WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY
THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT
Hello from Lexington! 2022 Update
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s I write this our first blanket of snow is finally on the ground with more on the way. It’s been a long wait for this first real taste of winter here in the valley, as it has in many other parts of the country this season. Likewise, this newsletter is arriving later than usual — but it’s not for lack of fun things to share with you all. Although we can all be happy to put the challenges of 2021 behind us, there were many bright moments for the Environmental Studies Program. The graduating class of 2021 saw its largest contingent from Environmental Studies in the history of the program, with 24 students completing the major or minor. This group’s capstone experiences included an amazing diversity of projects, many with creative outcomes rather than
a traditional thesis. For example, a research project on the effects of climate change on regional wine production in France produced a vividly illustrated, interactive digital coffee table book as a guide for wine enthusiasts to navigate these future changes in terroir. This is just one of the many remarkable works that students created for themselves for their culminating experience in our program. As our student community grows, we are continuing to expand the program in other ways as well. In the last academic year, we welcomed new faculty into Environmental Studies, including Alice Tianbo Zhang, assistant professor of economics and Drew Hess ’97, associate professor of business administration, as affiliate and core faculty respectively. Profes-
sor Zhang is now in her second year at W&L and studies the effects of climate change on economic development and human welfare. Professor Hess has been at W&L since 2014 and is the architect of our newest elective track in Sustainable Commerce, which is attracting a lot of interest among our students. The contributions of these new faculty are expanding the academic and co-curricular opportunities for our students in important and exciting ways. For the past few years, we have worked toward building and enhancing a sense of community on campus among the students and faculty in Environmental Studies. Despite the challenges the pandemic has thrown at us, there are clear signs that this effort has been successful — and the benefits are tangible, as we all find continued on page 11