Headshot of Michelle Clark, senior studying Biological Engineering and German
Author: Michelle Clark | Majors: Biological Engineering and German
Hello! My name is Michelle Clark, a senior in the International Engineering Program. Through this program I am working towards a double major in Biological Engineering and German. My thesis focuses on researching the effectiveness of using a combination of language and environmental education as a tool of communication to convey the relationship between diversity and sustainability and the relevance of culture in sustainable behaviors. My mentor throughout this project has been Dr. Scott Osborn from the College of Engineering. Throughout my project I have also received mentorship from members of my thesis committee, Dr. Kwofie from the College and of Engineering Dr. Condray from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. In the spring semester of 2021, I narrowed down my topic, wrote out my literature review and created my plan for fall.This past fall semester I carried out my experiment and began to analyze my data. This next coming semester, spring 2022, I have to reach my final conclusions and write the complete and final version of my thesis.
The purpose of the research is to highlight the need for diversity in the realm of sustainability – this includes professional and academic diversity as well as cultural diversity. This thesis was developed on the belief that effective solutions to environmental issues stem from cross-discipline and cross-cultural work. To achieve these solutions it is also imperative to see the influence that cultural practices and beliefs have on how a community sees environmental issues and what approaches to solving and mitigating these issues are actually sustainable. However, more specifically, my research focused on whether these ideas can be effectively communicated through an environmental lesson plan geared towards students in a high school German language class. For this reason the lesson plan uses Germany as an example of how cultural behaviors affect solutions to environmental problems. Since environmental issues are often quantified in scientific ways, this thesis also focuses on delivering technical information to an audience of diverse backgrounds and interests.
When it came to choosing a topic for my thesis I had a hard time. My program at the university combines German and engineering, so I wanted to reflect that in my research. I also wanted my work to produce a tangible “product” that people could use. My time in the International Engineering Program, as well as my own experience of growing up influenced by two cultures, has lead me to recognize a connection between culture and approaches to environmental issues. This inspired me to attempt to replicate an environment that can promote this connection. That’s what lead me to want to design a lesson plan that combined German and technical scientific information to express the importance of diversity in tackling environmental issues. I was also motivated by the idea that, if the lesson plan was successful it could be a tool for language teachers to use to promote environmental stewardship in their classes.
Once I had my inspiration I started talking to professors in the College of Engineering to see who could be my mentor. When I talked with Dr. Osborn he mentioned how he had mentored other thesis projects that were considered more “unorthodox” in engineering. Under his recommendation, I read a couple of the thesis projects he had mentored and found that they had aspects similar to mine. One of the examples I read included creating educational material from data collected through a rain filtering system. The other included turning data from a sustainability assessment into a children’s book. From these examples I believed Dr. Osborn would be very helpful in developing my thesis.
As a way to tie all my ideas together in the lesson plan I decide to focus on the environmental issue of plastic pollution. For my technical information section I carried out a literature review on plastic pollution and gathered data on the environmental impacts of a disposable water bottles sold in the USA through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCAs are commonly used in the realm of sustainability to evaluate the environmental, human health, and economic impacts of a product or supply chain. By creating an LCA for a disposable water bottle manufactured and sold in the USA I was able to identify what categories were affected most by this product. The LCA I carried out suggested that the transportation of the final product to it’s selling location has the highest environmental impact and the production process overwhelmingly affects aquatic environments the most. The process of the LCA taught me to think more in depth into how much goes into a production process. I’ve learned that when evaluating a product’s sustainability you have to question where the raw materials come from, what processing they go through, where the product is assembled, how the product is processed, and how far the product has to travel to reach its final selling location. Another thing I’ve learned is that there is no strait forward answer when it comes to sustainability. When you want to choose the most sustainable alternative you have to evaluate things on a case by case basis.
My research experience has been very rewarding but it’s had its challenges. One of my biggest challenges has been finding a way to articulate the connections and ideas in my head. My topic encompasses a stretch that can often be hard to explain, especially in the format of an elevator pitch. This has challenged my organizational and communicational skills, but I have been able to grow greatly from it. I also ran into some hiccups with the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Since my research included a high school teacher delivering the lesson plan to her class, I needed to get approval from the RIB to be able to collect the data. This process can be a little confusing, but with the help of my mentor and the IRB coordinator, I was able to get it all worked out.
So far I have done all the background research and work for the lesson plan, which included the data collection and analysis from the LCA. Right before the semester ended I received my questionnaires from the lesson delivery, so through the spring semester I will continue to analyze the data and evaluate whether my work and outcomes met my determined objectives. After that, I’ll prepare to defend my thesis! I am extremely grateful to everyone who’s has helped me throughout this project and offered me guidance or words of encouragement. Writing and conducting a thesis can be challenging, but it’s a rewarding experience that can be made better with a good support system.