Senior Integrative Experience

SIE: Senior Integrative Experience

Senior Integrative Experience Overview

The Senior Integrative Experience (SIE) is the culmination of the student's curriculum in ENST. The SIE includes four unique course options designed to provide students with opportunities to participate in various projects related to topics covered in the Environmental Science and Technology curriculum. In addition to research opportunities, the SIE course options also encompass aspects of engineering, education, and management. Students can choose one of the four courses described below to fulfill the SIE requirement.

Students registered for the SIE, at completion of the semester, are asked to:

Deliver a report to include an introduction/problem statement, question/hypothesis/objective(s), approach/methodology/activities, results/expected findings and/or discussion/conclusion components
In consultation with the instructor or faculty advisor, present their work in a poster format or 10-minute seminar to be held at the end of each semester
Participate in a peer and/or faculty assessment

SIE Options

As students attend advising appointments, discuss the SIE options with your academic advisor.

All ENST advisors can provide general information for the SIE requirements and can assist you in determining which SIE option best fits your interests and experience. Once an option is selected, each student will follow the instructions provided below. The SIE Coordinator will review student selections and register each student for an SIE course.

If additional questions or situations arise, contact the SIE Coordinator, Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa, or Undergraduate Advisor, Dr. Shannon P. Browne.

ENST 470:
Ideas to
Impacts

Faculty Contact:
Dr. David Tilley

ENST 472:
Capstone

Faculty Contact:
Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa

ENST 486:
Senior
Internship

Faculty Contact:
Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa

ENST 388:
Honors
Experience

Faculty Contact:
Dr. Paul Leisnham

SIE Option 1 - ENST 470: Ideas to Impacts

ENST 470: Ideas to Impacts is a 3-credit, instructor-led course for juniors and seniors. The experience is designed to utilize the students' course knowledge to develop proposals for projects emphasizing research, monitoring, design, restoration, management, entrepreneurship, or other approaches to ecological or environmental questions, issues, or problems. Upon completion of the course, students will present orally (poster or 10-minute seminar) and in a written format (group proposal or report) at the end of the semester.

Students considering ENST 470 are:

Interested in non-laboratory based research projects
Interested in a course format vs. group/individual project format
Limited in research experience

How do I register for ENST 470?

Email the SIE Coordinator, Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa, requesting registration for ENST 470. If you have questions relating to course content, contact Dr. David Tilley.

SIE Option 2 - ENST 472: Capstone

ENST 472: Capstone is a 3-credit, faculty-led, individual or group project for juniors or seniors. This experience is a hands-on project. Projects can emphasize research, extension design, restoration, management, entrepreneurship, or other approaches to ecological or environmental problems. ENST faculty may collaborate with external actors to address a real-world problem. Students interested in the ENST 472 SIE option are usually already working with a faculty member and have required lab or field experience. Upon completion of the project, the individual or group will give an oral presentation (poster or 10-minute seminar) and write a final report (appropriate for the type of project) at the end of the semester.

How do I register for ENST 472 proposing an individual/group project?

Student(s) with an idea for an individual/group project should:

Submit a 1-2 page proposal of project idea to the SIE Coordinator
With guidance from the SIE Coordinator, contact the faculty member conducting research most related to their idea
Ask the faculty member to serve as their project advisor
Upon acceptance of faculty member, contact the SIE Coordinator, Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa with email confirmation of mutual agreement to be registered for ENST 472 under the advisor’s section

How do I find and register for an ENST 472 project?

Each semester the SIE Coordinator will update the ENST 472 google form containing all faculty-led projects available for each semester and summer. To register for an interested project, a student will:

Fill out the ENST 472 google form selecting their project of interest
Meet with the faculty advisor to discuss the particulars of the project
Upon acceptance of faculty member, contact your advisor or SIE Coordinator, Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa, with email confirmation of mutual agreement to be registered for ENST 472 under the advisor’s section

SIE Option 3 - ENST 486: Senior Professional Internship

ENST 486: Senior Professional Internship is a 3-credit, off-campus, industry or organization-led, internship project for seniors. The professional experience is based on the conditions and requirements set forth by the industry or organization responsible for the students research project. Students will express how the project emphasizes learned concepts and tools developed in the ENST curriculum via biweekly classroom sessions. Upon completion of the professional internship, students will:

Document in a journal your hours worked and a record of your activities
A letter from your site supervisor to verify the work you completed, and
A poster presentation or a final paper. Your grade in ENST 486 is based on the Internship Coordinator's (Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa) assessment of your learning and performance in the internship.

Students interested in completing this experience are:

Interested in exploring projects outside ENST via internship
Interested in fostering deeper relationships with off-campus organizations
Interested in expanding upon an ENST 389 internship experience

How do I register for ENST 486?

Read through the ENST 486 Guidelines below, then fill out the ENST 486 Internship Form.

You must be an ENST student to register for ENST 486.
You must have already received credit for the Internship ENST 389.
You are responsible for finding your own Professional internship. You may respond to notices you receive from your instructors and advisor, utilize links through web searches, and/or approach organizations directly. Additionally, you may pursue the internship in a wide range of settings: public sector, private companies, or research labs; your professional internship could be on- or off-campus and can be paid or unpaid.
Your professional internship should be a semester-long project or work experience that is appropriate to your concentration and discipline of your internship. Being part of your Senior Integrative Experience, it should allow you to effectively communicate the application of scholarship through a poster presentation or a final paper.
Upon selection/admission for the work experience, please submit a work description and proposed work schedule for approval PRIOR to the start of work.
You will spend at least 90 hours at your internship site and attend biweekly classroom sessions to discuss how the study environmental science and technology fits into your specific internship experience.
At the conclusion of your internship, you will submit: (1) a journal, including your hours worked and a record of your activities, (2) a letter from your site supervisor to verify the work you completed, (3) a final paper, and (4) a poster or a PowerPoint presentation. Your grade in ENST 486 is based on the Internship Coordinator's assessment of your learning and performance in the internship.

SIE Option 4 - ENST 388: Honors Experience

ENST 388: Honors Experience a 3-credit, faculty-led research project. The Honors experience is directed by the AGNR Undergraduate Honors Program. Upon completion, students will present orally (i.e. defense) and written (i.e. honors thesis). Students interested in this SIE Experience will:

Apply to participate in the Honors Program as Juniors (i.e. minimum 60 credits completed) with the guidance of an ENST faculty advisor
Have completed 12 credit hours in ENST and have a GPA >3.2 in ENST required courses
Have completed 6 or more credit hours of upper-level honors courses OR honors options courses in agreement with the faculty advisor OR 6 credit hours of graduate (600-level) ENST course to complete the AGNR Honors Program

How do I register for ENST 388?

Follow the guidelines on the AGNR Undergraduate Honors Program webpage to apply for the program. Once admitted to the program, you can contact Dr. Paul Leisnham or Dr. Shannon P. Browne if you have additional questions about the program.