Thomas Students Attend Colby Leadership Institute

Student Environmental Research Presented

WATERVILLE, April 16- Students in Professor John Joseph's Environmental Economics Research Seminar exhibited their work at the 57th Colby Leadership institute on March 14, 2008. This year's leadership institute addressed "Climate Change: Taking the Lead Locally to Reduce Warming Globally," with Nobel Prize winners Sherwood Rowland and Paul Crutzen as guest speakers.

For the first time, Thomas College and Colby College students attended the Colby Leadership Institute to exhibit their research together. Their research was then viewed and evaluated by community leaders at the institute. Thomas students who attended the Colby Leadership Institute included: Krista Specht '10, Benjamin Grant '09, Matthew Tenan '09, Corey Worcester '08, Vladmir Tolstikhin '09 and Seth Moody '08. Their research results were displayed through the use of power point presentations and included the following subjects: plans and strategies to launch a comprehensive recycling program at Thomas College, a plan to convert the Thomas College administration building to wood pellet fuel and a lighting system energy audit in the Thomas College administration building. Each of these presentations included how Thomas College would initiate these plans and how they would impact the campus long-term.

President of Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC), Barbara Woodley, also attended the Institute and was interested in the work of the Thomas students. She invited Thomas students to visit KVCC to assist them in initiating similar efforts at their institution. Involving student participation in the Colby Leadership Institute is part of an effort to harness the collaborative efforts of students at the three Waterville area colleges to foster economic development while providing the students with real world research experience.

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