See what your fellow students are saying about E-Corps

Excerpts from Environment Corps Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) forms and student emails to instructors. (Last updated Spring 2023).

Climate Corps

• Overall, the Climate Corps independent study program provided an experience for me that is incomparable with the rest of my time at UConn. It gave me the opportunity to work with a real organization that has their finger on the pulse and is making a difference in climate adaptation. I also learned valuable lessons on working with others, in both educational and professional settings. If I ever needed validation for pursuing the major I did, I think this is perhaps the best indicator so far that I have made the right decision. (Climate Corps, Spring 2023).
• Thank you for a great semester! This honestly was the best college course I've taken. (Climate Corps, Spring 2023).
• Overall this internship has been amazing and the things I have learned are unforgettable. I enjoyed spending time with my peers discussing our project as well as the others in our class. We all had projects suited to us and it was great to see them develop and come along as ours did. Trying to solve real-world problems from your college apartment seems kind of unfathomable but when you communicate with your mentors frequently and check in on how the expectations change as new information comes along it is very manageable. (Climate Corps, Spring 2023).
• This was the most fulfilling course I have ever had the pleasure of taking. (Climate Corps, Spring 2023).
• The best part of this independent study must have been working collaboratively with an organization working to get things done. I was able to feel good about dedicating so much time to this project, knowing that this more so than any assignment would contribute to something productive and real. (Climate Corps, Spring 2023).
• This class gave me something that I have never experienced in other courses. When we learn theoretical knowledge in school, this knowledge is acquired through classroom instruction, reading books, reference materials, etc. Although this knowledge is essential, they are only a conceptual understanding and lacks application in real scenarios. Therefore, we need to translate this theoretical knowledge into practical skills in our internship to meet workplace challenges truly. (Climate Corps, Spring 2023).
• I went into this semester hoping to gain skills that would help me to be successful career wise pursuing something in this field, and after completing this project I feel much more confident in my skills. (Climate Corps, Spring 2023).
• My favorite part of this project was navigating the socio-cultural factors that influence such decisions… As I’ve continued to encounter more opportunities in university, the projects that tend to be the most impactful are also the most applicable. These projects may take more effort and patience, but the payoff is worth far beyond a course grade or bragging item on a resume. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to assist in influencing and guiding an impact that will be sustained by generations long past my own. (Climate Corps, Spring 2023).

Stormwater Corps

• The way the teacher actively used many different elements of life to teach this course. I felt at home whenever in the classroom and that only help my learning opportunities and made me eager to go back to the class. Making a positive environmental effort while also building relationships in class through fun group collaboration made learning this material fun. (Stormwater Corps, Spring 2023).
• The hands on component of the course was especially valuable. I really enjoy the "field" components and the ability to apply what we have learned in the course to the real world. (Stormwater Corps, Spring 2023).
• I found that the real world applications of the topics that we were learning about drew me in further into the material that was being presented on each week. We often went outside to actually see and test the things that we learned about. I particularly liked that there was minimal homework for this course, which allowed me to spend more energy engaging with the material in the class rather than stressing about work done outside of class. The homework that was given was meaningful and promoted learning the material of the course and reinforcing what I knew. (Stormwater Corps, Spring 2023).
• This class is truly one of the best classes I have taken at UConn and I am looking forward to applying all I have learned to the practicum semester. (Stormwater Corps, Spring 2023).
• The level of engagement and closeness in this class exceeded every other class I have ever taken here. I always felt that I was included and actively participating. professor Dietz gave helpful feedback on any assignment he did, and he valued the idea of hands on learning and actually took us outside on several occasions. (Stormwater Corps Spring 2022).
• The hands–on experience with the different green stormwater infrastructure that we learned about in class made our learning translate into real–world observations. By making our own pervious concrete and touring the different practices around campus, students were able to see and feel what we were learning about. By having us create solutions for stormwater issues on campus, we have the ability to positively impact student life for years to come, and that is something very unique that is hard for other courses and instructors to accomplish. (Stormwater Corps Spring 2022).
• This is definitely one of my favorite classes and I'm really glad I chose to take this. In a way, this class has inspired me with a topic that I can see myself going into as a profession and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to going deeper and learning more about LID's in the practicum course this fall. it was a great course and the group of professors really made it better. I don't know if it would have been as good with any other professors. (Stormwater Corps Spring 2022).
• This course is an amazing one that should be taken by every student. The amount of learning that was accomplished and the real–life impact the material has on the students is vital in creating a generation that is aware of environmental issues regarding stormwater. (Stormwater Corps Spring 2022).

Brownfields Corps

• Fantastic course. Gives valuable experience to students (resume–worthy) and has a positive impact on the surrounding community. (Brownfields Corps, Fall 2022).
• I enjoyed having guest lecturers who provided different perspectives and experiences. Allowed me to gain insight into different career paths. (Brownfields Corps, Fall 2022).
• Fascinating course that has an undeniably positive impact upon the surrounding community. Engaging with town representatives made this project exceptionally rewarding. (Brownfields Corps, Fall 2022).
• I feel that the content was a class that related very well with actual preparation for what to expect when working as an environmental engineer. (Brownfields Corps Fall 2021).
• This course is very beneficial for the intended majors to take, as it provides real–life experience in the environmental field that serves as good exposure. (Brownfields Corps Fall 2021).
• By far my most valuable experience at UConn. How higher education should be, but some departments fail to recognize. (Brownfields Corps Spring 2021)
• Dr. B is patient and always willing to engage with students by encouraging them to ask questions. Lectures were gone through at a good pace (beginning of semester) and helped prepare me for the following project. I always felt supported in this course when communicating with the instructor(s). (Brownfields Corps Spring 2021).
• I loved the way we were able to have a lot of our own free time to manage doing the work in this class. It was difficult, but a great learning experience. (Brownfields Corps Spring 2021).
• Everything was very hands on in this internship, I learned so much about a field in environmental science and say that I have gained experience and got to know the field very well. (Brownfields Corps Spring 2021).