Experiential Learning

One hallmark of a Smith education is the opportunity for students to take concepts they’ve learned in the classroom and apply them in the real world. For students interested in sustainability, these experiences can include Smith’s Campus as Classroom program, on- and off-campus internships, research with a professor, projects in conjunction with one of Smith’s academic centers and campus jobs.

Coral Reef Ed-Ventures is an innovative, cooperative educational venture between Smith College and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. This environmental education program began in 2000 to increase community awareness of reef system ecology and to encourage its conservation. Every summer since, an interdisciplinary team of Smith College undergraduate students develop and facilitate two environmental education camps for the island’s youth.

In addition to leading the environmental education program, the Smith students carry out coral reef and mangrove research with Smith faculty and Hol Chan Marine Reserve staff while on Ambergris Caye. Past research projects have included studies on the health of both coral reefs and mangroves. Read more about  former Coral Ed-Ventures participant Sabrina Cordero ’19’s experience in an interview.

Each year the Coral Reef Ed-Ventures Program invites applications from Smith sophomores and juniors interested in participating in the eight-week summer marine environmental education and research program in San Pedro, Belize. This year the program will run from May 28-July 19, 2019. Interested in participating? Read the application information below for details on how to apply and to access the link to the online application. For more information, please contact Professor David Smith  or Denise Lello. Coral Reef Ed-Ventures is sponsored by the Environmental Science and Policy Program.

CORAL REEF ED-VENTURES APPLICATION

Smith’s Environmental Science and Policy Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have partnered to provide internships for Smith students since 1999. This program connects students with 10-week summer internships in conservation science, coastal ecology, resource policy and management, environmental education and science communication. Smith students have interned at numerous NOAA offices, labs and field sites across the country. Interns work side by side with NOAA scientists, policy makers and other staff to address current coastal and marine issues.

Summer internships have a flexible start date. Fellowship stipends of $4,800 are provided by the Agnes Shedd Andreae 1932 Research Internship Fund. These fellowships are for Smith College students only. NOAA posts the list of internships in early January for the following summer.

For more information about the NOAA College-Supported Internship Program visit the ES&P website, or contact Joanne Benkley, assistant director of the program.  

Photo above: Alexandra Golikov ’19 (on the right) looking at 24-million-year-old whale bones in rock in Capitola, California, during her NOAA internship.

On- and off-campus internships are a great way for students to gain hands-on experience in sustainability. Faculty and staff help connect students with a wide of range of opportunities.

Praxis

Praxis stipends are designed to help students pursue opportunities that expand their education but which cannot or do not pay a summer salary. These internships help students build on their academic studies, make decisions about their careers and acquire the experiences and skills desired by employers and graduate schools.

Environmentally minded students can work at part-time jobs on campus and elsewhere that help green our campus and world—and their wallets! Find opportunities through the Student Employment Office and The Lazarus Center for Career Development.

Smith students have numerous opportunities to participate in research projects related to sustainability, with faculty, staff, outside organizations and fellow students.

Student Research in Departments (STRIDE) Program

Through Smith’s Student Research in Departments (STRIDE) Program, high-achieving students during their first two years are teamed up with Smith faculty as paid research assistants.

Campus as Classroom

 

“In the summer after my sophomore year, Emma Harnisch ’18 and I spent our days surveying and sampling Paradise Pond in pursuit of a better regime of sediment management.”
Sally Carrtar ’18

 

“The most interdisciplinary course I’ve taken at Smith was the [Critical] Design Thinking Studio. Our final project was a prototype of a new waste receptacle. After, I was hired by the sustainability office to refine, rebuild and test the new design.”
Maia Erslev ’18

 

“As part of a class, I conducted research on a parking lot on campus that uses permeable pavement—a sustainable adaptation effort used in response to the increased rainfall New England is experiencing as the result of climate change.”
Molly Megan ’19