LPS News

“If you interviewed me last year, I would have said I wanted to go to med school. Now, after being exposed to so much at Penn, I know my calling is in global work,” shares Akudo Ejelonu.

“Birds are excellent indicators of how your ecosystem is doing,” shares Heather Kostick (Master of Environmental Studies, December ’16—expected), “If they can’t survive, we’re in bad shape.”

It was swimming that first brought Tom to Penn as an Engineering major and eventually to a master’s degree and a career with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Adam Sprague (Master of Environmental Studies ’14) has spent a lifetime observing the environmental impact of human beings on our Earth.

“Water is elemental to our continued existence,” shares Brian Byrnes (Master of Environmental Studies, ’04), “it is the most important shared resource that we have and everyone needs and deserves clean water.

When Bob Wells (Master of Environmental Studies ’13) talks about the White Oak, it’s like listening to an artist talk about his muse, “It’s the most beautiful tree there is on the eastern seaboard.” As the Arboriculture Director at Morris Arboretum, Bob admits, “people get very emotionally involved with their trees.”

As the Program Coordinator for the Penn Institute for Urban Research (IUR), Laura works across the University to foster collaborations among scholars and policymakers to address the needs of an increasingly urbanized society.

Greg Kelder (Master of Environmental Studies, ’10) has had a lifelong relationship with the great outdoors. Growing up in the Hudson Valley, Greg and his family spent their time visiting national parks, hiking the Adirondacks and driving 25 miles to nearby recycling plants to do their part to help the environment.

As an undergraduate, Anya Saretzky (Master of Environmental Studies, ’14), was interested in finding ways to affect change in areas like urban decay, poverty and equity. She discovered a bridge in the environmental field that set her on the path to where she is today.

Read how Tom Brightman (MES ’10), Longwood Garden's Land Stewardship Manager, is taking the lead on green initiatives and endeavors in sustainability.