NRESsays - BLOG

By Anna Sorg

Time management is key for a successful semester and career, whether you are blocking out time to study, or jotting down new events, it is important to have a system that works for you! Juggling all of your responsibilities can seem daunting, especially as a college student, but with the right tools, you can make your schedule work with you instead of against you. 

Some general pieces of advice would be to input all of your assignments within the first week or two of school so you are never jumpscared by an upcoming assignment. The second piece of advice would be to write down the dates and times of all of the events you are interested in even if you don’t fully intend on going. The start of each semester is hectic with callouts and fairs, it is best to have all of these events on your radar so you know what to pick and choose from and to stay informed about happenings on campus. The final piece of advice would be to choose a day to update all of your calendars. By designating a time to keep everything up to date, you are making a habit to stay consistent. Being organized is a learned habit, not something that comes naturally! Give yourself grace, and with time, you will succeed. 

I want to preface by saying that time management is highly specific to each individual, and it takes practice and time to find a style that works for you. In my own journey (my very long, 6 year, ongoing journey…) of finding the perfect calendar, I have tried so many resources, schedules, and calendars, so I wanted to share my top five tools and tips to set you up to thrive this semester!

1. Google Calendar 

My tried and true gem of a calendar. Google calendar is super helpful for keeping track of all of your events e.g. club meetings, classes, trips etc…. This app/website is a great base layer that can act as a ‘meta’ calendar, meaning it is a good go-to resource to get a general overview for your week, month, or even year (if you’re ambitious)! 

Tips: 

Use the “Other Calendars” function to add specific calendars correlating with your clubs, classes, labs, or work! This function allows you to toggle your calendars on and off so you don’t get overwhelmed by the amount of events you have on your main view calendar. 

Subscribe to your brightspace and outlook calendar! Most websites/apps have an option to ‘subscribe’ to your calendar. Copy the URL from your app of choice, and add it as an ‘Other Calendar’ on Google Calendar to get a cross-website view of all your events! 

Make a widget on your iPhone. If you are an apple user, you can make Google calendar a widget on your iPhone! This is an easy reminder for the upcoming events you may have in the near future. 

2. Shovel

Don’t skip out on this resource! Purdue students get free access to Shovel when you sign up with your school email. Shovel is a great tool for blocking out time for events, but also blocking time for studying! Once you sync Shovel with Brightspace, your assignments automatically generate into the website/app. With its easy-to-use interface you can drag and drop assignments into your calendar to carve out assignment-specific study time. 

Tips: 

Make recurring events a time block. On the website, you can make blocks of events that occur every day like lunch or working out. From there just drag and drop them into your schedule! 

Download the app! There is an option to get notifications of upcoming events right to your mobile device so you never miss a study session or a study break!

Don’t forget assignments. Sometimes professors don’t upload assignments under the ‘Assignments’ tab of brightspace, so they won’t populate in Shovel. Do not forget to consistently check brightspace for upcoming assignments!

3. Notion

Ahh notion, how I love you so. Notion is an all-in-one dashboard that allows you to build your own templates for just about anything: assignment tracking, habits and goals, budgets, and so much more! If you find the ‘building’ portion of this website intimidating -- not to worry! Notion offers hundreds of free templates for just about anything you can think of. Personally, I love Notion because there are so many cute and creative templates to choose from, and they are all extremely customizable to cater to your own vibe. Typically, I use Notion for assignment tracking, weekly tasks and to-do lists so all of my thoughts and plans are in one location. 

Tips: 

Find a vibe that fits you! Notion has so many templates, I recommend finding an aesthetic that resonates with you so it is enjoyable to prepare for your week. 

Don’t overthink it. It is easy to get overwhelmed with everything Notion has to offer. I recommend starting with something you know you’ll need, like a simple to-do list or an assignment tracker, and slowly build more tools into your dashboard. 

Start early. By starting your dashboard at the beginning of the semester, you will be able to visualize all of your tasks. This way, you can start to delegate timeframes for them as they pop up. 

4. Outlook Calendar

I find the outlook calendar most beneficial for work/lab and club related events (again, this is a personal preference, and if you prefer to use it as your main calendar, go for it)! It is important to become familiar with Outlook because it is the main communication tool used in all industries; private, non-profit, and government. Personally, I use Outlook to schedule my lab and club meetings because it is easy to invite people to your meeting via the ‘Create New Event’ button. Simply click this button, name your meeting, invite your attendees, and viola! You have successfully created a meeting! 

Tips: 

View other people's calendars. Everyone is busy, and finding meeting times is a hassle! With Outlook calendar, click the hamburger menu, in the side panel that appears click ‘Add Calendar’ at the bottom. In the pop-up window click ‘Add to directory’ on the side panel, and type in your professor or boss’ email. Now you can see their availability, and find a meeting time with ease. 

