The air you breathe, the water you drink, the electricity that powers your home. How are these elements connected and how do they affect your life? Energy & Natural Resources concentration is for students interested in studying air and water pollution, ozone depletion and energy shortage.
isbt students with the assistance of the Fairmount Park Natural Lands Restoration Program, were able to use their knowledge of science, business and technology to help La Salle save a neighboring park. The Wister's Woods Project is a student-run conservation effort charged with preserving, enhancing and restoring Wister's Woods, a 42-acre park surrounding La Salle's campus. The continuing efforts of isbt students, faculty and staff have helped decrease the number and impact of invasive plants in the park while keeping green areas free of trash, graffiti and other forms of vandalism.
An isbt senior is currently studying the possibility of implementing a supplemental wind energy system at her home via a small wind turbine. The purpose of the turbine is not to remove her residence completely from the power grid, but to give the property an alternative source of power in times of high-energy demand or in the event of power outage. This involves evaluating economic factors, engineering factors, and governmental and zoning issues. She has visited wind farms and talked with township officials as part of her research.
Students Interested in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is a national organization teaching students the basics of entrepreneurship. Although La Salle's SIFE team is open to all La Salle students, a large number of its members include both isbt and business students. La Salle's SIFE team is active both on and off-campus. On campus, SIFE members sponsored a seminar and panel discussion dealing with the illegal downloading of copyrighted music. Off campus, SIFE members helped several small business owners in a neighboring community.
The team is quite good. Recently La Salle's SIFE team proposed, created and presented a collection of projects at the National SIFE competition in Missouri. For more information about this dynamic organization please visit their national website located www.sife.org
Our growing economy must make intelligent choices between traditional, alternative and upcoming sources of energy and raw materials based on availability, value and regulations. As an isbt major with a concentration in Energy and Natural Resources you will make important contributions to project teams that must balance competitive advantage with environmental impact.
Employment of environmental scientists and hydrologists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. It is also projected that employment of environmental engineers will increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. More environmental engineers will be needed to meet environmental regulations and to develop methods of cleaning up existing hazards. There will be a shift toward preventing problems rather than controlling those that already exist, with emphasis on public health concerns.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003-4 Occupational Outlook Handbook
