Lander University encourages its students to excel in their academics and aims to prepare them to thrive professionally. The B.S. in Environmental Science program is one of the many academic programs that actively encourages and supports student success.
Students are engaged in a multitude of ways ranging from unique classes, clubs and honor societies, all the way to academic conferences and opportunities for their students to practice hands-on skills that will serve them in their professional lives moving forward.
Keegan Finnerty, an environmental science major at the University, says that he has had a positive experience in this program, which he attributes to a “really good group of professors…[and] classes like limnology [that] are really interesting and special to Lander.” He goes on to explain that the research he’s able to conduct “makes me feel more connected to my classes and my major."
In addition to Finnerty, Danielle Langley, a student working to achieve her minor in environmental science, also says that she enjoys being a part of the program. “I love my professors [and] conducting research makes me like the sciences more,” Langley says. The faculty in the program work tirelessly to support their students and ensure they have an active role in their education by encouraging students to become involved with the department in many ways, including the Environmental Science Student Organization (ESSO).
Both Langley and Finnerty are members of ESSO, which has been very active on Lander’s campus in the 2024-25 academic year. Langley and Finnerty both excitedly say that their top three highlights of the semester are from their involvement with the organization: “great backyard bird count,” an event spanning the nation where students were encouraged to search for different types of birds; “creating seed bombs out of native wildflower seeds and paper;” and when they “presented student research at Preserving Lake Greenwood’s annual State of the Lake meeting.” They are also eagerly awaiting their last event of the semester, which will be a group hike before they take their final exams for the year.
As mentioned earlier, environmental science students participated in a conference this year. A group of 20 people, including students and professors, presented their research at the Association of Southeastern Biologists conference. While this was Finnerty’s first conference, this was Langley's second. Finnerty presented his research “on camera traps to analyze the effects of artificial lighting on nocturnal animals,” while Langley presented her research on the use of “sound recording machines to analyze the effects of habitat type and tree community on avian diversity and community composition.”
Some Lander students also brought home two awards from the Tri Beta Biological Honor Society. The award winners were Katie Egan and Mille Elsborg, both biology majors. Elsborg won second place for Best Talk within Tri Beta, and Egan won third place for the Best Ecology Poster within Tri Beta. Finnerty and Langley eagerly await the next time they will be able to represent the environmental science program, and Lander, at the conference.
Langley and Finnerty are looking forward to next academic year, and aim to continue growing professionally and developing their research skills. Finnerty is looking forward to some new and upcoming classes for environmental science and explains that, “There's an interesting field skills class coming up next semester, exclusive for environmental science." Additionally, he encourages people to sign up for the limnology course (the study of inland aquatic ecosystems) as he believes it's a very interesting class. Langley is looking forward to continuing her research for the next semester as she is developing research on "how climate change will affect different warbler species using spatial distribution models." Finnerty plans to continue his research as he is working on a, “GIS (geographical information systems) class project [where he will be] mapping spatial distribution and population changes of South Carolina shore birds."
Lander aims to give its students the best access to professional and academic development, illustrated by the continued demonstration of excellence from its environmental science students. When asked if they felt supported by the department to reach their professional and academic goals, Langley and Finnerty both answered with an emphatic yes. Langley explained that the interactive nature of the program has helped her continue to grow. Langley says that “doing research has helped me a lot. I get to experience what my career meeting might feel like. Attending the ASB conference felt like it pushed me towards my career goals."
Finnerty also says that he feels this too. "I think the same. Presenting at the conference helped solidify that I wanted a career in research and it felt like a big step in that direction,” he says.
Langley says that being an active part of her program has helped shape the path she plans to go down in the future. Langley says, “I want to continue studying science, specifically ornithology." Meanwhile, Finnerty says he plans "to go to graduate school for ecology and continue doing research.”