Make Teams meetings. When you organize a meeting, there is automatically an option to make it a Teams meeting. 

Customize! Customize your Outlook by going to settings > general > appearance. Now when you open the website you will have a splash of personality!  

Physical Planner 

There’s a reason why planners will never go out of style, according to Oxford Learning, the process of writing by hand reinforces memory pathways. Finding the perfect planner can be intimidating, but I suggest thinking of how you want your planner to serve you. Do you want to only write down all of your events and due dates? Look for a simple monthly calendar that allows you to fill in events day-by-day. Do you like writing to-do lists each day? Look for a calendar that has writing room for each day with a monthly calendar view. For purchasing a planner, go in with the intent of how you will use it, and find a style that works! 

Tips: 

Color! Color coding your calendar not only triggers your brain to make connections between tasks, but it also livens up your page!

Bring it everywhere. By bringing your calendar with you, it makes it easy to write down events as they come up. 

Always check in. When you consistently check your calendar, it builds your confidence since you know exactly what to expect every day, and it makes it easier to pivot when plans change. 

Whether you prefer online organization or old fashion functionality, there is a system out there that works for you! Combine and customize your own time management system by using the tools I have suggested, or use it as inspiration for forge your own path. Organization is a habit, if you stay consistent, you will get the results you want. Happy planning!

Originally posted 8/27/2025

By: Grace Collins

This past weekend I had the great opportunity to attend and present a research poster at the 1st Great Lakes Plant Science Conference hosted by the Michigan State University Plant Resilience Institute. The conference itself was split into three main sessions: Plant Science in a Changing Climate, Biotic Interactions, and Integrative Omics, Systems, and Synthetic Biology Approaches. With over 212 posters, 10 exhibitors, 55 institutions, 28 talks, 6 industry partners, and international attendees, I was able to integrate myself into a community of plant science professionals who are passionate about using innovative research techniques to improve ecosystem resilience.

The conference began with a series of presentations and flash talks within each of the three conference sessions. During these talks, I was able to listen to researchers discuss their current work in plant science. Some of the topics covered included plant-microbiome and microbe-microbe interactions; dual roles of plant species in different locations; space radiation effects on plant microbiomes; molecular dynamics behind photosynthesis; and more! As an audience member, I was able to expand my horizons into the techniques and applications of plant science, and I felt truly inspired by other scientists’ work.

After listening to the presentations, it was time to present my poster! I presented on a project that I have worked on over the past year with Dr. Morgan Furze under the departments of Botany and Plant Pathology and Forestry and Natural Resources. The poster presentations were split in half between two days, so while I spent Saturday evening discussing my research, I was able to look at the rest of the posters the next morning. I really enjoyed being able to practice my scientific research communication skills to people who are passionate about plant science, and it was also very exciting to hear about the projects that others have put their time and passion into.

On the last day of the conference, there was an industry panel with representatives from Plastomics, CTC Genomics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Pairwise, and Inari Agriculture. The panelists discussed how to prepare for a switch from academia to industry, what the industry culture is like and what is expected of you in these roles, and what setbacks or benefits you may expect within industry.  By listening in on this panel, I gained a deeper understanding of how those who are interested in a career in plant science are able to apply their experience to other sectors and move between different roles.

With this being the first Great Lakes Plant Science Conference, it is hard to predict what the conference will look like in the future. However, I strongly encourage everyone to apply to register if able, especially if you are interested at all in plant science! It is not a requirement to present research at the conference – it can be a great opportunity to learn about ongoing research in the field and connect with others. Although the conference was largely populated by graduate students, there were many undergraduate students there as well. Food was provided by the Plant Resilience Institute, and the attire was primarily business casual. Although there was a registration cost, Purdue’s Center for Plant Biology has offered to cover the cost, and a Travel Grant awarded through the Plant Resilience Institute at MSU covered the entire cost of the conference including travel, extra food purchased, and lodging.

One of the key takeaways from the conference was how investment in plant science in the Great Lakes region is critical for the prosperity of North America. I am so grateful that I was able to attend this conference and surround myself with those who are passionate about integrating fundamental and applied sciences to benefit plant ecosystems. I am excited to see how this conference is built over the years and what legacy it will hold in the Great Lakes region! 

Originally posted 9/22/2025

Growing up in rural Indiana, farmers were—and still are—the champions of my community, representing what it means to be a steward of the land. The management choices of farmers often reflect the culture of rural America.

