Freshmen don't normally find themselves presenting at a significant regional conference, but that is what happened for both Elsie Guertin and Emily Barnett when they learned that their poster presentation was accepted to the Intermountain Sustainability Summit held at Weber State University in Ogden, UT. "I've never done anything like this before... It was a thrill to learn that we had been selected to present and represent Carroll," said Barnett, "I mean, what do we know about presenting at a professional conference?"
Their poster, focused on the environment and writing, highlighted ways to include hands-on learning experiences for students. "We focused on encouraging students to see different sides to topics surrounding sustainability, such as having students try a bamboo toothbrush as a way to reduce plastic and encouraging students to try a vegetarian burger as a way to reduce red meat consumption," said Guertin.
Over three hundred people, students and experts alike, attended the Weber State conference. "We had at least fifty people come by and ask us about our work, and we learned so much about what other schools are doing to address health and environmental issues," said Guertin. "I really hope we can do this again next year."
Although both students major in Environmental Science, they worked with Professor Kelly Parsley's Public Health and the Environment course to highlight the good work students and professors can be doing around environmental issues and health. "I am so proud of their work," Professor Parsley said. "You regularly see strong learners as freshmen at Carroll, but you rarely see two freshmen who are really willing to put themselves out there on the regional stage to share their ideas."