By Justin Pollard
staff writer
New environmental education program at Stanford sparks more than a few brainstorms
A select few of tomorrow's leading environmental professionals got a head start on their dreams this summer thanks to an innovative new program at Stanford jointly sponsored by the Law School and the Program in Human Biology.
The Stanford Youth Environmental Science Program (SYESP), was a five-week residential summer camp dedicated to teaching gifted and underprivileged California high-school students about environmental issues, exposing them to career opportunities in the environmental field and preparing them for college. Applicants were screened for academic excellence, enthusiasm and financial need and, once admitted, attended the program free of charge.
The central curriculum of the program consisted of lectures from former Environmental Protection Agency chief William Reilly, Biology Profs. Donald Kennedy and Hal Mooney, Law Prof. Buzz Thompson and more than 20 other leading experts from Stanford in the fields of environmental science, law and policy. The range of topics was broad enough to give the students a solid background in the diverse field of environmental studies and appeal to each student's particular area of interests, said SYESP co-director Ana Rowena Mallari.
Before arriving at SYESP, the participants were required to read a number of articles on environmental topics to prepare them for the program. In addition, prior to each lecture, the students read preparatory materials, attended a tutorial and participated in a group discussion.
This preparation was "necessary to take advantage of the quality instruction," according to Michael McCullough, Mallari's fellow co-director of SYESP. The students were then primed with questions for the group discussions which followed the lectures.
Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, gave a lecture on lead and the inadequate government regulations regarding this toxic substance which allowed it to become one of the environmental risks found predominantly in lower-income and minority communities.
"I can't recall ever having gotten better or more interesting questions" than the ones asked of him after the lecture, Kennedy said. He added that the program's "first summer was a terrific success. I am full of admiration for the job Rowena and Michael did."
Another important part of the program was the group projects which the students worked on together. Depending on their academic and professional interests, students were assigned to one of four groups—environmental justice, environmental health, environmental education or environmental engineering.
"The group projects were a vehicle to develop materials to bring back to the students' communities," Mallari said.
She added that she wanted to tailor the projects to the needs of the students' communities, which in most cases were lower income and minority neighborhoods. The environmental health group, for example, focused on health problems associated with pesticides, and the environmental education group developed informational materials in both English and Spanish.
The program places a strong emphasis on outreach, especially after its completion. "We want to expand the impact of the program beyond the 20 students" who participated in it, Mallari said. One way to achieve this goal will be for the students to distribute the educational materials they developed in their communities and local schools. Some will even give lectures on environmental topics.
"I don't think that people are very aware" of the gravity of environmental problems, said Jose Gonzalez, a student from San Jose.
"They keep throwing garbage in the streets, and using CFCs. They are not aware of the costs if the rainforests are destroyed. I think education is the key to solve those problems," he added.
Mallari said that many of the graduates of SYESP will also be founding environmental groups in their high schools. Alicia Skuce, a participant from Napa Valley who started an environmental club in her high school with her sister, single-handedly ran a workshop for the other students on how to start environmental clubs.
Mallari added that some of the students are planning to organize youth environmental summits, and since many of them live close to each other they will continue to meet and work together in the future.
In addition to learning about environmental issues, students took classes in public speaking and SAT preparation and received the support of college guidance counselors and assistance on college applications. Learning public speaking skills in particular was a very effective way of boosting students' confidence in themselves and their abilities, Mallari said.
To allow students to get all of their work done without imposing too rigid a structure, the program also allocated "academic free time" during the day. During this period students were permitted to work on whatever area they desired so long as it was of an academic nature.
Another innovative component of SYESP was the time set-aside for reflection and personal growth. During this time, students thought about their future images or themselves, prayed or meditated if they wished, and focused on learning about their thoughts and feelings, according to McCullough.
One student, Houston Ngo, said reflection time was his favorite part of the program.
"Reflection time is when I meditate, center, and know myself. To know not only the world outside you but the world inside you as well—it builds confidence," said Ngo, who will be a senior at Oakland High School.
One reason that SYESP was such a tremendous success was the impressive qualifications of the co-directors.
Mallari, a graduating senior, both runs SYESP and works full time at the Environmental Defense Fund in Oakland in the Rural Economy and Environment Program as a scientist on fisheries and land-use issues.
McCullough is a 1989 graduate of Stanford and was a Rhodes Scholar. He is currently a third-year medical student at UCSF and plans to become an academic emergency room physician. McCullough said that he decided to found the program after seeing the success of a similar program he started in 1988, the Stanford Youth Medical Sciences Program (SMYSP).
"I had just helped a student [from SMYSP] successfully apply to Harvard Medical School," said McCullough. "It is really neat to have that kind of interaction with a student."
Although SYESP has only completed its first year, McCullough said "I never had a program run so well before." He added "having higher expectations of the students, they tend to rise to the occasion."
Foundations for Success
McCullough said he attributes the success of the program to the strong sponsorship of the Law School and the Program in Human Biology, and in particular the support of Frank Brucato and Dr. Ellen Porzig. He added that he is also very grateful for the financial support of the Irvine Foundation, The Penninsula Community Foundation, the Roberts Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, and the Atkinson Foundation.
But others say that the program's success is primarily the result of its co-directors' efforts. "I've got to give all the credit to Michael and Rowena for their creativity," said Brucato, associate dean for administration at the Law School, who also handled much of the administration for SYESP. "[SYESP] looks like its been fabulous. The quality from the start was really impressive."
Porzig, associate professor in human biology, served as the academic advisor for SYESP. Prozig said that one of the greatest successes of the program was the "tremendous enthusiasm of the students. They are so idealistic and exuberant, and they just grew so much."
"I am delighted by the faculty participation," Porzig said, who also gave two lectures to the students—on vertebrate species and on biodiversity with a focus on extinction.
Brucato and Porzig said the Law School and the Human Biology Program are both planning on continuing to sponsor SYESP in the future.
"I have every intent of establishing this as a permanent program," said McCullough, "and with such strong support from the Stanford community I am confident we will be able to succeed."
At the graduation ceremony on Sunday, Skuce eloquently described the far-reaching impact of the program. "Today SYESP will end, but it will never die. It will live on forever in each of the student's lives. We must take these skills back to our communities and we will take action. We will go out into the world and we will make a difference."