Category Archives: Uncategorized

Estefania Torres, Environmental Studies, BMC ‘23 & Saiqian Xiao, Growth and Structure of Cities, BMC ‘23

Urban Climate Action

Faculty Advisors: Don Barber & Victor Donnay

Field Site: Delaware County, Office of Sustainability

Field Supervisors: Sharon Jaye, Rebecca Ross, Julie DelMuto

Praxis Posters:

Estefania & Saiqian Final Poster 1

 

Estefania & Saiqian Final Poster 2

 

Further Context:

This is the second semester of a year-long Praxis program with the Local Climate Action Program in Delaware County. This semester we continued our work with the Office of Sustainability and facilitated the development of a context-based local climate action plan (CAP). With the inventory (chart found in the left) of community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the results of public engagement, we proposed feasible mitigation strategies for the county. We learned and utilized Clearpath to model these local approaches, through which the goal of carbon neutrality will be met by 2050, as shown in the right. Clearpath is an application that allows us to create a forecast of the county’s carbon emissions and view the effects of our mitigation strategies. These policy suggestions and action planning will assist Delaware County’s Sustainability Commission in improving and implementing their larger climate action planning goals.

The LCAP program served as a real-world application of our environmental studies knowledge, implement data applications, and to develop professional skills. We both practiced  how to work collaboratively and communicate multilaterally. The combination of remote online working sessions and field site visits, maximized the experience of this internship. The program allowed us to present and discuss our projects with our supervisors, faculty advisors, and local officials and practitioners, improving our professional communication skills and broadening our understanding of the environmental industry.

Praxis Course Highlights:

 

Math Modeling and Sustainability (Math B295)

Instructor: Prof. Victor Donnay

Course Description:

In this course, we will use mathematics to study issues of sustainability. Is it possible to meet all of our energy needs using renewable energy? How much energy does a typical person in the United States use per year – for transportation, food production, home heating and cooling? What is the carbon footprint associated with this energy use? How much energy can be produced by solar panels and wind turbines (per square meter of installation) and so how many square miles of land would need to be devoted to solar and wind farms?  By how much can we reduce energy use via conservation or new technologies? Are these approaches cost effective? What do we mean by “cost effective”?

Praxis Component: During the semester, students will work in teams to analyze a real world sustainability issue of interest to a community partner.

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar (Prof. Scott and Prof. Houghteling)

Course Description:

This course provides students a forum in which to ground, frame and discuss their hands-on work in museums, galleries, archives or collections.  Whether students have arranged an internship at a local institution or in the Bryn Mawr College Collections, this course provides a framework for these endeavors, coupling praxis with theory supported by readings from the discipline of Museum Studies.

The learning goals for the course are:

  • To connect Museum Studies theory and practice
  • To connect internships in museum, archives or galleries to students’ individual interests and career goals
  • To gain knowledge about some of the fundamentals of Museum Studies—including the history of museums, the role of museum in society, current trends in museums, museum ethics and about the variety of museum professions