These Adelphi students have used their degrees to forge different career paths.
As we face ongoing issues like climate change and pollution, environmentalism has become a hot topic in today’s world. From reducing waste to investing in renewable energy, private companies, universities and the federal government have taken various measures to cut down carbon footprints and enhance sustainability to ensure a greener future.
To drive this mission forward, Adelphi offers several degrees in environmentalism, from a BA in Environmental Studies and a BS in Environmental Science to an MS in Environmental Studies. Through these programs, students are exposed to various environmental topics and fields, learn from experienced faculty, and gain the tools they need not only to achieve success, but also to have a positive impact on the planet. For some students, a degree from Adelphi combined with a higher degree achieves a goal of landing in the field of research and academia. Others work for companies that focus on environmentalism, sustainability, or environmental health and safety.
Here are some of the career paths our Adelphi alumni have taken with these degrees.
Pursuing Research and Academia
Elizabeth Buccheri ’18
After graduating from high school, Elizabeth Buccheri ’18 knew she was interested in environmental sciences and conservation but wasn’t sure which area she wanted to focus on. Her answer: Adelphi’s BA in Environmental Studies. “Adelphi provided me with a broad understanding of the field of environmental science and gave me opportunities to test out all different disciplines at once, so I could better understand what I wanted to do,” she said.
Buccheri obtained hands-on experience working in laboratories and fieldwork procedures. She credits the faculty, particularly Aaren Freeman, PhD, Matthias Foellmer, PhD, and Beth Christensen, PhD, for giving her the support, skills and knowledge she needed to take her career in any direction.
It was Buccheri’s study abroad experience in Australia, though, that ultimately decided her career path in marine science. “It was my first time studying tropical ecosystems like rainforests and coral reefs, and the diversity blew my mind,” she said. “It was the best introduction to marine science fieldwork that I could have ever imagined.”
After graduating from Adelphi, Buccheri pursued a Master of Science in conservation science from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. From there, she pursued a PhD in coral reef ecology. She conducted research on the Great Barrier Reef while working as a tutor and leading field courses to the reef. She recently submitted her PhD thesis and hopes to have her doctorate confirmed within the next few months.
Buccheri is now back in New York, where she is making her first foray into an academic career as an adjunct professor at Adelphi. She plans to continue pursuing research and teaching at the university level, preferably in marine science and conservation. “My dream would be to put all of the things that I’m passionate about into one career where I could teach, do my own research, and lead international field courses to share these wonderful experiences with the next generation of scientists.”
From Environmental Studies to Environmental Health and Safety
Jonathan Ciappetta ’08, MS ’10
Jonathan Ciappetta ’08, MS ’10, began his journey at Adelphi as a biology major with plans to enter the medical field. After taking a few courses in the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences and enjoying them so much, he added a minor. By sophomore year he had the same number of credits in environmental studies as in biology. He had a decision to make.
Ciappetta realized that his true interests and passions were in studying environmental policies and how they impact the world around us—and switched his major to environmental studies. Then, in his senior year of undergraduate studies, he was working closely with a professor on an independent study project that expanded upon his work with the Town of Hempstead Department of Conservation and Waterways, studying losses in salt marsh habitat on the South Shore of Long Island. The decision to pursue his MS in Environmental Studies, and the idea for a large portion of his graduate thesis, was born when he realized the need to conduct core sampling to validate habitat losses he had been studying through historical aerial photographs.
Continuing his efforts with the Town of Hempstead for his graduate program, Ciappetta worked with endangered species, monitored water quality in the South Shore Estuary and worked on sustainability initiatives. “It was fascinating to see environmental regulations put into practice so close to Adelphi.”
Ciappetta’s first full-time job was as an environmental specialist with a consulting firm that focuses on hazardous material compliance programs in sectors such as higher education, healthcare, biotechnology, government and pharmaceuticals. This position gave him real-world, in-depth experience in the environmental regulations he learned about in college and a view into how businesses comply with those regulations.
In time, Ciappetta became specialized in working with healthcare accounts, playing an integral role in designing compliance programs for healthcare institutions. In 2019, he made the move to Mount Sinai Health System as director of compliance for its real estate department, working to tackle environmental, health and safety issues. Ciappetta’s role focuses on maintaining various aspects of regulatory compliance for agencies such the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York City Fire Department and the Department of Health at nearly 300 clinics, administrative offices and residential locations managed by the Mount Sinai Health System.
Ciappetta says his courses at Adelphi taught him skills that have proved essential in his career. “I learned to research the social, economic and technical aspects of policy and developed an understanding of the numerous perspectives to environmental issues and their implications, which often go deeper than the surface,” he said.
The Future of Environmentalism
With the recent transition to a new presidential administration, the future of environmental health and issues remains unclear. An early sign of a change in direction is the executive order issued to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty signed by multiple countries that takes on climate change, which has critics are concerned that the administration will continue to disregard environmental health and policy.
Elizabeth Buccheri, however, remains optimistic. “The people that decide to work in this space are incredibly passionate and hardworking and make it possible for this field to continue.” While she acknowledges that the upcoming administration will make major changes, she believes that it’s important for people, now more than ever, to support their local and state-led environmental initiatives and continue to fight for the planet.