Port of Long Beach Environmental Science Scholarship

The Environmental Science and Policy program has a new scholarship available to ES&P students, the “Port of Long Beach Environmental Science Scholarship”.  If interested, please go to the link below and apply.  The deadline is APRIL 15.

https://csulb.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b2fSc62y8divxfn

ES&P Student Appointed as Trustee for Centralia School District

Students and faculty in our Environmental Science and Policy program are proud to announce that one of our students was recently appointed to serve as Trustee of the Centralia Elementary School District in western Orange County.  The District’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Ian Macdonald to complete a term that will end in December 2020. Based on reporting by the Buena Park/Anaheim Independent community web site, Macdonald’s appointment was supported by former Centralia Teachers’ Association President Rhodia Shead, former Centralia School Board President Steve Harris, Buena Park City Councilman Connor Traut, and numerous PTA parents.  The Centralia School Board governs a $50 million budget for elementary schools in Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma and West Anaheim. Centralia serves approximately 4,400 students, who speak over 20 languages, including Spanish, Korean and Tagalog.

Now 21 years old, Ian has served as the Chair of Centralia’s Citizens’ Oversight Committee, and has also volunteered with Centralia’s Neighborhood Resource Center which connects underprivileged families to a wide range of child care, food and medical resources.  His most recent appointment to the Board of Trustees will add to his already impressive list of accomplishments.  

Recent Long Beach State Graduate Sets Her Sights on a Career in Environmental Law

Lena Freij

Lena Freij

By Sarah Barber

During her four years at Long Beach State, Environmental Science and Policy major Lena Freij managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA while also juggling volunteer activities and leadership positions both on and off campus. She served as the Vice President of the ES & P club, interned with both the university’s Office of Sustainability and the ecological consulting firm Tidal Influence, and regularly volunteered for beach clean-ups. By the time she received her bachelor’s degree in May 2016, Freij had already landed two part-time jobs in the environmental field.

After graduating, Freji worked part-time for the City of Los Angeles in the Regulatory Affairs Division, where she worked for a program focused on planting trees in low-income neighborhoods. Her work with the city involved doing outreach to homeowners, conducting tree-planting site visits, and calculating carbon sequestration rates of various tree types. At the same time, Freij was working part-time as an Environmental Associate for the private consulting firm, Michael Baker International.

Six months later, Freij left the City of L.A. and became a full-time employee at Michael Baker International, where some of her responsibilities included writing state and national environmental regulation compliance documents, and taking stormwater samples off the coast of Malibu to measure contamination levels. It was during her time working at the consulting firm that Freij began making plans to achieve her next goal: attending law school.

After many months of researching schools, filling out applications, and cramming for the LSAT, Freij achieved her objective and was accepted into Tulane Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana. She will begin studying environmental law on August 20th with the hopes of gaining the knowledge and credibility that will allow her to do more to improve environmental health.

“I’ve been an advocate for sustainability, clean air, and natural resource preservation since I was young, but I didn’t quite have the tools to change things yet,” Freij said.

Pursuing a degree in environmental law has been Freij’s goal since high school, but after traveling around Asia, she began to see environmental and public health issues in a global context and decided to study international environmental law specifically.  “I know where the world needs help, I just need the tools to know how to provide it, and I have confidence that a legal background will allow me to do that,” Freij said.

 

Lena speaking at 2017 mixer

Freji speaking at the 2017 Fall Sustainability Mixer as a featured alumna

Attending Long Beach state helped Freij prepare for her career by providing her with internship opportunities, hands-on learning experiences, and the chance to study abroad in Thailand her junior year, an experience she says was the “best decision” she ever made.

“Seeing the world and immersing myself in the different ecosystems and ways of life really put everything together for me,” Freij said. “It strengthened the foundation I built as an environmental advocate and tested my resilience.”

When asked if there were any instructors and courses that were particularly influential, Freij sited Monica Argandoña and her California Environmental Issues class (ESP 200) as highlights of her academic experience. Freij says Argandoña taught her about the history of environmental advocacy, shed light on the complexity involved in finding solutions, and helped students gain an appreciation for the California desert environment.

“[Argandoña] curated the perfect foundation to the [Environmental Science and Policy] major by inspiring us to protect the environment by allowing us to revel in the beauty of it,” Freij said.

Getting to this point in her journey has taken a lot of hard work and dedication and Freij knows that she still has a long way to go. For students who want to pursue a career in the environmental field, Freij recommends pursuing internships, networking, and exploring new experiences. She has also been well served by seeking out mentors, asking lots of questions, and sharing her own knowledge and passion with others.

“I have a few mentors in my life that helped me get to where I am today, and I really can’t emphasize enough the importance of putting yourself out there,” Freij said.

Freij tries to be a mentor herself and she is proud of having encouraged others, particularly young people, to become involved in environmental advocacy. She believes that the more people learn to appreciate the planet, the more they will learn to appreciate each other.

