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Degree: B.S. Environmental Sciences
Occupation: Master of Engineering and MBA candidate at Cornell University
Experiential learning: Internship with AstraZeneca, research with faculty about climate change
Campus involvement: Division I swimming and diving team, tour guide, academic tutor, Baccalaureate Honors Program, Rider University Green Team
Making a sustainable difference
During her internship with AstraZeneca in its safety, health and environment department, Allison Stewart ’25 participated in discussions with the company’s engineers about how to address sustainability challenges. The problem-solving skills she witnessed fueled her desire to make a meaningful impact in the world.
Earning a scholarship to Cornell University, she is pursuing her master’s in biological and environmental engineering and an MBA.
“I feel like there’s a real need for solutions and positive change, and that’s the driver of wanting to get an engineering degree, because it is focused on solutions,” Allison says.
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Researching climate change
As an undergraduate student, Allison conducted research with two faculty members focused on climate change. In one project, she discovered that land is sinking in four counties of southern New Jersey due to groundwater being pumped out. In another, she spent three years working alongside other universities to generate data about how the climate has changed in Southeast Asia over the past 500 to 1,000 years by measuring tree rings and making inferences about past events.
“I know plenty of undergrads who are studying science, but not many who have gotten to work with these global and international samples. I didn’t come into college thinking that I have to study trees, but it opened up that world of science to me,” she says.