Earlier this academic year, the Department of Geosciences became the institutional home for GSU's Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental Science degree. As part of our move to integrate the BIS into our broader offerings, at last month's Geosciences Night celebration we were happy to award the inaugural Outstanding BIS Environmental Science Senior award to Elizabeth Plumart, who graduates from GSU this week! Learn more about Elizabeth and her experiences in the BIS program combining coursework in geography, biology and anthropology, and what she plans to do next!
Where are you from originally?
Duluth, Georgia
Where did you go to school before coming to GSU?
Duluth High School
What year in school are you? How long have you been a student at GSU?
I’m a graduating senior. I’ve been a student at GSU since I was a junior in high school. I initially enrolled through the dual enrollment program, in which high school students can take college classes. As part of this program, I started at the Perimeter campus in Spring 2019. I moved to the Atlanta campus and formally started my bachelor’s in Fall 2020.
What’s your major/concentration?
I am finishing up my B.I.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Biology and a certificate in GIS.
Which class has been your favorite to take in the Dept of Geosciences?
I’ve enjoyed so many of my classes, so it is hard to pick. One of my favorites is the Field School in the Geosciences, where I went on a 10-day trip to Quintana Roo, Mexico to study the effects of tourism on water in the region. Examining water demand through a holistic environmental science lens was especially interesting given the connection between environmental injustice and ecological issues in the region. Outside of academics, I made so many amazing connections and friendships through that experience.
What is your favorite thing about being in the interdisciplinary BIS program at GSU?
Studying in the interdisciplinary environmental science program has been an amazing experience. I love taking coursework in geography, biology, and anthropology and making connections between these fields. I enjoy applying a geographical approach to large-scale biological questions, and I want to pursue graduate school in biogeography. I recently received the first ever Outstanding Environmental Science Senior award from the Geosciences Department, which was a great way to finish out my final year at Georgia State.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on quite a few projects right now! I’m the student leader of the GSU-SWJTU iGEM team. iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition in which collegiate teams create projects to solve local and global problems using synthetic biology. This year, we presented a biomanufacturing project to genetically modify algae to produce the bioplastic PHB, for which we were awarded a silver medal in the iGEM competition. I’m also a part of the Center for Disaster Informatics and Computational Epidemiology (DICE), where I am working on an HIV networking project.
Outside of GSU, I work as a sustainability intern for a biotechnology company. There, I helped establish targets to reduce their emissions by 42% by 2030, and I’m now developing projects to achieve these goals.
What are you planning to do after GSU and how do you think your BIS degree has prepared you for that?
I am planning to pursue a PhD after a gap year. I’m currently applying for jobs to explore different environmental fields before graduate school. At my sustainability internship, my BIS degree has given me a strong foundation of knowledge about climate change and mitigation strategies. The data analysis and visualization I learned through my coursework are also very important.