Daryl and Judy Drake, regenerative farmers from southeastern Indiana, represent both a divergence from and a connection to the stereotypical farmer. While their management choices are distinct, their convictions behind regenerative production are the same set of values leading many farmers to choose conventional methods. For farmers who share the same values as Daryl and Judy, the choice to farm a certain way is more than mere methodology—it is an expression of identity. Their faith, commitment to family, and belief in stewardship shape how they manage their land, blending values with practice in every decision.

To best understand how the Drakes live out their values, it is important to have a grasp on what regenerative agriculture is. Regenerative agriculture describes farming as returning more to the land than what is removed through planting, growing, and harvesting a crop. Farming regeneratively requires a holistic approach to production, increasing soil health, water quality, and biodiversity. The idea of regenerative agriculture as a climate-resilient solution to the many problems faced in modern agriculture is growing in popularity among producers. Farmers are stewards of the land, creating a strong desire to preserve and improve the land for future generations. This strong sense of identity and its connection to land management choices makes the values behind production integral to decisions on the farm. 

The Drakes wear the regenerative label with pride. Motivated by their faith and a desire to continually improve, they seek out experiences that inform their farming decisions. They have often been early adopters, even one of the first in Franklin County to implement cover crops and no-till practices. It was at a conference that they first learned of regenerative practices. Later, at a farm visit in Tennessee, they began to hear more about the processes that naturally fill the soil with nutrients and loosen it without traditional tillage or fertilizers. The couple, whose faith guides their stewardship decisions, saw these new methods as a way of farming that removed themselves from the land and added God back to it. This spiritual outlook on production illustrates a distinct why behind the methods on the Drakes’ farm.

On a phone call with the couple in late April, they took a few moments to describe their surroundings. Sitting on the front porch of their farmhouse, they spoke of the setting sun sending beams of light dancing over blades of grass in the spring-green field across from their home. A hooting owl framed our conversation, representing a solution to a vole problem in one of their fields. Here, Daryl spoke to the heart of the couple's stewardship decisions. “We live and work in God’s creation,” Daryl explained. “We see His miracles every day.” Farming regeneratively, Daryl and Judy recognize the miracles in the seemingly mundane. Judy reflected momentarily on how most farmers are in awe of creation, remarking that there “is certainly faith on the farm.” 

Regenerative practices promote soil health by reducing inputs and increasing the cycling of nutrients through the soil.The couple describes leveraging natural soil processes to decrease their impact on the land. Deep-rooted cover crops limit the amount of tillage necessary. Moving away from conventional monocultural farming, their operation uses diverse plant species that return a variety of nutrients to the soil. Noting their success at improving soil health, Daryl shared an anecdote about no longer needing to buy bait when he goes fishing. Instead, he goes to his field, finding plenty of worms there. 

When Daryl and Judy first adopted regenerative practices five years ago, the closest farmer with a similar operation was in Columbus, Ohio, about 2 hours away. Today, though, two farms in surrounding counties also farm regeneratively. Still, what is striking about their operation is not the uniqueness of their methods. Instead, it is the familiarity of their motivations. What sets the Drakes apart is not why they farm but how they have chosen to live out their values. Prioritizing stewardship in a way that reflects their identity as Christians and parents is not unique to regenerative farmers. Their purpose-driven approach connects them to neighbors who share similar convictions—reminding us that in rural communities, farming is as much about values as it is about techniques.

This essay was a submission to the Townsend Communication in Agriculture Competition through Purdue’s College of Agriculture. The goal is to encourage better scientific communication between people and scientists. This essay won an award for outstanding communication within the competition. Find more information here:

https://ag.purdue.edu/department/asec/townsend/index.html

Originally posted 10/2/2025

By: Marley White

Applying to law schools can be a daunting and challenging task, but this stress can be mitigated through proper planning and preparation. While I am not yet finished with my law school application journey, here are some tips and resources that will make applying to law schools easier and less overwhelming.

            One resource that was especially helpful for me throughout deciding which law schools to apply for is the LSAT Demon Scholarship Estimator. Using public information about the amount of scholarship money each law school gives their students based on their LSAT and GPA, this scholarship estimator tool can take your GPA and LSAT and estimate what percent of tuition different law schools would provide you in scholarships. If financial concerns are a big influence in your law school application decisions (as it is for me), this is a really helpful tool to help narrow down law school choices.

            Finally, be sure to utilize the Pre-Professional Advising Services through the CCO at Purdue. Here, you can specifically meet with a pre-law advisor, who can give advice on the law school application process, preparing for the LSAT, and even reading your application materials or reviewing your resume. I had my pre-law advisor read both my personal statement and law school resume and received valuable feedback from her that strengthened my application. Be sure to use this free resource on campus!

