Environment! Introduction to Environmental EC

We are experiencing an unusually hot summer. As environmental issues such as these climate anomalies increase, students’ interest in environmental EC activities is also rising. Today, I have prepared a time to talk about thoughts on such environmental EC activities and the types of environmental ECs.

Through the three graphs above, you can see how serious the climate problem has become.

Global Surface Air Temperature Anomalies: This chart shows how much the current temperature deviates from the average temperature. You can see that in 2023, it deviates significantly.

Daily Sea Surface Temperature: The sea surface temperature is also much higher than the average sea surface temperature.

Looking at the Global Surface Air Temperature Anomalies in October 2023 (the time of video production), you can see that the graph stands out alone.

The Paris Climate Agreement signed in 2016 aimed to keep climate change below an average temperature increase of 1.5°C by 2050. However, even though 2050 is still a long way off, it has already risen by 0.8°C.

The above photo shows the Earth’s temperature from 1884 to 2022, clearly showing how much the Earth has warmed.

Additionally, comparing the glaciers in 1979 and 2022, you can see how much the glaciers have melted.

If the sea level rises by just 6 meters due to melting glaciers, Miami, Florida, will be submerged.

Amsterdam in the Netherlands will also be submerged.

The above images are also photos that can directly feel climate change.

The first image shows the changes in the Mississippi River, where the riverbed is much more visible than before.

The second image is a photo of Greenland, where you can see that a lot of ice has melted.

The third image is a photo of the Lakes of Oregon, where you can see how dry it has become.

Global Warming: Natural disasters such as heatwaves, droughts, fires, and typhoons occur frequently due to global warming.

Exposure to natural disasters caused by global warming lowers the quality of life and increases the cost of compensating for them. Various problems such as ecosystem issues and waste problems also arise.

One of the professions that solve these problems is Environmental Scientist and Specialist. Their median pay in 2022 was $76,480. This is an average value, so if you reach an expert position, you can receive a higher salary, making it one of the promising professions.

By 2030, the workforce of Environmental Scientists & Specialists needs to be increased by more than 8%.

Here is a list of majors to pursue a career related to promising Environmental Scientists & Specialists:

• Environmental Science

• Environmental Engineering

• Natural Resource Management

• Ecology

• Climate Change Studies

• Sustainability Studies

List of Environmental ECs

So, what are the environmental ECs to enter the above majors? Environmental ECs can be broadly divided into two categories:

• Academic Endeavors

• Extracurricular Engagement

engaging in physical activities together.

In today’s post, I will focus on academic environmental ECs. The reason is that if you only engage in physical activities without an academic foundation, universities will not find the student attractive. Therefore, it is better to build academic activities first and then engage in physical activities!

Here are some important academic activities related to studies:

ISEF is a frequently mentioned EC. It is considered the most famous science fair, divided into 22 categories, and you participate through research. For students who want to major in environmental-related fields, there are three categories (Earth and Environmental Science, Energy, Sustainable Materials and Design, Environmental Engineering). It is recommended to look at the subcategories within these categories and conduct research.

You don’t need to aim to complete a paper; most of the focus is on poster creation, so there are no significant barriers to conducting research.

The organizers also encourage mentors or teachers to help, so it is recommended to prepare with their assistance.

This competition focuses more on tests and oral presentations rather than research.

It is recommended to look at the sample questions provided on the site and participate if you feel prepared.

If selected, you can meet experts, receive education, participate in various programs, and have the opportunity to win awards.

It goes through regional/state preliminaries, and only students in the US can participate, while international students are not eligible.

As you can see from the photos above, it is a very active competition.

It is recommended to check the example questions on the site.

As the name suggests, it is a competition created in Sweden, based on research related to water only, not the entire environment. Topics can include water quality, water resource management, water storage, water education, etc., but there is a restriction that you can only choose from topics selected as regional topics.

Since it is a Swedish competition, students from all over the world can participate, and like other competitions, it goes through regional preliminaries, state preliminaries, national, and international stages.

If you qualify for the international stage, students will stay in Sweden for about a week and receive awards during the ‘Water Event Period.’

Participating students prepare presentations and also produce videos of the research process. It is an EC that students interested in the environment should consider.

In this competition, you can choose one of several topics to participate in, and you can choose an environmental-related topic.

It is very similar to ISEF, and like ISEF, you advance to the finals after passing the regional preliminaries.

It requires a significant level of research, and international students are not eligible to participate.

This competition is also research-based, and since the environment is one of the three categories provided, it is worth participating.

In some states, it is conducted offline, but students living in states not on the list participate online. International students can only participate if they are in Canada.

Today, we looked at environmental ECs. Most of the competitions introduced today are research-based activities.

You can only participate in the competition if you conduct research, and the important thing is not winning but the process of building an intellectual foundation on the topic of interest through research. Based on that foundation, engaging in physical activities provides continuous motivation and the strength to stay focused.

If you can show your passion and energy through such a series of processes, universities will highly evaluate the student’s immersion.

If your goal is a top 20 university, it is important to prepare research together.

If you have any questions about the competitions or activities introduced today, please contact us at A-One Institute, and we will kindly answer your questions.