Earth Institute News Archive
posted 04/14/05
Contact: Louise Rosen
lar46@columbia.edu
Array of Options For Students Attending Ivy Environmental Career Fair
Columbia University students enrolled in environmental and sustainable development programs connected with a variety of environmental recruiters at the first annual All-Ivy Environmental Career Fair, hosted by the Office of Education Programs at The Earth Institute. Photo by Mark Inglis
Columbia University students enrolled in environmental and sustainable development programs connected with a variety of environmental recruiters at the first annual All-Ivy Environmental Career Fair, hosted by the Office of Education Programs at The Earth Institute. The fair was held on Friday, April 8th in Low Library and featured internship, educational and full-time career opportunities for environmental and sustainable development students of all degree-levels.
Over 350 students from all Ivy League schools attended, and Columbia students came from across the University. All levels of study, from undergraduate to post-doctoral, were represented and students from all programs affiliated with the Earth Institute, including the MPA Program in Environmental Science and Policy, Climate and Society, Conservation Biology, and Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, attended.
"Hosting this event seemed like a natural extension of the array of student programs we direct at the Earth Institute," said Louise Rosen, director of student programs for the Earth Institute at Columbia University. "Environmental students at these schools work together regularly so we are simply building on those relations and bolstering those ties."
Students had the chance to explore professional opportunities in the environment, from public agencies, consulting firms, nonprofit organizations, and business and industry. Specific organizations that were in attendance included: Green Corps; Environmental Defense; The Cadmus Group, Inc.; McLane Environmental, LLC; American International Group; Quantitative Environmental Analysis, LLC; U.N. Division for Sustainable Development and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The ability to interact with employers directly and deliver resumes to specific jobs was also appreciated by graduating students.
"As a student who will be graduating in May, I found this career fair to be a critical event in my job search process," said Erin Cooke, a student in the MPA Program in Environmental Science and Policy. "It allowed me to personally deliver my resume to recruiters looking for specific positions, qualifications and characteristics in potential employees. Most importantly, I believe that this was not simply just a networking event, but an informational interviewing opportunity to hopefully determine and develop contacts for tangible positions."
In addition, students interested in furthering their education were able to speak with representatives from departments such as Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, as well as the Office of Educational Programs at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
The diversity of the employer offerings and the organization of the fair were appreciated by many of the students who attended. "The fair presented a range of opportunities that went beyond typical environmental jobs at the EPA or at a Greenpeace-type organization. As an interdisciplinary student, I greatly appreciated the job range that extended from national and city government to environmental consultancies to private business and insurance companies," said Nicole Kuhnke, a student in the MA Program in Climate and Society.
This year's fair followed the overwhelming success of the 2004 Yale/Cornell/Columbia Environmental Career Fair, where 300 students from all three universities met with over 40 companies to discuss job opportunities. All Ivy League schools participated and 56 organizations set-up exhibits in Low Library this year. After the success of this year’s fair, the Ivy League Schools plan to make the Environmental Career Fair an annual event.
The Earth Institute at Columbia University is the world's leading academic center for the integrated study of Earth, its environment and society. The Earth Institute builds upon excellence in the core disciplines — earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and health sciences — and stresses cross-disciplinary approaches to complex problems. Through research, training and global partnerships, it mobilizes science and technology to advance sustainable development, while placing special emphasis on the needs of the world's poor. For more information, visit www.earth.columbia.edu.