This blog is submitted on behalf of Sally Holmes, Colby ES student ’13, who is in one of the three senior capstone classes for Environmental Studies majors.
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The countdown has begun: T-24 hours until our final presentation for the semester. Colby’s ES493a International Environmental Policy Capstone students can be seen busily tucked away in Diamond or Miller library, frantically formatting presentations slides or practising speaking in deserted classrooms. I, for one, have looked forward to the end of the semester from the first day – not because I wanted the semester to be over with, but because I yearned for the feeling of accomplishment that can only be obtained from completing something monolithic. As a class and as individuals, we have made big strides this semester: most forward, with a few small setbacks. Our research has taken on a life of its own – moulding itself into our constantly changing final vision.
In the course of one short semester, we’ve compiled an environmental policy update for East Africa spanning plenty of topics, formally debated against each other concerning Western investment in the environment in developing countries, spent hours in the GIS lab perfecting analytical maps, conducted phone interviews to Ethiopia at unfortunate hours of the morning, and consumed our fair share of maple candy, courtesy of Professor Travis Reynolds. Although we cannot know the outcomes of our research, we hope that we will at least have a small impact by supporting our project partners and informing policy debates in East Africa, as our mission statement reads.
