Environmental Studies

Roanoke College has several student-run clubs and organizations pertaining to Environmental Studies:

• Garden Club
• Beekeeping Club
• Earthbound
• Eco-house
• Alpha Kappa Chi
• Senior Practicum 

We have great relationships with many conservation-focused organizations in the valley, and we help students find internships that align with their interests. Recent examples include:

• Clean Valley Council
• The Appalachian Trail Conservancy
• City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation
• Community Garden
• Carilion Sustainability
• Friends Committee on National Legislation
• Roanoke Regional Partnership

Josef Simme ’18 always knew he wanted to work in the environmental field. After graduation, his dedication paid off, and he took a job as an Environmental Compliance Review Specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Working with FEMA has fueled Simme’s passion for the environment. He has discovered a desire to help those struggling after the devastation of a natural disaster. He was recently chosen to be the lead for FEMA’s invasive species implementation project and is working toward better informing the public about the dangers of the spread of invasive species.

Mackay Pierce, an environmental studies major from Bristol, Tennessee, interned with the Advocacy Corps of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker-based group. As a grassroots lobbyist, his primary role was facilitating meetings between community members and students with legislators to discuss climate change issues. Putting his passion for the environment to work, Pierce met with a variety of legislators, including the staff of both U.S. Senators from Virginia.

Pierce believes the future economy for the Appalachian coal communities will look very different from the past. "In my opinion, the biggest driving force will be a return to localization," Pierce said. "I think the future will highlight the natural resources most readily available: the mountains as a recreational asset."

“It is like studying computer science in 1995,” conservationist Scott Segerstrom ’02 says.

Whether your goal is to be out in the field or to make a difference in government or the business world, faculty members will prepare you for your future. Through independent study and research opportunities, you’ll work alongside faculty and get firsthand experience. Our faculty members are experts on environmental justice, sustainability, water and soil quality, environmental policy, conservation science and more. Their community ties help students connect with local organizations and get them into the real world where they can learn how to make an impact long before graduating.