{"id":21099,"date":"2021-11-09T16:18:02","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T16:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=21099"},"modified":"2025-03-17T09:42:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T16:42:53","slug":"when-opposites-attract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2021\/11\/09\/when-opposites-attract","title":{"rendered":"When opposites attract"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Dr. Heather Galindo, associate teaching professor in the School of STEM and faculty coordinator for the ESS program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although the Earth System Science degree program<\/a> at the University of Washington Bothell has only been around for a short period of time, it has already made a big impact. Dr. Heather Galindo describes it as a landscape of sorts that allows students to choose their own direction, and ultimately, destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImagine opening up Google Maps to use the navigation system and seeing the many different routes that you can choose from \u2014 that is what this program is like,\u201d said Galindo, associate teaching professor in the School of STEM and faculty coordinator of the program. \u201cWe have only been running for two years so we still have some construction signs on some of the roads, but we made sure to steer clear of any one-way signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe students can go in any direction they choose, and that\u2019s what makes ESS so special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The degree was first offered in 2019 and has since become popular among students. Jointly administered by the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and the School of STEM, it leverages the strengths of a diverse group of faculty rooted in a variety of disciplines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listening to your instincts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Dr. Eric Salath\u00e9, associate professor in the School of STEM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unlike most bachelor of science programs, ESS deliberately incorporates both human rights and social justice topics into its curriculum. Also distinctive, said Dr. Eric Salath\u00e9, is its focus on problem solving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach lets students answer questions that they really care about,\u201d said Salath\u00e9, associate professor in the School of STEM. \u201cClimate change, for example, isn\u2019t just about studying oceanography and geochemistry. It is also about the humanities and looking at people \u2014 how they impact the earth and how the earth will impact them. By letting students have a foot in both cultures, they gain greater insight into issues they are passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was that pursuit of passion that led junior Nicole Reiber to ESS. Previously in the School of Business, she changed majors after having an eye-opening conversation with her academic adviser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen she asked me about my interests, I told her that as a child, I always dreamed about being the scientist I saw in documentaries. I had so much enthusiasm in my voice that she asked why I was a business major and not in a scientific field,\u201d Reiber said. \u201cI told her it was because I thought it was too hard and that I wouldn\u2019t be able to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Nicole Reiber, junior in Earth System Science<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Saying those words out loud released her from the self-doubt that was holding her back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat just wasn\u2019t a good enough reason not to pursue my passion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact of interdisciplinarity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reiber was certainly challenged by the program, yet she still earned more than just impressive grades. And, in May 2021, she was chosen for an internship in freshwater ecology with Snohomish County Surface Water Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that understanding hydrology, statistics and environmental science was important for the position, as was understanding psychology and environmental justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Nicole Reiber at work for Snohomish County Surface Water Management<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had to do a lot of data collection, sampling and analysis,\u201d she said. \u201cThen, I had to communicate my findings to those who are non-scientists. I found that understanding the various ways individuals receive information can help me convey science in an understandable and non-threatening way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving psychology courses and classes that incorporate environmental justice also helps me navigate those difficult conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another testament to the benefit of interdisciplinarity comes from senior Ali Al-Ameedi who is working on a grant-funded project assessing water quality on the UW Bothell campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to have the necessary fieldwork skills to conduct research,\u201d she said, \u201cbut equally important is having the ability to write a well-crafted scientific paper. It\u2019s not just test tubes and numbers; it is also reading and writing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class to career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alex Wachter \u201920, one of the program\u2019s first graduates, said that ever since he was a kid, he always felt dread when he would see \u201can old forest become a shiny new development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Alex Wachter, ESS graduate, at work with Wetland Resources<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Never forgetting his childhood concern, he decided to pursue the new major and prepare to do his part in protecting the environment. He now works as an associate ecologist at Wetland Resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wachter spends his weekdays visiting undeveloped properties, assessing critical areas, writing reports and generating maps using geographic information systems \u2014 a skill he learned at UW Bothell. \u201cI highly encourage students to take a course on GIS. Having that experience on your resume is always great, no matter what profession you intend to go into,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The major prepared him for his consulting role in other ways, too. \u201cBecause of the program, I gained a general understanding about the history of the earth and how we got here today,\u201d Wachter said. \u201cFor example, because of my classes, I know about the composition of soils in landscapes and the effects of movement of water above and below Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis allows me to make better, more informed judgments as an ecologist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice from an alumnus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wachter said it is more than the classes that sets the ESS program apart. It is also where it takes place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince classes are on UW Bothell\u2019s beautiful wetland restoration site, the University inadvertently made us all wetland ecologists,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is pretty unique.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He encourages future students interested in science and the environment to major in ESS. The combination of classes, faculty and staff in the program helped him shape his career path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to thank all of the professors and advisers who helped me through my time at UW Bothell,\u201d he said. \u201cThe program allowed me to better understand strict scientific methodology as well as the complex socio-political factors that go into conservation and environmental issues. I think it shapes a well-rounded student.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Earth System Science degree program is only two years old, and yet it already has made a difference in students’ lives, giving one former business major, for example, “permission” to pursue her passion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,202,253,204],"tags":[],"school":[419,421],"class_list":["post-21099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-global-impact","category-students","school-school-of-ias","school-school-of-stem"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nWhen opposites attract - 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