Yes, there is a life after Trinity!
Courtney Hugo ('08)
Graduate Student Environmental Policy
I am at the University of Delaware and working towards a master’s in Energy and Environmental Policy. I’m taking a solid mix of graduate-level policy, economics, and engineering courses. It’s
cool to be able to learn about the environment from different angles.
My research experience at Trinity with Professor Geiss helped me to get
an assistantship at Delaware researching air pollution from poultry
houses. I miss the bratwursts and waders, but field work and research
are still the best parts of being in school. I’m as good at wrangling
turkeys as I was at getting myself out of the mud.
Mike Ottariano '07
EPA Compliance Specialist
After graduation, I took a job as a Field Technician for a small environmental consulting and engineering firm in Massachusetts. As a Field Technician, I was
responsible for developing sampling plans, and then also carrying out
those plans by taking soil, water, and air samples to assist in remedial
activities at hazardous waste sites. The sampling methods used on the
job were very similar to the ones used during labs at Trinity College. I
then got an opportunity to work for the Environmental Protection Agency
in Washington, DC. Currently, I am working as an EPA Contract
Specialist awarding contracts to firms cleaning up Superfund sites
around the U.S. I can review a contractor’s work plan which describes
how they are going to clean up the site and give them feedback because
of the knowledge I gained from the environmental science program.
Megan Connolly '04
Environmental Resource Specialist
During my last two summers while attending Trinity, I interned at the Environmental Resources Department at Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. in Rosemont, IL. As an intern (read: grunt), I learned to do just about anything the department required from creating GIS exhibits to wetland delineating to mowing/herbiciding invasive species. During the second semester of my senior year, the company offered me a full-time position and I haven’t looked back since. As an Environmental Resources Specialist I am responsible for a range of tasks mostly relating to the Clean Water Act. I complete wetland assessments and flora/fauna surveys using cutting edge GPS/GIS technology, submit and acquire local and federal applications and permits for wetland/waters of the U.S. impacts, coordinate with state and federal agencies to achieve project compliance with their threatened and endangered species programs, complete local and national audits of construction sites/paperwork for compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, perform basic restoration tasks within wetland mitigation areas, complete Phase I/II environmental studies for large municipal expansion projects and continue to seek out and develop new clients and projects that challenge me to think outside of the box.
The knowledge I gained from the environmental science program at Trinity allowed me to become a multi-disciplined consultant. Particularly in a time where regulations are getting stricter and client overturn is high due to the recession, I feel prepared, thanks to the professors in the Environmental Science program at Trinity who have provided me with the core knowledge and skills to develop creative strategies that both protect the environment and our clients.
Craig-Curtis "Square" Schneider '05
High school science teacher
After obtaining my Bachelors Degree, I went to graduate
school to pursue an Environmental Science Masters Degree at the
University of New Haven. Just as I had done at Trinity, I worked on
original research dealing with ocean level rise that causes salt marsh
erosion and its affects on the mudflat benthic community structure. I
now teach high school biology/environmental science, chemistry, and
physics. Having been an Environmental Science major at Trinity, I was
able to take a wide variety of science courses that prepared me to teach
such a diverse curriculum.
Jeff Abrams '05
Marine Fisheries Observer
After my final semester, which was abroad in the Australian rainforest, I went to Florida to complete
a six month internship at Archbold Biological Station. The internship
was provided to me by Trinity Professor Joan Morrison and was primarily a
diet study of the Crested Caracara, a threatened raptor in the falcon
family. When I completed the internship I took a position with the
National Marine Fisheries Service collecting biological data aboard
commercial fishing vessels. The bulk of my post Trinity employment has
been as a fisheries observer, but there also a brief period when I
worked for a company doing assessment and remediation of petroleum
impacted groundwater surrounding gas stations. The education I received
from the Environmental Science Department prepared me well to succeed
in all of these endeavors. As a side note to any current or prospective
students who may be reading this: take advantage of the Environmental
Science field trips that the department offers. I was fortunate to go
on two of them and can attest that they are wonderful learning
opportunities and a lot of fun.
Paul Baumgartner '06
Medical Device Representative
My studies in the interdisciplinary Environmental
Science Program at Trinity exposed me to a wide range of challenging
coursework and thoughtful professors that prepared and inspired me to continue
my education. Through my undergraduate studies I became interested in
the effects of our environment on human health. After spending a
semester studying abroad in rural Kenya I realized that I wanted to
pursue a career in public health. The day after my graduation from
Trinity I began graduate coursework towards my Master’s in Public Health
which I completed in 2008. I am currently working for a medical device
company and in the process of applying to medical school with a goal of
pursuing a career in global healthcare. Throughout my education and work
experiences I am always amazed at how valuable my education through the
Environmental Science Program has been. The professors in the
Environmental Science Program truly give students the skills and
motivation to change the world for the better.