Caryn Sennett, Environmental Studies and Spanish Major
Caryn Sennett '15
Caryn Sennett is an Environmental Studies and Spanish double major with strong interests in environmental health, food access, and community-based approaches to science. Caryn’s dual major has allowed her to further her understanding of the interrelationship between humans and the environment from various perspectives. For example, working with migrant farmers at a local health clinic in Franklin County and studying abroad in Ecuador and Argentina opened her eyes to how sustainability issues traverse both cultural and international boundaries. Her experiences as a student farmer at the ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app Farm, as the student coordinator for the Sustainable Earth Education program, and as a former resident of the Center for Sustainable Living have influenced her understanding of sustainability and have made her passionate about working with communities to improve access to healthy food and to reduce harmful environmental exposures in the future.
Currently, Caryn is conducting a senior research study on disproportionate exposure to chemical flame retardants among different households in Pennsylvania. This study combines her interests in environmental justice and community health. Her diverse experience and training have taught her that issues concerning environmental, social, and economic sustainability cannot be addressed only through work in the classroom or in a single discipline, which is why she is so eager to collaborate with peers from different academic backgrounds during the Baird Colloquium.