Warmer, Wetter, and Wilder: Students Weigh in on the Future of Weather in Durham Region
Most Durham residents have never thought about what happens to rain water (and anything else) that ends up in the sewer. That is, until the inaugural group of students in the Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone course, led by Dr. Joel Baetz as part of the Communications and Critical Thinking program offered exclusively at Trent University Durham GTA, were given this task: determine, as a research team, the best storm water management fee and credit program for the municipalities in the Durham region -- and develop an accompanying communication strategy.
“It's important that students see that they have developed and are able to refine durable and transferable skills in reading, writing, and thinking that are valuable to the world beyond the university's walls,” said Professor Baetz. “Experts are necessary; but when you're in a workplace, you're often given tasks that you aren't always trained for. A course like this one shows students that they'll be able to lean on a series of durable and transferable skills in critical thinking and communications that will help wherever they go after university.”
For Trent Durham student Billie Clark, that couldn’t be more true. “I think that this type of cooperative environment, and shifting deadlines and projects, really reflected a lot of what happens in professional environments, and being able to experience that was extremely useful. I am no longer worried about being inexperienced or having difficulties applying my skills outside a classroom; I know that I can be successful, even if I am doing something I have never tried before, and I learned that because of this capstone course.”
Learn more about Communications & Critical Thinking at Trent Durham.
Posted on April 9, 2018