who demonstrates aptitude in conducting independent scholarship and research to advance environmental knowledge.
- Alice Xu - Alice combines a relentless curiosity about the natural world with a commitment to excellence. She has an impressive talent for assessing research questions and devising field protocols to secure the appropriate data. Additionally, even in challenging conditions, she demonstrates a positive attitude and subtle sense of humor that greatly improve group morale. Alice was an undergraduate fellow at Tyson Research Center, where she worked on Jonathan Myers' Forest Biodiversity team during summer 2019. Alice's honors thesis on "The Unified Neutral Theory in Ecology and Idealization in Science" is a model example of interdisciplinary research at Washington University. Alice's ability to think both broadly and deeply across disciplines, ranging from ecology to philosophy, is simply inspiring.
Environmental Studies Award for Environmental Leadership
Outstanding senior(s) who shows leadership in advancing environmental causes through on-campus work and/or partnerships with community organization.
- Dugan Marieb - During all four years that he was a student here, Dugan Marieb has been incredibly active and energetic in his efforts to make Washington University a more environmentally responsible institution. His motivation and his efforts have been productive and inspiring.
- Sophie Watterson - Sophie was one of the two student authors for the Environmental Racism Report put out by the Interdisciplinary Environmental Law Clinic. Sophie worked as a valued intern with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment for three semesters, during which she led CAFO work, wrote to elected officials, conducted research, served on panels, and more. She also ran on WashU's cross-country team all four years.