            While the law school application process will always be daunting, hopefully I provided some beneficial advice and resources for anyone choosing to apply to law school. Best of luck!

Originally posted 10/28/2025

By: Eva Morie

On Thursday, October 9th, NRES ambassadors Brodie Carr and Eva Morie, along with NRES sophomore Les Brown, attended the Hoosier Riverwatch Training hosted at the Owen County Soil and Water Conservation District office. This program, operated under the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), was recommended to us by a guest speaker from the Big Pine Creek Watershed, who mentioned it was a great opportunity to volunteer and conduct water testing. The Hoosier Riverwatch program is a volunteer network that engages Indiana residents in becoming stewards of Indiana’s water resources. The program offers a free, hands-on stream monitoring training workshop where participants can obtain certification to receive equipment, monitor Indiana’s streams, and upload data to an online database. Through this volunteer network, we can provide public data on the quality of Indiana’s wadable rivers and streams.  

The eight-hour workshop started indoors, where we received a training manual, multiple example data sheets, and a complimentary poster. In the classroom, we learned the fundamentals of water quality monitoring, from safety to watershed identification. We followed along with the training manual, identifying our hydrologic unit area codes, recognizing healthy stream indicators, and reviewing in-field data collection procedures. We learned how to input our data into the database, then sat outside for lunch before performing the fieldwork.  

The fieldwork was very similar to the techniques learned in our required Environmental Field Skills class (NRES 338). We headed over to Elliston Creek, a tributary of the White River, to practice our data collection. We started by assessing the habitat using a Citizens Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (CQHEI), which evaluates the substrate, fish cover, stream shape (along with human alterations), the riparian area and signs of erosion, the depth and velocity, and the presence of riffles and runs. These variables are scored and totaled to produce an overall rating. Then we calculated the stream flow (discharge) and added this data to a data sheet. This was calculated by averaging the width, depth, and velocity and multiplying these by a coefficient to find the rate of the stream flow.  

Next, we assessed the stream’s chemistry and recorded the variables on the Chemical Monitoring Data Sheet. We took three samples for each variable, including temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, nutrients, and turbidity. These were averaged to create a Water Quality Index (WQI), which rates the stream from excellent to very bad. For our last test, we looked at the macroinvertebrates in the stream. The macroinvertebrates were collected, identified, and recorded on a Biological Monitoring Data Sheet. The taxa represented are grouped by their pollution tolerance, from intolerant to very tolerant. The Pollution Tolerance Index (PTI) was collected and rated from excellent to poor. This was by far our favorite part, we found crayfish, snails, mayfly nymphs, and caddisfly larvae, to name just a few!  

Overall, this experience provided us with strategies for data collection and enables us to volunteer and collect data at any stream in Indiana with the Riverwatch Equipment Kits. The program allows us to practice data collection protocols, enhancing our skill set for future environmental positions. We also can contribute to public access data on the Hoosier Riverwatch database. This is an invaluable resource for communities to identify possible pollution sources and track environmental changes to make informed decisions for conservation and land-use planning. We highly recommend this volunteer program to any interested parties and are grateful for the experience and opportunities that come along with the certification!

Originally posted 11/3/2025

By: Sara Zukowsky

Applying to and figuring out if the EEE 4&1 Program is right for you can be very stressful, but it does not have to be with help throughout the process! I am currently enrolled in the MSEEE 4&1 Program, with a bachelors in NRES, and a masters in EEE. I am in my senior year, meaning I can take up to 12 credits for the program this year, and the remaining next year, as a full time graduate student. It is a really great option if you are considering consulting in your future career. Personally, I want to work on consulting on renewable energy sources, making it a good program for me, with common environmental engineering issues arising.

In the 4&1 program, during your last undergraduate year, you are able to take up to 12 credits and apply them to the program. You will take a total of 30 credits to complete the masters, so you’ll be left with 18 during the fifth year where you complete your masters. Of those 30 credits, all of them have to be 500-level or above. However, only 9 credits are required to be EEE. Others can include any other form of engineering, and there are pre-approved courses from: FNR, STAT, AGEC, AGRY, EAPS, and more! You can also email the representative and ask if a course can be applied if it is something you think will add to your experience. Once you get in, you will get access to a list of pre-approved courses. So far, I am currently in FNR 58600, Urban Ecology, and CE 59700, Disasters & Emergencies. I absolutely love both of these classes, and they are some of the most fun courses I have taken at Purdue.

