Daniel White
My
college experience began in 1993 at Paul Smiths College in the northern Adirondacks.
After receiving my associate's degree in forest recreation in 1995, I completed
a summer internship as an environmental educator at the National Audubon Society's
Constitution Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary. My experience at Constitution Marsh
sparked a deep interest in aquatic ecology. After my summer internship, I
decided to take a break from my formal education and work towards building
other skills. I have apprenticed as a boat builder, and have worked for a
winery, as a short order cook, and as a carpenter for remodeling and residential
construction.
In 1999, while living in Albany, I took a distance-learning course in biology through SUNY Empire - reawakening my interest in the biological sciences. In the fall of 1999, I enrolled as a full-time student at SUNY Brockport. The Environmental courses offered, the proximity of the college to Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes, and the recommendations from my instructors at SUNY Empire were reasons why I chose SUNY Brockport.
I am currently a senior at SUNY Brockport working towards a BA. I have worked for the past two summers as a lab technician for the Water Quality and Limnology Lab here, on campus, under the guidance of Dr. Makarewicz. At this Work Study position, I have learned how to use an autoanalyser to measure phosphorus levels in lakes. This past summer, I received an ALCAN undergraduate fellowship through the Great Lakes Research Consortium to conduct a research project under Dr. Makarewicz's direction on the impact of hypolimnetic phosphorus loading to algae blooms in Sodus Bay.
I have found the teaching staff
at SUNY Brockport to be well versed in their fields and helpful to students
who share similar interests. I feel that my experience at SUNY Brockport will
enabled me to pursue graduate studies in aquatic ecology with confidence and
knowledge.