ES & P Policy Permitting Info & Instructions

BIO 260 (Biostatistics) permits are required for BA students only.

Please note that BS students simply enroll after completion of BIO 211 & MATH 119A with grade of “C” or higher.

  • The prerequisites needed to enter BIO 260 as a BA student are listed on your permit.
  • Complete permit and send to Carol Philipp at Carol.Philipp@csulb.edu
  • You are allowed to take prerequisites for BIO 260 while being permitted into the course. In this case, simply note “in progress” where the permit requests your grade.
  • A grade of “C” or better must be earned by semester’s end for prerequisite courses “in progress” at the time of permitting. If you earn lower than a “C” contact Carol Philipp to cancel permit.
  •  

    BIO 350 (General Ecology) permits are for BAStudents only.

    • Please note that BS students simply enroll after completion of BIO 211,212, 213, 260 and MATH 119A with grade of “C” or higher

     

    1. The prerequisites needed to enter BIO 350 as a BA student are listed on the permit.
    2. Complete permit and send to Carol Philipp at Carol.Philipp@csulb.edu
    3. You are allowed to take prerequisites for BIO 350 while being permitted into the course. Simply note “in progress” where the permit requests your grade.
    4. A grade of “C” or better must be earned by semester’s end for prerequisite courses “in progress” at the time of permitting. If you earn lower than a “C” contact Carol Philipp to cancel permit.

     

    ECON 310 (Microeconomic Theory)

    Students who are currently enrolled in ECON 100/101, ECON 300, MATH 115, MATH 119A or MATH 123 will be able to directly enroll in ECON 310 and do not need a permit, but will be disenrolled upon receiving a grade of “D” or less at semester’s end.

     

    ESP 400 (Environmental Science & Policy Capstone Project)

     

    –          All ESP students must be permitted into ESP 400. Prerequisites for ESP 400 can be found on the course permit and must be finished before a permit may be assigned. Only students with all prerequisites met are assured entry into ESP 400. There are 24 seats in the course, and if we do not have enough students with all prerequisites met to fill them we will consider students with outstanding prerequisites on a case by case basis.

    –          All students needing ESP 400 are required to attend a permitting session. Several permitting sessions will be announced leading up to registration. Attendance is mandatory and permits will be completed in person during permitting sessions.

               

    Environmental Science & Policy Permitting Info & Instructions

    Environmental Science & Policy Permitting Info & Instructions

    BIO 260 (Biostatistics) permits are required for BA students only.

    • Please note that BS students simply enroll after completion of BIO 211 & MATH 119A with grade of “C” or higher.The prerequisites needed to enter BIO 260 as a BA student are listed on your permit.
    1. Complete permit and send to Carol Philipp at Carol.Philipp@csulb.edu
    2. You are allowed to take prerequisites for BIO 260 while being permitted into the course. In this case, simply note “in progress” where the permit requests your grade.
    3. A grade of “C” or better must be earned by semester’s end for prerequisite courses “in progress” at the time of permitting. If you earn lower than a “C” contact Carol Philipp to cancel permit.
      Permit-for-BIOL-260

    BIO 350 (General Ecology) permits are for BAStudents only.

    • Please note that BS students simply enroll after completion of BIO 211,212, 213, 260 and MATH 119A with grade of “C” or higher
    • The prerequisites needed to enter BIO 350 as a BA student are listed on the permit.
    1. Complete permit and send to Carol Philipp at Carol.Philipp@csulb.edu
    2. You are allowed to take prerequisites for BIO 350 while being permitted into the course. Simply note “in progress” where the permit requests your grade.
    3. A grade of “C” or better must be earned by semester’s end for prerequisite courses “in progress” at the time of permitting. If you earn lower than a “C” contact Carol Philipp to cancel permit.Permit for BIOL 350

    ECON 310 (Microeconomic Theory)

    Please NOTE: Some students will be able to enroll directly into ECON 310. We suggest you try to enroll first without a permit. If you are unable to enroll, fill out a permit and send to Carol.Philipp@csulb.edu.

    Permit for ECON 310

    ECON 490: Special Topics in Economics 

    Fill out the attached permit and email to Carol.Philipp@csulb.edu

    Permit for ECON 490

    ESP 400 (Environmental Science & Policy Capstone Project)

    – All ESP students must be permitted into ESP 400. Prerequisites for ESP 400 can be found on the course permit and must be finished before a permit may be assigned. Only students with all prerequisites met are assured entry into ESP 400. There are 24 seats in the course, and if we do not have enough students with all prerequisites met to fill them we will consider students with outstanding prerequisites on a case by case basis.

    – All students needing ESP 400 are required to attend a permitting session. Several permitting sessions will be announced leading up to registration. Attendance is mandatory and permits will be completed in person during permitting sessions.

    Permit for ES P 400