Meet GBC's 2008 Scholarship Winners:
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Since beginning at Brigham Young
University in 2005 I have moved from a major in Integrative Biology
to Environmental Science. While majoring in Integrative Biology I
was focusing on Ethnobotany. My only experience with the field of
Ethnobotany came from books and seven months as a lab technician
with Dr. Gary Booth. In Dr. Booth’s lab I worked with a team that
used an early twentieth century anthropological study on Goshuite
plant use to collect pertinent medicinal plants and test the plant
extracts against cervical cancer. At the time I was still looking
for experience beyond the lab and class work and was fortunate to be
selected for a field study to the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand
in the fall of 2006. Dr. Melinda Ostraff, an ethnobotanist,
accompanied the group and this allowed me to experience field
research. Between when I was selected and the time we left I worked for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources doing vegetation inventories throughout Utah. This work provided land managers and ranchers information about grazing and provided for greater sustainability in future land use policies. While in New Zealand I studied at a traditional Maori University in Whakatane. During my time at the school I studied at their environmental science college. Here is where my interest in the environmental field began to grow. I learned about the land and water problems they were facing. The classes took numerous field trips to expand knowledge of the issues that were taking place in their local area. When I returned to BYU and found out they were developing an environmental science major I decided that is what I wanted to major in. Beyond the class work I have worked with several professors on campus. As stated before I worked with Dr. Gary Booth in his environmental toxicology lab and am presently working with Dr. Leigh Johnson doing DNA minipreps for a project he is involved with down in the Patagonia region. We are running genetic tests to map distribution of about 1500 species ranging from northern Argentina to southern Chile. I have worked as a teaching assistant on two different occasions for Biology 100. My first time I ran two discussion sections averaging twenty-five students for the general education Biology 100 class. The second time I worked for Freshman Academy at BYU. This is a program that helps incoming freshman students integrate into university life. I worked with another TA with thirty students in running out of class lectures, service learning, and test reviews. Future interests include graduate school and eventually environmental consulting. There are several programs that interest me such as Columbia’s MPA in Environmental Policy and Sustainability, George Mason’s environmental science program, New York Universities program in Global Affairs, and several of the land grant soil science programs in the Midwest. |
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My name is Madalyn Lynch and I am a new transfer student at BYU. I am originally from Fostoria Ohio and am majoring in Environmental Science. I enjoy such extracurricular activities as the BYU Environmental Science and Eco-Response clubs, and volunteering for such organizations as the TOPS tutoring program through Provo public schools, and the Children’s Cancer Foundation. Upon completing my undergraduate degree I hope to attend Law School at UC Berkeley. My future career goal would entail obtaining a position working with a federal or private sector consulting firm to help create innovative solutions to end environmental degradation. I hope to incorporate my education into a career of helping industry to operate in a sustainable manner of right livelihood, and to achieve and maintain the integrity of environmental standards. I look forward to my membership with the Greater Basin Air and Waste Management Association and hope to gain a greater understanding of sustainable practices in recycling and conservation of resources. |
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I was born in Utah and have lived here my whole life. In high school I was heavily involved in athletics: becoming a member of the football, wrestling and cross country teams. I graduated from Skyline High School, first in my class with a 4.0 GPA. Locally, I was offered the Presidential Scholarship from the University of Utah and a 4 year full tuition scholarship from BYU but before enrolling at either of the two universities I served a two year LDS mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After returning, I decided to enroll at the University of Utah where I began my studies in Chemical Engineering. I currently am in my Junior year and maintain a 4.0 GPA. After graduating with a bachelors degree I plan to continue my education with a PhD in Chemical Engineering. For the last year I have been interning as an engineer with Hexcel Corporation where I work in project management and process development. My main interest of study is human impact on the environment; specifically, the effect of carbon emission on the atmosphere. One last note: although I highly value the education I am receiving at the University of Utah, I must admit that I am an avid fan of BYU athletics.
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