If you’ve decided this sounds right to you, great! To apply, you need a 3.00 GPA, two essays, a resume, your transcript, and three letters of recommendation. For your GPA, I encourage you to apply even if you do not meet that requirement, as other students have gotten in with slightly below that requirement. For your essays, there are the Academic Statement of Purpose and a Personal History Statement. The Academic Statement of Purpose covers your career goals, interests, experiences, and skills and is expected to be no more than two pages long. The Personal History Statement covers your background and life experiences. I encourage utilizing the Purdue writing lab when writing these. They can help you at any stage of writing these statements, but I found them most helpful with editing my statements to make them sound more professional.

For your resume, they accept either a resume or a CV. I chose to submit a CV so I could discuss relevant coursework I had taken, specifically, the prior EEE courses I had taken, which included EEE 35500, EEE 23000, and EEE 35000, all for the EEE minor. It also included ENGL 30600, Introduction to Professional Writing, because of its importance in graduate school, NRES 38800, Environmental Field Skills, to show skills I have learned, and finally, my Principles of GIS class, that showed I know how to use GIS. I got my CV reviewed by the Center for Career Opportunities (CCO). To make that appointment, go to Boiler Connect, select a Career/Pre-Professional Advising Appointment, then scroll to CCO/Quick Chat, and finally choose theResume/ CV Review option. I definitely encourage you to utilize the CCO and Purdue Writing Lab, because applying to grad school is a new experience, and the advice you get is from people who have experience with these documents, when you may not.

Then, you need your Purdue transcript, and finally, three letters of recommendation. I encourage you to think about what the writers of the letter of recommendation can add to your application. I got my letters from my AGEC 40600 professor, my ENGL 39200 professor, and my current boss at the time. From my AGEC professor, I was in his office hours at least once a week to help clarify on the things I didn’t understand and help with homeworks or before his exams. I asked him to reflect on my dedication through the course by my engagement with the material in his letter of recommendation to emphasize my work ethic. For my ENGL professor, I spoke in every class and always answered her questions, so I asked her to discuss my engagement and dedication to materials in her letter. I asked my boss to detail my work ethic and attention to detail while working for her, to enhance my application in that way.

Overall, this is an excellent program that allows you to get a Master of Science in Environmental and Ecological Engineering, if that’s something you’re interested in. Applying to grad school can be difficult, but hopefully this blog helps the process along!

Originally posted 11/10/2025

By: Aaliyah Carlisle

This past summer, I was able to take the opportunity to travel to Kenya for a 2-week-long study abroad through Purdue. Now I know what you may be thinking: why go all the way to Kenya to look at farming systems when we have so many in the United States? And my answer to that is simply, why not? Why not see what the world has to offer and what solutions they have in continuing to fuel the world?

There were amazing sustainability practices in many of the farms we visited. As a group, we mostly stayed close to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Every day, we would drive to visit a different farm or business. One of the most memorable farms we went to was actually part of another college, Miramar International College. There, they had a completely closed system for Black Soldier Fly production. They would let the maggots (baby flies) decompose food scraps, and there they would grow into full adults. Then the adults would be used to make protein after they had laid eggs. This was something I’d never seen before, and it was fascinating to see how a system could be utilized so well.

One thing that’s important to note is that Kenya has less than 16% of its land that can be farmed. So when it comes to production, being sustainable is vital. Many places we visited while here had large greenhouse production as well. While touring the greenhouse, you could see how well the spaces were being utilized. Green peppers and tomato vines were growing vertically on strings in order to have more room to grow. It was amazing to see, and the smells and tastes of the vegetables and fruits were delicious. Not to mention, the size of the vegetables were huge. With the greenhouse production, no pesticides or herbicides were used, so we were able to eat things straight off the vine!

Now, one of the last places we visited didn’t have anything to do with farming, but it had
everything to do with sustainability. It was a company called Ocean Soles. At this company, they turn old soles of flip flops that are found on beaches and waterways into works of art. We were able to walk through their workshop to see how much work is going into transforming old shoe soles into things like large elephant statues and even small turtles. It was inspiring to learn how things that are thought of as waste can still be valuable.

Originally posted 11/13/25

By: Elina Gorenstein

Life as an NRES student can be stressful. It’s important to maintain healthy stress relieving habits like getting good sleep, proper nutrition, and moving your body. For me, one of the easiest ways to get moving is to go birdwatching! I’ve been birding since I was a kid, but I’ve honed in on some good places around campus to spot our feathery friends. Most of these places are close to residential campus, but some are farther than others.

