Students were introduced to A Watershed Semester: Engagement Across the Mystic (AWSEAM), a new program co-sponsored by Tufts organizations and the Mystic Watershed Collaborative, in an information session held yesterday in Eaton.
The project is geared towards stemming habitat degradation in the Mystic River watershed and will study the obstacles and possible solutions in achieving this goal.
Dale Bryan, assistant director of Peace and Justice Studies, and Lisa Brukilacchio, community engagement specialist with the University College of Citizenship and Public Service, conducted the session.
Bryan and Brukilacchio are looking for a group of eight to 12 students from four or more disciplinary backgrounds to participate in the program. Each student will participate in a course in environmental leadership and an internship at an environmental organization.
"The student becomes the holder of a certain body of knowledge through coursework, and sees a potential way to build a bridge in fieldwork," Brukilacchio said. This fieldwork will be applied in the students' internships.
"The idea is to have each student intern with a different organization so that they can collectively achieve their common goals. The program can be a model for change," Bryan said.
"The goal is to have eight students, eight internships, and to foster integration between various organizations," he said.
Tufts can contribute "more research about the health benefits of watershed restoration and what the government can do [to facilitate restoration]," Bryan said. Brukilacchio added, "students use one organization as a lens to see what forces our work, who is involved, and who is missing."
The program is also extremely beneficial to the leadership skills of the participants, according to Bryan.
Juniors, seniors, and master's degree candidates from a range of academic fields are invited to participate. "We encourage people to explore how this will fit into individual areas of interest," Brukilacchio said.
Bryan echoed this sentiment in his discussion of plans to organize a seminar or similar public event to educate the local community about the issue. "The agencies involved need multiple, varied voices. This is truly an interdisciplinary opportunity," he said.
AWESEAM's prospectus refers to an "intentional linkage and interrogation of theory and practice" to "enable students to better understand both the concrete civic participation and the academic analyses."
This marriage of principle and the practical seems to be the most attractive element to potential students. "What interests me is the combination of a fun course that is related to my area of interest and an internship," said senior Kara Kelly, an environmental engineering major.
The program is a collective effort of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, the University College, and the Mystic Watershed Collaborative.
Brukilacchio said the program will be "a lot of work, a lot of learning, and a lot of fun."
