Going Green

When tackling a challenge for clients, SNRE master's students produce original research as needed, whether in the field collecting carbon samples (above), surveying customers about products or conducting analyses of markets and competitors.

As the nation turns its attention to preserving the environment and mitigating climate change, graduate students at the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) stand ready to confront today's looming challenges.

Through the school's Master's Project program, students work collaboratively with companies, nongovernmental agencies and government entities to address complex environmental issues using a multidisciplinary approach. Drawing on their individual expertise in sustainability, ecology, environmental policy, landscape architecture and other academic areas, team members develop well-integrated, full-spectrum solutions to pressing problems. Every spring, their year-long projects are showcased at SNRE's annual Master's Project symposium.

"You can't look at environmental problems from a single perspective," says Kevin Merrill, director of communications. "It's essential to view issues through all prisms simultaneously to reach the best decision." Faculty members advise students throughout the fact-gathering, analytical and problem-solving processes to ensure the team's collective work meets high scientific standards. Students in turn gain practical work experience by solving real-world environmental problems in a team setting.

Recently, one Master's Project team assisted the American Wind Energy Association in analyzing the need for new transmission lines in the U.S. to carry the electrical power generated by wind turbines to load centers for distribution to towns and cities. The students collected and vetted data and then combined engineering and technical know-how with business economics to create a comprehensive document for policy makers. Another team identified strategies to help Aurora Organic Dairy in Colorado reduce its energy and carbon footprint and become more efficient. Their results proved beneficial for both the environment and the dairy's bottom line.

"My colleagues and I were very impressed with the work of the SNRE team," says Douglas Pearsall (MS '90, PhD '95) of the Nature Conservancy in Michigan. "We are incorporating the products of their work into our conservation and restoration efforts for the headwaters of the River Raisin."

Dave Chadwick (MS '03), formerly with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which engaged students to identify successful state wildlife funding strategies, also praised the accomplishments of a Master's Project team. "Their final product was great and has been widely distributed among wildlife agencies and partner organizations," he says. "The group's work is already playing an instrumental part in the development of wildlife-funding campaigns in several states."

More information, contact: Lisa Yee-Litzenberg at yeeha@umich.edu or (734) 615-1633. Or visit the Master's Project Web site at http://snre.umich.edu/current_students/masters_projects.