When you’re preparing to go birdwatching, don’t feel like you need a lot of fancy equipment. You don’t necessarily need a fancy camera or wildly expensive hiking boots. The beautiful thing about birding is that it’s really accessible to beginners. All you really need is yourself, a comfortable pair of shoes, and your phone with an identification app downloaded (or a paper field guide). I like Merlin Bird ID from the lovely folks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as well as iNaturalist. Merlin is neat because it’s bird-specific and is constantly updated with new birds from around the world, and it keeps a list of all of your identified birds. iNaturalist is a cool app that helps researchers across the country collect real-time ecological data. You can take a photo of a species (not just birds!) and iNaturalist users and their database will help identify your findings. You do need an account to use both of these apps. If you’d rather go old-school, take a field guide. I like Birds of Indiana by Stan Tekiela because it fits in my jacket pocket.

Next, don’t be glued to your phone – look up! As you walk towards your birding destination, keep your eyes peeled for birds along the way. This is also a good time to lock in the focus on your binoculars: make sure they’re set for the bridge of your nose. Consider the timing of your visit, too: birds are most active at dawn and dusk.

If you’re walking from campus, your best birding spots will be Horticulture Park and Celery Bog Nature Area. For Horticulture Park, walk down Third Street past Third and West and cross the street. Go over the bridge and you’re in! Horticulture Park has a lot of habitats that bring many kinds of birds to the area. In the prairie area, you can look for American Goldfinches and other prairie-dwelling birds. In the cultivated gardens, I often see robins, Northern Cardinals, and blue jays. Wandering into the forest, it can be a little harder to spot birds, but pay attention to the critters running around on the forest floor – I see many kinds of squirrels, chipmunks, and deer if I get lucky. In the spring, Horticulture Park has beautiful blooms of Virginia Bluebells. Overall, I’d rate Horticulture Park a 8/10 for location, and a 6.5/10 for birdwatching.

Celery Bog Nature Area is a bit farther from campus, but in my opinion, is well-worth the walk. If you’re walking from campus, walk towards the soccer fields on McCormick Road. At the 4-way stop, cross the street onto Cherry Lane and follow the path to the Student Farm. In between the Student Farm and the Turfgrass Research Center, there’s a bike path that leads almost exactly to the Bog – cross Lindberg Road and you’ve entered the park’s property. If you’re more interested in seeing migratory species, especially waterfowl, head down the path towards the water. There’s a path going around the marsh, with observation platforms and viewpoints along the way. Be patient – waterfowl are best seen around sunrise and sunset. Find a nice spot to settle down and watch the water. You may also see other marsh animals, like muskrats and beavers, as well as foxes, raccoons, deer, and more. I saw a mink once last summer but haven’t seen one since! Once your waterfowl spotting is done, head to the nature center to check out their feeders. There are often many birds at the feeders, and the diversity of the species is relaxing to see. After that, wander over to the prairie area and see if anybody’s flitting about. I’d rate Celery Bog a 5/10 for location just because it’s so far from campus but a 10/10 for birdwatching.

If you’ve got a car, Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Area is a must-see for migratory bird enjoyers. Every winter, tens of thousands of sandhill cranes descend on Indiana. I recommend going right at sunset so you can watch all the birds fly in for the night. The cranes are an absolute wonder to see and I look forward to them every year! Jasper-Pulaski is about 50 minutes off campus, so definitely not a feasible walk, but if you can find a buddy with a car! I rate it a 1/10 for location (and proximity to campus) but an absolute 11/10 for birdwatching. It’s always a fun treat to see deer and coyotes in the same field as the cranes.

When you see a bird, you can admire it through your binoculars or take a photo to identify it with. Generally, I try to take photos in the moment and identify when I get back home. Enjoy watching it go about its day and try not to spook it by making noise. I love to watch their wings as they move through the air – it’s so mesmerizing! Once you get home, don’t forget to identify your birds. Keeping track of the birds you’ve sighted is a great way to see what species are most common to our region, but it’s also meditative to go through the steps of identifying a bird. It feels like a puzzle that I get to solve! My identification strategy is to sort by native and migratory range, by color, then by size. By this point, if I don’t have a rough identification, I will turn to Merlin’s ID function. If Merlin’s confused, the last trick I’ll pull out of my hat is searching by image, which usually gets me a final ID.

I find birding to be incredibly therapeutic, and I’ve found myself doing it more as the semester progresses. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Again, life as a student is stressful, but coping mechanisms and beloved hobbies will make it easier to handle. I hope you give birdwatching a try: it’s not just for old ladies!

Originally posted 12/1/25

By: Hanna Dykema

This summer, I had the privilege of interning at Marshall Associates in Grand Rapids, Michigan! Marshall Associates is an environmental services firm whose main focus is to provide environmental due diligence for property buyers, primarily in the form of Phase I ESAs. Environmental due diligence is the process of assessing contamination and risk on a property, which buyers need in order to make informed decisions and avoid liability. The purpose of a Phase I ESA is to research the current and historic uses of a property and determine whether or not there is a risk of environmental contamination. Our job was to research these properties, determine whether or not they had Recognized Environmental Concerns (RECs), and write our findings into a standardized report.

