Independent Study

Notions of ‘beauty’ inspire me, and sustainable design is the outlet. I am interested in the relationships between human and ecological communities, the way planning and design decisions affect these systems, and how we are in turn affected by our environments and cultures. Next year I will be continuing at Rutgers to earn my master’s degree in Landscape Architecture where I will be exploring the potential for a post-industrial Passaic River landscape park akin to the Emscher River landscape park in Germany. I hope to use my education to further sustainable development in New Jersey throughout my career.

Hello! My name is Bryce Hill and I am a senior studying Biological Sciences. As I near graduation, I look forward to the next step in my academic career--medical school; which I will be beginning this upcoming Fall. This summer, I extremely excited to be traveling to Spain to be a part of the Mediterranean Agribusiness School to study Spanish Diet and Agribusiness, as well as language and culture. I l look forward mostly to being challenged by the unfamiliar and being able to appreciate, experience and learn about life from a fresh lens. As a future health care professional, being able to learn and experience upfront the different customs and languages that Spain has to offer will not only contribute to me socially but also professionally. I am aware that I will be confronted with many different cultures in my future practice so understanding the diet of a certain population or being able to communicate with a patient in his or her native language is something that I know will allow me to be the best provider I can be.

My name is Chris Wakim, I double major in Microbiology and Biotechnology concentration Bioinformatics with a minor in Biochemistry. I am excited that I will be going to China for three months to do independent research. I will be joining a lab, in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, that works on the role of the gut microbiota in metabolic disease and its relationship to human diseases like obesity and what dietary interventional studies can help us understand the role of these microorganisms in our bodies. This is a very interesting research as it uses my two majors and my minor to understand a very specific topic which affect each human alive.

My name is Ethan Bloomer, and I am a junior, pre-veterinary student majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and minoring in Animal Science. I'm travelling to South Africa in order to gain experience working with wildlife, so that in the future I can hopefully be prepared to treat similar exotic species as a veterinarian. In my free time, I'm a huge soccer and New York Red Bulls fan, and I make sure to watch as many MLS games as possible.

Hi! My name is Eva Ryan. I am an Environmental Policy, Institutions and Behavior major at Rutgers University. I am taking this amazing opportunity to study abroad in Peru because I want to engage in my education on a whole new level. I am definitely an adventure seeker who is not just in it to learn new things but to experience them.

Hello! My name is Gil Wyman and I am a second year student in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences majoring in Biotechnology. This summer I will be working in a laboratory focusing on cell differentiation and morphology at Tel Aviv University in Israel. I am very excited by the opportunity to combine two of my passions, science and travel, and to spend an extended amount of time experiencing a new culture and place.

My name is Hannah O'Brien and I am a Junior at SEBS at Rutgers University majoring in Nutritional Science. I am so excited to be traveling to Spain in January 2018 for three weeks taking the course "Language and Culture of Seville, Spain". We will learn about the relationship between the food and culture of Spain. The course will have cooking classes, visits to organic farms, oil producing factories, vineyards and other places of interest in the culinary world. I want to learn about the history of Seville and customs of the people in Spain. The course aims to have students understand Spanish culture and history through its cuisine and studying the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet. This is a perfect course for my Nutrition Major. I can't wait to arrive in Seville, Spain and live in the community learning as much as I can about their culture.

My name is Jeremy Lewan and I am currently a Freshman Meteorology Major in the Honors College. I am looking forward with great excitement and anticipation to participating in the 2019 Honors Embedded Spring Program involving the study of the coral reefs off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. As an aspiring future broadcast meteorologist, I want to know everything there is to know about the impact of climate change on this specific part of the environment. I am also very excited to be immersed in Spanish culture and heritage in Mexico and practice my Spanish with locals. In addition to travelling, I enjoy bike riding, hiking, geocaching, swimming, photography, and videography. I can't wait for all the experiences Rutgers has to offer over the next four years!

Hey everyone I’m Jonathon and I am studying plant biology with a focus on medicinal plants. I am excited to be travelling with an awesome group of people to the Netherlands to study the agricultural practices of the country. Specifically, I am looking forward to learning from greenhouse industry professionals to gain more insight on production methods and apply what I learn abroad to my academic and career goals. Lastly, I just wanted to give a pre-departure thank you to my professor and the study abroad staff for making all this possible and I look forward to sharing the amazing experiences still to come.

Hi! My name is Katie Scurato! I’m a Dietetics major with a minor in Biological Sciences in SEBS. I’ll be going to the Netherlands as an agricultural leadership trip over the summer. Come follow me on my adventure!

My name is Kristen Johnson and I am a rising senior at SEBS. I am studying Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behavior and one of my passions is agriculture. This summer I will be travelling to Holland for a 'Leadership in Agriculture' program. I am eager to experience the culture and learn more about the agricultural industry in Holland.

