Learning About Climate Change From The Experts

When Onondaga Community College's School of Math, Science & Engineering offered students an opportunity to attend a Climate Change Conference during the spring semester, a half dozen of them jumped at the opportunity. "It was a lot of fun. Everything was very well put together. Many of the presenters were very passionate. It was nice to be around people who shared that passion," said Eli Hunt.

The conference was March 31 to April 2 at SUNY Purchase, a four-year school located in Westchester County. Hunt was joined at the conference by fellow OCC students Nicole Webber, Mohamad Chatila, Hannah Derzanovich, Marian Del Valle, and Jon Morocho.

Students participated in a workshop about the effects of climate change. They also had the opportunity to do field and lab work in dendrochronology, which is the scientific method of studying ecological and environmental changes depicted in tree rings. "I had a one-on-one conversation with someone who is a professional in the field and is doing dendrochronology. I hadn't had a lot of exposure to someone like that. It was so valuable," said Chatila. 

Derzanovich will complete her Mathematics & Science degree next month, then transfer to SUNY ESF where she will major in Forest Ecosystem Science. Attending the conference reinforced in her mind she is headed in the right direction. "It really solidified everything I was thinking for myself which was Land Conservation. The last day they did a full section on policy and things the SUNY Purchase campus was going through. They brought in a person from the Forest Conservancy. Listening to him talk I was saying to myself 'that's exactly what I want to do.'"

Attending the conference was also a great experience for Webber. She hopes future OCC students will take advantage of the opportunity. "I would definitely recommend this to everyone who has the chance to do it. We had a great time, learned a lot, and made new friends."