Preview version of capstone application questions

Preview Version of EnSt Common Application for Capstone Courses

To complete your application form, please move forward in this survey to fill out questions common to all courses. Then you will be asked to answer particular questions about the course(s) to which you are applying. You can apply to up to two courses.

Questions for all applicants

  1. For registration purposes, what is your Student ID number?
  2. What is your last/family name?
  3. What is your first name?
  4. What is your preferred name?
  5. What are your pronouns?
  6. What is your WUSTL email?
  7. What is your phone number?
  8. What is your school?
  9. What will your class year be in the upcoming semester?
  10. What is your expected graduation month?
  11. What is your expected graduation year?
  12. What is your primary major or area of study?
  13. What is your secondary major, if applicable?
  14. What are your minor(s) or certificates, if applicable?
  15. Is there anything else about your identity you would like to share with instructors?
  16. Is there anything else you would like us to know or take into consideration when placing you in groups in this course?
  17. How many MORE semesters AFTER THIS CURRENT ONE do you have at WashU in which you could take a capstone course?
  18. Have you previously taken an Environmental Studies capstone course?
  19. If yes, which of the following courses have you previously taken?
  20. For your application this semester, what is your FIRST choice course?

Course-specific questions

ENST 4801: Sustainability Exchange

The Sustainability Exchange engages interdisciplinary teams of students to tackle real-world energy, environmental, and sustainability problems through an experiential form of education. Students participate in projects with on- or off-campus clients developed with and guided by faculty advisors from across the University. Teams deliver to their clients an end-product that explores "wicked" problems requiring innovative methods and solutions. Past projects have included investigating soil impacts of de-icing practices on campus, collecting data on inequitable trash collection in neighborhoods, working with St. Louis City's building division to make buildings more energy efficient, developing an understanding of how buildings impact birds on campus, and analyzing the performance and viability of sustainable investments. Upcoming projects are still being finalized and are subject to change. Team-based projects are complemented by seminars that explore problem solving strategies and methodologies drawn from a wide range of creative practices, including design, engineering, and science, as well as contemporary topics in energy, environment, and sustainability. Students will draw on these topics to influence their projects. The course is designed primarily for undergraduates, with preference given to fourth-year students.

  1. How did you hear about the Exchange?
  2. Why are you interested in taking this class? (3-4 sentences)
  3. This class requires teamwork, strong communication skills, adaptability, accountability, and taking initiative. Projects benefit from a wide range of specific skillsets like design, data analysis, research, interviewing, writing, and more. Please describe your relevant experience, from courses, internships, jobs, or other life experiences, that make you well-qualified to take this class. (3-4 sentences)
  4. What skills do you hope to develop as part of this class? (3-4 sentences or bulleted list)

ENST 4810: RESET: Renewable Energy, Decarbonization, and the Electric Grid

RESET is an interdisciplinary course comprising classroom lectures from faculty and a broad range of industry experts; group discussions; field trips to solar and landfill gas power plants; and a final applied team-based project. RESET will provide students with a broad understanding of the major policy, engineering, and financial factors shaping the decarbonization of the electric grid, which has broad implications for decarbonization of transportation, buildings, and other sectors. Past projects have included proposing new major solar photovoltaic projects for community clients and recommending policy and practice changes to local governments to support and accelerate solar development in their jurisdiction. RESET has become a launching pad for students across majors to better understand an essential, exciting, complex, and fast-moving arena of climate action and to identify potential careers in this space.

  1. RESET is offered once each year during the fall semester. Will the coming fall semester be your last opportunity to take RESET?
  2. In 200 words or less, please describe why you are interested in this course.
  3. Renewable energy projects are fundamentally interdisciplinary. For the project-based component of the course, each student will be placed on a team focusing on one of the following disciplines: Business, Engineering, or Policy. The teams will work with one another throughout the project to deliver a cohesive set of recommendations. Which team would be your first choice for the project component of this course?
    1. Business
    2. Policy
    3. Engineering
  4. Which team would be your second choice for the project component of this course?
    1. Business
    2. Policy
    3. Engineering
  5. In 100 words or less, please explain why you ranked your preference for disciplinary project component in the order that you did.
  6. In 200 words or less, please describe any relevant experience you have. Prior experience is not a requirement for the course; however, it will help us create balanced teams. Relevant experience may include coursework, internships, jobs, on-campus involvement, a renewable project at home, etc.
  7. In 200 words or less, please describe why you would be a strong addition to RESET. Tell us about your strengths and how they would contribute to the team dynamic and the project.

ENST 4820: International Climate Negotiation Seminar

This course is designed to prepare students to attend and observe annual meetings associated with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a delegate of Washington University. The course and meetings provide student delegates with a unique educational experience to observe the development of international climate policy through interdisciplinary negotiations and interactions inside the negotiating space. Students see the interaction between climate policy, science, and technology as they identify and analyze policy decisions across the international climate regime. The COP XX meeting will be held in (location) on (dates). While the number of students who can attend meetings is limited by the United Nations, we will do our best to have course participants attend one week of the COP. Course enrollment is limited. Indicate your interest by placing yourself on the waitlist and completing an application. The cost of meeting attendance is estimated to be $3750 and need-based support is available. Additional information is included on the course FAQ page. Pre-requisite: junior standing. Contact the instructor with questions at martin@wustl.edu.

  1. In 150 words or less, why do you want to be a WashU COP UNFCCC Delegate? What are your expectations for this experience and what goals do you hope to achieve?
  2. In 150 words or less, what experience do you have that makes you qualified to be part of the delegation? This does not have to be related to international environmental policy; instead, we want to know what unique experience you can bring to the delegation team.
  3. A key component of the COP program is outreach to the WashU and St. Louis community. What organizations or groups would you want to share your COP experience with?
  4. List any relevant courses you have completed. Please include course title, professor, and semester.
  5. Name and email of faculty reference. During the selection process, Professor Beth Martin will contact your reference to get a sense of your academic abilities, group dynamics skills, and skills in working independently and collaboratively. They will not need to provide a letter of reference or any other formal recommendation.
  6. Please upload a resume in PDF format.

ENST 5830: Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic

This course constitutes the technical component of an interdisciplinary environmental law clinic based at the Law School. Engineering and Arts & Sciences students work in interdisciplinary teams with law students, handling environmental projects for public interest, environmental or community organizations or individuals. Students from other schools may also participate with permission of instructors. Projects may involve the following activities: representing clients in federal and state court litigation and administrative proceedings; drafting proposed legislation; commenting on proposed regulations, permits, environmental impact statements, and similar documents; giving testimony at public hearings and participating in workgroup or stakeholder meetings; analyzing and interpreting environmental data and reports; and evaluating matters for potential future action. The goal is that for each project, students will have primary responsibility for handling the matter, and faculty will play a secondary, supervisory role. Non-law students may provide such technical support as investigating unknown facts, evaluating facts presented by other parties (such as in government reports), and working with law students to develop and present facts relevant to an understanding of the matter and how to resolve it. Non-law students must work at least an average of 12 hours per week on clinic matters, including attendance at and participation each week in: at least one individual meeting with the professor; one group meeting involving the student team assigned to each project and the professors; and a two-hour seminar for all students in the clinic. Prerequisites: The clinic is open to graduate students and upper-level undergraduates. Coursework and/or experience in environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental policy, or related fields is recommended but not required.

  1. Please upload here a brief statement of interest in this course in PDF format.
  2. Please upload a resume in PDF format.
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