Student Aimee Aquino Receives National Student Exchange Achievement Award Award resulted from semester-long carbon research project at the University of Montana Aimee Aquino Aimee Aquino, a senior environmental science major and geology minor at William Paterson University, has received a National Student Exchange Achievement Honorable Award for a semester-long carbon research project at the University of Montana. The National Student Exchange Achievement Awards recognize students who demonstrate the best of their exchange participation. While priority is given to academic achievement, consideration is given to social welfare service, contribution to the campus or community environment, and unusual or creative use of time. Aquino spent the spring 2015 semester as an exchange student at the University of Montana. She worked with a team of students in a class on Environmental Policy on a project to help the institution meet in short- and long-term climate action plan goals. In addition to submitting a full written proposal, Aquino and the other students presented their findings to professors, deans, the sustainability committee and the university president. The team was awarded “Best Marketing Strategy” and one of the proposed carbon offsets was used to partially fulfill the University of Montana’s 2015 goal. She also volunteered with the university’s Foreign Student and Scholar Service office. An active researcher, Aquino spent the summer conducting field research and protecting sea turtles as a Student Conservation Association intern at Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina, where she collected data on sea turtle nestings and strandings. Her primary responsibilities included protecting and relocating nests in case of flooding to ensure reproductive success of an endangered species of turtles. She worked closely with professionals using hand-held GPS systems to collect and report her findings. The high point of the summer came when she observed her first loggerhead hatchlings in one of the nests. “Seeing sea turtle hatchlings run their way to the ocean is a magical experience and one I’ll always remember,” says Aquino. She looks forward to working in the conservation field and possibly with the National Park Service after graduation.
