Hey all! So excited to see you here. My name is Sydney and I'm a '24 passionate about energy, education, the environment, and economic policy. I grew up in Southern California, but have also lived abroad in Gibraltar, Spain, and the Philippines. When not blogging or working at McNutt as a Senior Admissions Fellow, you can catch me involved in the Dartmouth Energy Alliance, Energy Justice Clinic, and Greek Life. I hope my blog can give you a window into Dartmouth from a student's perspective.
Academic Program
Majors in Economics and Environmental Studies, Minor in International Studies
Taught by Professor Tine, this class focused on many interdisciplinary topics within the field of education. I loved learning about the significance of early pre-K interventions on long-term behaviors, the layered complexities of the American public school system, the neuroscience behind how the brain processes new information, and much more!
As someone interested in international studies, this course opened my eyes to the complex world of global health – both the biological and social sides of achieving equity. I found this class especially applicable given the COVID-19 pandemic and often transfer knowledge from Global Health & Society into my everyday life.
Searching for Justice is a perfect blend of studying literature and law. Highlights from this course include an op-ed I produced on anti-Asian hate crimes and a fictional short story adaptation based on Japanese internment camps from Korematsu v. United States. This first-year seminar exposed me to many different court cases, and I’m now strongly considering a future career in law!
SummerClaremont, California
I spent my summer back home in Southern California, working at my high school alma mater as a Summer Fellow for their Junior Scholars program. I had a wonderful time designing curriculum for the Journalism program, planning activities for middle schoolers, and providing support in the dorms. I also spent quality time with my cousins and bonded with family by the beach.
I am an aquaphile, a lover of all things related to the water. This environmental studies course on Marine Policy was perfect for me because it dove into how humans have impacted the oceans. From coastal development to deep sea mining, we explored how to think like a policymaker and consider the many different stakeholders involved in global marine issues.
Wow, the Practice of Science Policy and Diplomacy was a blast! I was eager to get to class early every day for this Public Policy seminar. Professor Burkins introduced me to writing effective policy memos, participating in a Model Arctic Council simulation, and presenting our SDG 7: Affordable & Clean Energy recommendations with a state coalition.
Energy Justice examined issues of culture, power, and inequity in the necessary shift away from fossil fuels. Taught as a Social Impact Practicum, this class deepened my interest in pursuing a career in energy and environmental law. During junior year, I’m excited to continue working with Professor Kelly as a Presidential Scholar researching justice and accountability in corporate energy systems.
During my Sophomore Summer, I really enjoyed studying food systems and accessing Dartmouth’s Organic Farm as our lab for Professor Ong’s Agroecology course. It was an incredible New England summer experience learning to visualize data in R, conducting fieldwork outdoors, and working as a team on scientific research projects. A term highlight was tasting freshly tapped maple syrup from Dartmouth’s very own Sugar Crew!
I was one of six Dartmouth Economics exchange students at University College London this term. All four of my modules—UCL’s equivalent of classes—gave me a new perspective on Economics and Geography through a British lens. Economic History was my favorite as we studied industrialization, the demographic transition, and the East Asian economic miracle after World War II. I grew a deep appreciation for how the events of our past can offer important lessons for us today and into the future.
WinterNew York, New York
Since Dartmouth students typically spend their Sophomore Summer on campus, the D-Plan allows us to take a different term off to develop personally and professionally. I spent my off-term working as a corporate legal assistant intern at a law firm in New York City. It was such a thrill to live and work in the Big Apple! With many fellow Dartmouth '24s also in the NYC area, my days out of the office were full of yummy food, catching up with old friends, and exploring iconic city sights.
Drawing upon disciplines like law, psychology, and popular culture, Writing and Speaking Public Policy was all about becoming more persuasive communicators. Professor Kalish provided us with such thoughtful, detailed feedback on our assignments and arranged for class field trips to the Jones Media Center and Hood Museum of Art. I especially enjoyed the flexibility offered for our small group media campaign project, where I created a children’s book on the benefits of bringing universal pre-K to New Hampshire.
