Study Tour: Scotland, UK

This Fall 2023 Semester I had the opportunity to participate in the honors seminar Energy, Environment, and Society. This class was focused on looking at how policy, practicality, and people impact sustainability in the energy sector. During the semester we participated in debates and discussions on current issues such as the transition of all vehicles to electric or installing more solar and wind power across the globe. We also focused on Scotland as an example of extremely progressive energy policy. Professor Rutz and Sid Thatham explained concepts and for those of us who are not engineers like how electricity and power are created for the grid. This class was extremely informational and easy to understand as someone who had very limited experience with energy and its sustainability impacts. While the class was extremely informational and gave a great backdrop for the study tour, nothing impacted me quite like being in Scotland. While Scotland is rich in history and culture, listening to some of the leaders of the sustainable energy movement was incredibly influential for me. Listening to Dr. Elsa João at the University of Strathclyde impressed me so much that I have started researching circular economies and am hoping to learn how they can be implemented in a corporate setting. Overall, this experience was second to none. I met amazing like-minded people and listened to sustainability leaders about the work they were doing to help save our planet.

Above is a photo of our Energy, Environment, and Society class in front of Edinburgh Castle. I chose this photo because I think it is a perfect symbol for the class. It shows that while there is heritage and culture we must respect while moving toward a more sustainable future, you must also realize the urgency of the current environmental situation we are in. Also, how cool is it we are standing in front of a real-life castle!