From being assigned a site to compressing the final deliverable, there are several steps within the Phase I report-writing process. First, I had to research the property and gather as much information as possible on it. This involved retrieving historical information such as aerial photographs, topographic maps, and Sanborn maps. I would also make Freedom of Information Act requests to the county health department and fire departments to access well/septic tank and building/demolition records. We would also collect assessing records, a title commitment, and a survey of the property.

In addition to compiling all of these documents, another part of the research process involved a site reconnaissance where we walked around the property to assess its current state. We would take pictures of every room, each side of the building, and notable features on the property. A few of the features we kept an eye on included chemical storage, health of vegetation, staining, drainage features, and pipes. I learned a lot from my supervisor during these site inspections because of the attention-to-detail and knowledge required to accurately assess a location. This was my favorite part of the process because each site was very unique and presented a new learning opportunity! Some of the interesting locations I walked through included a manufacturing plant, porta potty/carnival ride company, old film school, and a sensory deprivation tank spa.

Once we walked the property and received all the documents needed, we would conduct a research complete meeting where we looked at every document/picture and determined whether or not the property had a REC. After reaching a conclusion, I would begin writing the report by following a standardized template and inputting all the information related to the property. It would then be reviewed several times and edited so that it was ready for the client. This was a big learning curve for me because the wording in each report had to be very specific and accurate. I would get a lot of edits on my first few reports, but that was the best way to learn!

This experience was extremely formative to my professional development. As an intern, I was lucky enough to be tasked with the same level of work as an Environmental Professional, which meant researching and writing reports on my own. While my supervisors made sure to teach me each step of the process, this responsibility taught me to stay organized, manage my time, and ask lots of questions. It was incredibly valuable for me to learn about this aspect of the environmental consulting world and discover what I liked/disliked about the job. For example, I really enjoyed working with the routine on each site yet experiencing something new every day, but the amount of travel required was a bit of a struggle at times. I really enjoyed the group of people I worked with as well and am grateful for the experience!

Originally posted 12/2/25

By: Brooke Lederman

My junior year, I had to take a class that many NRES students are very familiar with or at least will be: Natural Resource and Environmental Economics. While suffering through this class, I got to know a girl a year older than me. We had an offhand conversation one day about her needing to look for an undergrad to fill her position in Purdue’s Agriculture department, in the office of International Programs, once she graduated. Since she had seen me in the office for an unrelated meeting at one point, she asked if I would be willing to fill the position. Although I didn’t have a large interest in agriculture at the time, and I had never heard of the International Programs office, I needed money and accepted the role. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the semester position was a pre-cursor to a larger summer internship.

This leads me to this past summer, when I had the pleasure of working with Purdue’s International Programs in Agriculture department (IPIA). While the job included things like cleaning up the departmental website, organizing files, and helping out with miscellaneous projects, I spent a majority of my time assisting with the planning and operation of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a U.S. government sponsored program where 500 African entrepreneurs and leaders chosen from an applicant pool of around 25,000 are divided among universities across the country where they are hosted for six weeks. During this time, they attend trainings and workshops, tour businesses in their related fields, enjoy cultural experiences, etc. They all also work on their own personal projects, pitching their business ideas to the network they create while in the U.S., to end up presenting at the end of the program at the summit in Washington D.C.

I had the opportunity to get to know each of the African “fellows” very well throughout their time at Purdue. While driving them to their different commitments, attending workshops with them, helping ensure they all had the materials they needed, and helping to plan various outings, I became very familiar with their business ideas, motivations, and backgrounds. Many of them wanted to start companies that would in some way benefit smallholder farmers in their home countries. They were worried about things like sustainable and accessible irrigation systems, plant propagation in arid environments, and soil conservation. These were all concepts I had learned about throughout my time in the NRES major, but I had never really seen myself applying them in my career. Spending time surrounded by the fellows and their ideas fostered a new passion in me for sustainable agriculture. This experience was eye-opening and changed the trajectory of my college career and life post-grad, even as a rising senior at the time.

Through this internship with IPIA, I met multiple returned volunteers from the United States Peace Corps. For those who aren’t familiar, the Peace Corps is a volunteer organization where you work for two years in a country that requests help for projects in a variety of different sectors including economic development, education, health, youth development, environment and agriculture. With the help of the connections I made through this internship, I began looking at Peace Corps opportunities for myself in the environmental and agriculture sectors. As of now, I am about to wrap up the application process to a coastal restoration and conservation project that would take place in the Philippines in 2026.