SummerMystic, Connecticut
During my junior summer, I interned as a Yale Conservation Scholar at Mystic Aquarium. Working in the Education & Conservation department, I mentored high school interns about marine science communication and public engagement. Besides attending weekly professional development workshops with the Yale School of the Environment, I also helped out with summer camps, traveling classroom programs, and citizen science projects.
I traveled to Southern Africa for the first time with Dartmouth’s Environmental Studies FSP. From conducting research on invertebrate diversity in the Namib Desert to speaking with community members at Uibasen-Twyfelfontein Conservancy, we studied Namibia's socio-ecological systems. Highlights from this incredible trip include experiencing game drives at Etosha National Park, discussing ecotourism at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and learning about Namibia’s integrated coastal zone management approach with government officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Econometrics was a pleasant surprise! While I came into this statistics-heavy course without a Stata coding background, Professor Fetter’s amazing explanations helped me feel confident about the new material. I learned so much about the assumptions required for causality and now feel equipped with the analytical tools to evaluate Economic research papers in an entirely different light.
Research at Dartmouth: My Work with the Energy Justice Clinic
During Winterim, I have had the chance to become a Research Assistant (RA) for the first time ever with the Dartmouth Energy Justice Clinic. This research opportunity is supported by the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact and funded by the newly-constructed Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society—which actually is just about to open on the West end of campus, super close to the River cluster where I live this year!
Here's what the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society will look like when it opens in Spring 2022. Isn't it incredible?
Energy justice is an important topic to me because most people don't really think about energy too much unless there is some kind of problem, like a power outage. We are so used to simply switching on and off our lights, but what actually happens behind the scenes to allow electricity to zap through your electric circuits? Where does this electricity come from and how can the most marginalized communities obtain it?
Community power helps everybody in a town be able to participate in the production, storage, and efficient use of energy resources. It generates financial savings while developing communities' cohesion by placing citizens and communities at the forefront of the low carbon transitions, giving them more control over possibilities to switch to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Since the start of Winterim, we've been collaborating to create community power timelines about the histories of California and New Hampshire, as well as one for the water-energy justice case in southern Chile. I'm in charge of the California case (where I am from), a "model state" for community power, and piecing together this timeline has entailed searching the internet for key laws, debates, and milestones, integrating this information in an organized spreadsheet, and creating an engaging infographic summarizing this information through PhotoShop. At the same time, we're splitting into groups to interview stakeholders like New Hampshire's Consumer Advocate Donald Kreis and Hanover town manager Julia Griffin. These conversations help us learn more about stakeholders' experiences working with community power and identify critical information that may be missing from our timelines.
We started off as a team of six RAs, and now as of Winter term, our team has expanded to eleven. Our team members come from a variety of academic backgrounds, including future policymakers, environmental lawyers, justice advocates, and even an electrical engineer. Each of us in the Clinic serve as the point-person for a method of communication like Slack, Google Drive, and social media. I'm in charge of the website, where we post frequent updates on our progress, group pictures of our meetings, and more!
In the spring term, I'm planning to enroll in ANTH 50.48: Energy Justice with one of my research advisors, Professor Sarah Kelly, while continuing to be part of the Energy Justice Clinic cohort. This Social Impact Practicum (SIP), a class associated with the Center for Social Impact that generates real-world projects with real-world impacts, will be my first taste of being a student in the Anthropology department, which I've heard raving reviews about from my peers.
I'm so grateful for the chance to partake in ethical social science legal clinic research to support community-based needs for energy justice. At Dartmouth, whether you're interested in environmental policy or biomedical engineering, there's a place for you to pursue research. In fact, there's a whole database of research opportunities updated frequently online for Dartmouth undergraduates. Check out my fellow blogger Owen '24's post on his research experiences in the Earth Sciences and Biology labs to learn more.
At Dartmouth, there is an undergraduate requirement for language; after all, it is the liberal arts! Fulfilling this requirement looks different for various people and I will focus on my experience.
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
As I approach the halfway mark of my Dartmouth journey this spring, I find myself reflecting on the significance of distributive and world culture requirements in shaping my academic experience.
This is my final term before senior year, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. One thing I am excited about is the classes I am taking this term, so let me tell you more!
