Elizabeth Bennett took advantage of all that the Rubenstein School and UVM have to offer, both in academics and in career exploration and experience.

An Environmental Sciences major, Liz concentrated her course work in ecology, chemistry, and hydrology.  She applied and built upon what she learned in the classroom and on field labs in several valuable internships.

With Vermont’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCor) in their Research Adaptation to Climate Change (RACC) Program, she joined faculty, research staff, and students gathering data to investigate how climate change and severe storm events impact Vermont’s Lake Champlain basin. Liz installed sampling equipment in streams of the Misissquoi and Winooski River watersheds, collected and analyzed water samples in a water quality laboratory, and compiled data. She also instructed high school students and teachers how to collect samples from streams near their schools. Most rewarding was the opportunity to design her own study using data collected from the program.

As a member of the Greening of Aiken Intern class, Liz played a role in the installation of the green roof on the George D. Aiken Center, home to the Rubenstein School.  She helped to move into place the flats of plants that make up the roof’s experimental watersheds and collected rainstorm and snow melt drainage for chemical analysis. Her work became her honors thesis research for which she analyzed the chemical make-up of the green roof’s run-off water in a UVM environmental testing laboratory. 

Liz also interned with the environmental consulting and civil engineering firm, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB), Inc., at one of their eastern region offices in North Ferrisburgh, Vermont. She worked side by side with wetland scientists to identify and delineate wetlands. She gained valuable experience collecting geographical data with a GPS; identifying wetland vegetation, soils, and hydrology; working with Vermont Wetland Rules; and creating maps in ArcGIS to include in client reports and state permit applications.

She also assisted environmental scientists to conduct stormwater systems inspections. She participated in VHB’s stormwater management professional development forum during which they toured the city of South Burlington’s low impact development stormwater treatment practices. 

“This internship allowed me to build on knowledge I acquired through my classes at UVM and apply it in a professional setting,” acknowledged Liz. “I also learned about corporate culture as well as etiquette specific to the environmental consulting industry.  My experience at VHB cemented my interest in pursuing environmental consulting when I graduate.”

Immediately after graduation, Liz took a position as an environmental scientist with Roux Associates, Inc., an environmental consulting firm in New Jersey.