Jordan Morrison keeps blazing new paths in environmental education.
Jordan Morrison, a Class of 2023 graduate and double-main in biology and education research, was capable to combine her interests in science and education at Higher Point University. That mixture produced a specialized profession path she plans to comply with.
“HPU helped me obtain my targets by delivering possibilities for me to mix my interests by way of interdisciplinary research inside the honors system and analysis projects,” mentioned Morrison, a native of Loveland, Ohio. “I’ve been capable to tackle scientific queries and educational outreach in exclusive techniques due to the fact of this.”
Jordan Morrison will perform as an environmental scientist with Burns & McDonnell, an architecture and engineering business with extra than five,300 scientists, engineers, architects, consultants, building specialists and entrepreneurs.
Following graduation, she will perform as an environmental scientist with Burns & McDonnell, an architecture and engineering business with extra than five,300 scientists, engineers, architects, consultants, building specialists and entrepreneurs. Even though the 125-year-old business is primarily based in Kansas City, Missouri, Morrison will perform in its Greenville, South Carolina, workplace and travel regularly to survey web-sites about the United States and Canada.
Taking Investigation New Locations
The challenge of travel does not faze Morrison. The Fulbright U.S. Student semifinalist traveled across the nation to present a number of analysis projects and land fascinating internships though at HPU.
Jordan Morrison, a Fulbright U.S. Student semifinalist, traveled across the nation to present a number of analysis projects and land fascinating internships though at HPU.
“My most current conference presentation was at the National Conference on Undergraduate Investigation (NCUR) at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire, Wisconsin,” mentioned Morrison, who was also a member of HPU’s Strickland Women’s LIFT Fellows. “I presented the findings from a collaborative project with the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and the Greensboro Science Center, exactly where I analyzed how augmented reality tools could be utilized as an instructional tool in science museums and zoos.”
Morrison credits a lot of of her faculty mentors at HPU with encouraging her to discover informal careers in education. Inside the Biology Division, she identified Dr. Nicole Hughes, associate professor of biology, and Dr. Kelli Sapp, associate professor of biology and co-director of Organic Sciences Fellows, to be terrific function models for a future lady in science.
Dr. Leslie M. Cavendish, an associate professor and chair of the Division of Educator Preparation in the Stout College of Education, was Morrison’s mentor at HPU.
Dr. Leslie M. Cavendish, an associate professor and chair of the Division of Educator Preparation in the Stout College of Education, was Morrison’s mentor by way of an independent study that permitted her to increase accessibility to Disney’s conservation education system. Cavendish continued to help Morrison by way of her profession exploration.
Blazing trails for other folks
“My ‘coolest’ internship expertise was becoming a conservation education intern at Disney’s Animal Kingdom,” mentioned Morrison. “I spent eight months in the park sharing lessons about animals, plants and conservation projects about the planet. I spoke to extra than 500 guests per day, so I felt like I had a major effect in connecting folks to the atmosphere about them.”
Jordan Morrison chats with Dr. Leslie Cavendish, in the Stout College of Education Children’s Library.
Cavendish chuckled as she recalled seeing Goofy and other Disney characters in the background as she communicated with Morrison for the duration of her internship.
“Jordan seeks challenges and possibilities, and regularly exceeds expectations,” mentioned Cavendish. “Jordan’s path to graduation involved a lot of adjustments along the way, and by way of her versatile considering that permitted her to build possibilities for herself, she has shown herself to be a correct leader. I have had the terrific fortune to perform closely with Jordan by way of an independent study and am delighted that other folks are seeing her not just for her academic abilities (which are exceptionally powerful) but also for her leadership abilities. Somebody when told me there are 3 techniques to demonstrate leadership – ‘by instance, by instance and by instance.’ This is Jordan Morrison.
“One instance of her trailblazing is how she sought possibilities beyond the HPU campus to be capable to teach outdoors of classic college walls,” mentioned Cavendish. “In the Animal Kingdom, she taught lessons relating to ecology and sustainability. She even expanded Walt Disney Globe offerings by designing ‘conservation pop-up stations’ for the Animal Kingdom. All through her independent study, Jordan shared her issues concerning equity and limitations of a lot of households who would otherwise not be capable to expertise the finding out possibilities there.
As an intern at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Jordan Morrison shared lessons about animals, plans and conservation projects.
“Jordan then took action by developing a web site, applying abilities and tactics she discovered though teaching in the Animal Kingdom. Her purpose with the internet site was to empower all youngsters to actively participate in finding out about the planet about them by way of applying scientific inquiry practices in ecology and conservation. This is leadership in education! She is currently blazing her personal path in the field of education by way of major by instance. Without having providing up her adore of teaching, she has expanded her effect and continues to construct possibilities for other folks to attempt new educational approaches supplying finding out far beyond classroom borders.”
Morrison mentioned one particular of the most critical life abilities she discovered was how to engage and interact with folks from backgrounds distinct from her personal.
“This has helped me differentiate education lessons and conservation messages inside my perform to engage diverse audiences,” mentioned Morrison.
As an environmental scientist, her passion for conversation and teaching other folks will now continue in a new, fascinating profession.