Southeastern's Zoom into Careers receives sponsorship for summer environmental science workshop
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
by: Tonya Lowentritt
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University's Zoom into Careers has received a sponsorship for one of its summer programs for junior high and high school students to be held this summer at the Livingston Parish Literacy and Technology Center in Walker.
Bercen Chemical Company is helping to lower the cost of "Zoom into Environmental Sciences," a new Zoom into Careers offering. Normally the cost of the workshop would be $295. Thanks to the Bercen sponsorship, the cost has been lowered to $65 per student. Class size is limited to 15 students, so early registration is encouraged. Registration is available online at www.southeastern.edu/zoom.
Taught by Southeastern forestry expert Rebecca Effler, Zoom into Environmental Sciences ties into one of the goals of the Livingston Center: to increase the understanding of the environment by residents of the parish.
According to Effler, students will have the opportunity to explore a wide array of career options available in the field of environmental sciences and within organizations such as the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Environmental Quality, non-profit organizations, local universities and more.
"Participants will receive hands-on experience through identification of forest and wetland plants, uploading local satellite imagery to obtain environmental information and through their research of the Combustion, Inc. Superfund Site in Walker," Effler said. "A day trip is scheduled to visit Turtle Cove Research Center, Southeastern's Wetland Research Facility in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. Finally, participants will gain a better understanding of environmental stewardship, policy and law."
All Zoom into Careers workshops are scheduled for June 15-18 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Registration for all other workshops will be limited to small groups, some as low as six participants. To ensure participation, students are encouraged to register early. Participants can take advantage of early bird discounts by registering before May 7. Registration will continue through June 4. The workshops, excluding Zoom into Environmental Sciences, are $280 prior to May 7, and $295 until June 4, 2015.
The four-day workshops are designed to explore the variety of career paths available in each of these exciting fields. Participants attending Zoom workshops are exposed to a real work environment that focuses on teamwork and project completion.
Workshops are open to all rising 7th through graduating 12th grade students and are scheduled on the main campus in Hammond, the Livingston Parish Literacy and Technology Center in Walker, and at Southeastern's St. Tammany Center in Mandeville, as well as NTCC's Greensburg campus.
Favorite Zoom programs from previous years to be offered include animation, automotive technology, industrial and engineering technology, photography, television, and theatre. More Zoom programs are being developed now.
Details about the workshops are available on the website at www.southeastern.edu/zoom.
