“Following my graduation in 2000 from the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering with an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, I worked for five years as an environmental consultant to the manufacturing industry. In my job, I assisted companies at the plant level in maintaining compliance with federal and state air-quality regulations. However, I began to see how companies could move beyond mere compliance with enviromental standards by taking a pro-active approach to improving their processes and product designs.

“That realization led me to Natural Resources and Environment and its Sustainable Systems field of study and to the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, which is a partnership between Natural Resources and Environment and the Ross School of Business. Through the Erb Institute, I am enrolled as a dual-degree student in business and natural resources and environment.

“The real draw for me at Michigan was the collaborative relationship that exists between this school and the business school, as well as the Erb Institute’s unique systems approach to the study of how business and the environment intersect and impact each other. As an Erb student, I benefit from being at the intersection of two disciplines that historically have not shared the same priorities but, under a changing global landscape, are becoming increasingly more integrated.

“In the Sustainable Systems field of study, you have the opportunity to better understand how decisions in business, environment and engineering affect one another.

“I have enjoyed Professor Greg Keoleian’s course on energy systems and industrial ecology and Professor Andrew Hoffman’s course on organizational change and competitive environmental strategy. Greg Keoleian is the faculty advisor on my master’s project, “Michigan at a Climate Crossroads,” and his experience in life-cycle analysis has been very helpful to our five-member team. We are investigating how the state of Michigan can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions without adversely impacting the state economy and plan to present our findings to government officials and policy makers.

“When I complete my three-year dual-degree program, I feel I will be well qualified to work with a large manufacturing company on the development and integration of sustainable processes or to move into the alternative-fuel sector.”