I also ended up partnering with one of the fellows from Zambia to apply for a Reciprocal Exchange grant that would allow us to host soil conservation and sustainable irrigation workshops for smallholder farmers in his home country. We find out if we won the grant money in December of this year.

Without this internship in an office I had never heard of, I would not have found the support system that has helped me get to where I am now. I would never have found out that I do have an interest in sustainable agriculture and gone outside of my comfort zone to work on a project that I really care about. This experience taught me how important it is to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you, even when they don’t seem perfectly in line with the things you have done up to that point. It is easy to feel like there is one track you should follow or that everyone seems to know exactly what direction they’re going when you’re in college, especially one filled with such driven students as Purdue. It is so important to keep an open mind and not limit yourself to only experiences you have heard of other people in your field having. You never know who, what, or where every new experience could lead you to.

Originally posted 12/4/25

By: Grace McRoberts

As environmentalists, it is common for a love of exploring the outdoors to be associated with us. Hiking, rock climbing, and everything in between. I personally have always been a fanatic of a good workout, whether that be in the form of a run, or a lazy backstroke. I was worried upon coming to college, that these activities would cease being a part of my daily routine. Venturing from a warm climate, I figured I would be sat inside for the majority of winter, learning to knit to avoid going stir crazy. I was quite wrong.

My first semester I decided to continue my love for swim and join the swim club! Three days a week, and a very reasonable fee, I was quickly hooked. Also nervous to make friends, the freshman briskly bonded over the fast-moving paced workouts used to keep from freezing in the Olympic sized pool. As second semester came along, I wanted to expand my horizons and attempt to push outside of my comfort zone and learn how to lift (properly). One of my closest friends decided to take it upon herself to teach me. The Purdue corec is monumental, and with multiple levels, I was intimidated. Finding a workout buddy eased some of that anxiety surrounding all the equipment and their unknown purposes, and overtime, became a fun environment. I learned how to rock climb, joined a few intramural teams (very fun, highly recommend), discovered the multiple saunas and their benefits, dance fitness on Wednesdays, and much more. This continued to be a wonderful outlet for young Grace.

Second semester sophomore year came along, and I got the calling to try something new again, I landed on the Purdue crew team. I had never rowed a day in my life, and it showed the first few months. Although considered a club, the team was sectioned into four groups (novice/ varsity, men/woman), with practices held six times a week. This become a lifestyle, and I haven’t looked back since. The teammates slowly turned into friends, and as the practices turned more and more social, I fell more and more in love. Winter seasons were spent inside the boathouse, working out as a whole team, and racing season was spent cheering on my partners in speed. As there are many stories similar to mine about different club sports, I couldn’t recommend them enough. I had to try a few to find the one I loved, but each allowed me to stay active, and meet some wonderful Purdue attendees.

I want to conclude by saying there are other ways to stay active, find a friend with a car, and in the fall and spring, there are plenty of hikes all around Indiana, close to Purdue. I never ventured to the golf courses, but they are well maintained and open to students. I’m sure I am forgetting some other ways, but moral of the blog is don’t be afraid to try new things!

Originally posted 12/9/25

By: Katelyn Bottando . . . A totally unbiased blog post by yours truly (The ESC President)

When I was looking to join some clubs my freshman year, I was completely unsure where to even start. I went to a bunch of callouts, but nothing seemed to really stick. Between work and school, I didn’t feel like I had time to do the things I wanted to do.  I had to sit down and think about how I wanted to spend my time in college and (maybe) how I could organize my weeks and actually do something engaging and educational. It started off with something small- a rock painting event- and spiraled into something much bigger: community engagement, inspiring hikes, and learning how to use a handsaw (whaaaaat)!

Back in the ye old times, I did not know about the amazing hiking spots around campus and how easy it was to immerse myself in nature. I also didn’t know how to identify trees. And, quietly honestly, I didn’t know much about plants. If you want to learn these things, I have attached some links at the end for you to explore. However, if you want to learn some in-person, on-the-field tactics, then this club might be a good option for you.

Let’s get to the good stuff. In this club, you will meet other like-minded individuals that like to go out in nature and maybe also paint rocks. You will go out and explore (on and off campus, free transportation provided) hiking trails throughout Tippecanoe County and experience field work as done in the daily lives of environmental scientists. You will probably make friends. You will likely get a free plant.

Thanks to a few friends and some fun events, I am now serving as the President of the Environmental Science Club, and you can too! I’ll be out of here in the spring and we need some new club officers. So, if you’re feeling up to it, grab a pair of good hiking shoes and come along with us!

Originally posted 12/13/25