My name is Laura Baracaldo and I have the opportunity to study abroad in South Africa. As a future veterinarian,I am super excited to be participating in a program that will take me all throughout South Africa to work alongside veterinarians and native animals of the region. Through this 3 week program I will be assisting in dog spay and neuter clinics, wildlife rehabilitation, and hands on work with animals such as lions, zebras and snakes.

My name is Melissa Silva and I am a rising senior and an Animal Science major on the Pre-Veterinary track. I would like to become a wildlife veterinarian and travel as much as possible.

Hi everyone! My name is Mikaela and I am an undergraduate animal science student here at Rutgers! I am so very passionate when it comes to traveling and I am blessed to be well traveled for such a young age and I am fortunate enough to add this trip to the Netherlands to the roster. I enjoy any activity that can be done outside including: gardening, swimming, hiking, and horse back riding. I cant wait to share the experience of this trip with all of you!

My name is Morgan Mahony and I am in my senior year at Rutgers. I will be graduating in January 2017 with a B. S. in Food Science. This summer I will be studying abroad in France for two months through the exchange program with Purpan and will be working on a vineyard the second part of the program.

My name is Mouli Luo. I am an international student, majoring in master of Landscape Architecture. I am going abroad to Japan to do an independent study of historic gardens. The study is about how historic garden survive in today, especially in modern cities. I planned my trip to Japan since undergraduate, and I will finally make it this summer. Thanks for SEBS for this study abroad opportunity. It will be the first time to travel to Japan. I am very excited about this adventure!

Hi! I'm a first year pre-veterinary student with dreams of helping animals all over the world. Africa has some of the coolest and most exotic animals, and I wanted to go abroad to see them in their natural habitats to learn about caring for wild animals in their true homes. I also want to dedicate my life to volunteer veterinary work, and getting this kind of valuable experience in college will make that dream closer to becoming a reality.

My name is Becky and I am currently studying Biological Sciences at Rutgers to pursue a career as a veterinarian! I am an avid animal lover with two dogs and two cats at home. I currently work in a vet clinic as a veterinary technician and absolutely love going to work on the weekends. I hold an associates degree in Equine Studies from SUNY Cobleskill as well. Besides work and school, I enjoy playing video games and spending time with my family. My most meaningful time at Rutgers consisted of fostering and training service dogs for Merlin’s Kids. I am beyond excited for my trip to Africa to experience a type of veterinary work that I have never seen before. I know that I will return home with a better understanding of different cultures, conservation, and the many paths I can choose to take in my life.

My name is Sanja Martic. I was born in Zagreb, Croatia, but have lived in New Jersey since late 90s. After an inspiring and fulfilling carrier of teaching preschool I decided to go back to school and study Environmental Planning and Design at Rutgers University. I joined Douglass College and SEBS program in 2014. Helping to solve environmental and social issues of our time is my passion, and I am excited to be a part of a solution here at SEBS. This trip will be a great learning experience for me and I hope, with the help of this blog, for other students as well.

Phia Trinidad is a third year SEBS student majoring in both Landscape Architecture and Women and Gender Studies. Her interests lie where responsible design and social justice intersect in the form of participatory design and community involvement. She is very much looking forward to studying in Dals Långed, Sweden this year, as it is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about these intersections as well as construction/ build processes.

My name is Stacy Lopez and I am currently a Junior at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. I am majoring in Environmental and Business Economics and minoring in Community Health Outreach. I have successfully completed my certificate in Food Systems Education and Administration. I am a first generation immigrant college student, I am Colombian and Ecuadorian. For the most part, I am invested in school, work, and my fitness. I love to spend time with friends and family. When I have spare time, I am typically volunteering at different types of events. I am currently taking Leadership Applications in Agriculture with Dr. Plumely, where I am acquiring leadership skills that will increase my knowledge and enhance my performance. I seek to apply my knowledge and practice all I have learned on my leadership trip to the Netherlands with Dr. Plumley.

My name is Billy Baumle and I am a third-year student at the School of Environmental and Biological Science double majoring in Environmental Policy, Institutions & Behavior/Women’s & Gender Studies. This summer I will be interning at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand. I will be specifically working within the Sustainable Urban Development section, working to localize Sustainable Development Goals within Southeast Asia. I backpacked through Thailand last May and can’t wait to go back for an extended period of time!

Hello, my name is Zack and I am a senior Animal Science major focusing on the pre-vet tract. I went on the CELA Belize trip last summer for the Large Animal and Wildlife programs. While there I fell in love with the idea of focusing in wildlife medicine and wanted to pursue more experiences in that, so I found the Eco-Life expedition and applied for that. I am excited to go to a continent I’ve never been to before and explore the field of wildlife medicine even more.