The month of September has personally been a whirlwind of classes and new experiences. My classes have been rough, to say the least, but I have been enjoying myself in my more environmentally focused classes. For example, in my Intro to Environmental Science class, I have been working on my end-of-the-year Poster Project in which I create a scientific poster about a subject of my choice. I chose to focus on one of my favorite environmental topics, the Restoration of the Cuyahoga River, and the repopulation of the Great Blue Herons population in relation to the health of the environment. I have been researching papers related to this topic and I have learned more and more about the migration and nesting habits of Great Blue Herons than I ever thought I would know. In doing this, I learned about myself that I love to learn about the restoration of habitats and it is truly one of my passions. Due to my struggle with Calculus and Chemistry, I was worried that maybe the Environmental Science route would not be the best choice for me, however, in doing more research I am confident that I have found my path in life. Now I will have to put more effort into succeeding in Calculus and Chemistry so that I can begin work with conservation. I would like to possibly look for research or internships this summer that relate to conservation in order to help me more fully realize my goal as a student in Environmental Sciences. Despite my failures this month in a few of my midterms, I do not think I have lost sight of what I believe that my goal is at the moment. I have continued to work hard despite the pitfalls I have fallen into and I plan on doing so for the remainder of my schooling.
Month: September 2020
Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio
[The Home Page will show a running blog of your recent posts, which are categorized and show on that category’s page. Please delete this post or edit with your own information.]
Year in Review
[ “Year in Review” is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student. You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
G.O.A.L.S.
[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.
- Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
- Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
- Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
- Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
- Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]
Career
[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career. Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
Artifacts
[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation. An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]
About Me
My name is Elizabeth Blackford and I am an Environment and Natural Resources Scholars student at Ohio State University. I intend to pursue a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science with a focus on Conservation Biology and possibly even going on to get my Master’s in the same focus. Academically, I enjoy learning about how everything is interconnected in the environment and ecosystems, and I would love to be able to use this knowledge to help with the conservation of habitats. What first got me interested in the study of the environment is the history of the Cuyahoga River and its restoration. After looking into how the river has burned 13 times due to past pollution only a few decades ago and is now almost completely restored and off of the polluted rivers list shows an immense dedication to our environment that I hope to achieve one day. I also love to hike and bike around the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and I hope to explore the trails and habitats Columbus has to offer. I also enjoy nature photography as I love to display the natural beauty of the earth in a medium that almost everyone can experience. On a more professional level, I would love to join some sort of environmental conservation group as I further into my career, possibly even spending some time in the field doing research or consulting. I love being hands-on in both my learning environment and work environment and I hope to incorporate this into my future as a professional in the workforce.