Environmental Science

Student Profile: Valerie George

“Most of my interests,” says Valerie George, “don’t fit together.”

Valerie is an artist, a short-story writer, a kayaker and an Ultimate Frisbee champion. She came to RIT because it seemed to her the best of both worlds—a rigorous science school with a great arts program.

What she’s liked best so far was being able to hit the ground running with science and lab courses. During her freshman year, she worked a co-op job providing environmental health and safety product support at Xerox Corp. It gave her a valuable inside look at environmental regulations from the corporate point of view.

Her sophomore year, she chose a summer co-op working with Professor Elizabeth N. Hane’s Northern Hardwood Calcium Cycling Project. A wilderness camper most of her life, Valerie favors this hands-on work outdoors.

“This year I aim to do a lot of research in the field,” she says. “I’m gaining skills I’m going to use my whole career.”