Natalie McNeill, Environmental Science and Italian Studies Majors
Natalie McNeill '17
BAIRD E-PORTFOLIO
Natalie McNeill is an Environmental Science and Italian Studies double major. She knew she wanted to study at Dickinson because of its focus on sustainability and global engagement. During her first 2 years at Dickinson, she discovered her passion for water quality and the importance of engaging and empowering communities to address their environmental concerns. She has worked for the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) since Fall 2015, which inspired her year-long senior research project to fulfill her environmental science major. She is studying why aquatic citizen scientists voluntarily monitor their waterways and what motivates them to continue their work as volunteers.
Her interest in community engagement and building scientific literacy led to the development of another research project to fulfill her Italian Studies major, for which she will conduct research in Mantua, Italy during January 2017. She is studying the Mincio Park, which utilizes volunteers to investigate water quality issues and to carry out restoration projects. She is excited to be able to make cross-cultural connections between her projects and to interact with and hear about the experiences of other sustainability-minded students through the Baird Sustainability Fellows program.