Capstone Research Course Descriptions

The senior capstone courses investigate the causes of, and solutions to, selected environmental issues, problems, and policies through lectures, primary literature research, original data collection, laboratory and fieldwork, discussions, and guest presentations. Focuses on completion of a group research project with methods used by private consulting firms and governmental agencies to investigate the given issues at hand. Students work individually and collaboratively on a project with a common theme and are assigned unique roles as researchers, editors, and technical coordinators.  There are there three sections; science, domestic policy and international policy.  Research results are presented to stakeholders in a public forum the end of the semester. Civic engagement component provides useful information to the affected communities and gives students experience interacting with interested stakeholders. Skill development includes research, communication, and collaborative work skills.

As part of a capstone course, a portion of seniors in Colby’s Environmental Studies Department create an annual report on the ecology of a segment of the Belgrade Lakes system. Past studies have focused on individual lakes within the system; this year, students concentrated their studies on nutrient cycling in Great Pond. The students present their final report each year at a community meeting held at the Maine Lakes Resource Center.  A copy of the 2013 report is available.

The State of Maine’s Sustainable Seafood Systems investigates the benefits and potential of developing local seafood systems in Maine. One proposed solution to overfishing and underemployment in coastal communities is the development of seafood systems that are based on community-scale management and local distribution of seafood. These can be more sustainable than large-scale, industrialized fisheries for global markets and return more value to local residents. This type of solution is particularly relevant in Maine, due to the state’s more than 3,500 miles of shoreline, its long history of fishing in communities situated along coasts and rivers, and a growing interest among Maine’s consumers in maintaining and supporting local food systems. In this capstone course, students conduct original research on innovative initiatives aimed at increasing the sustainability of Maine’s seafood systems, using three case studies: town management of clams along Maine’s coast, town management of alewives along Maine’s rivers, and Community Supported Fisheries (CSFs) throughout the state. Each component of the final report includes analyses of the state of the resource and ecosystem, the legal framework providing the right to fish, and the economics of supporting community-scale fisheries in Maine.

Development Strategies and Environmental Policy in East AfricaEnvironmental Policy Update 2012: Development Strategies and Environmental Policy in East Africais the second in a series of reports written by the Colby Environmental Policy Group, a group of senior environmental policy majors at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.  This is the secondEast Africa Update report created by students enrolled in ES 493: Environmental Policy Practicum, taught by Assistant Professor Travis Reynolds. Reports from previous years focused on the state of Maine’s environment, and can be viewed on the State of Maine’s Environment page.The 2012 report examines seven topics of importance to Ethiopia: Philanthropy, Floriculture, Agriculture, Land-Use Management, Small Business Models, Waste Management, and Massive Hydropower.  For each issue, we explore the history of the topic, laws and institutions, stakeholders, the current state of the topic, and the implications of our findings that we relate to the future state of the topic.  We conclude each chapter with policy recommendations based on our analyses. To learn more about the authors see short biographies on the About Us page.To view a summary of the Environmental Policy Update 2012 report, see the Executive Summary. To download a complete pdf of the entire Environmental Policy Update 2012 report (26.5 MB) click here. To view and download individual chapters of the reports on-line, visit the Key Issues in Ethiopia 2012 page.To view powerpoint presentations summarizing the each individual chapter of the report, see the Student Presentations.