North Branford's Marissa Bale Presents Environmental Project

Marissa Bale presents environmental capstone project at Bates College

LEWISTON, ME -- Marissa Bale of Northford, Conn., presented the results of their environmental studies capstone project titled, "Finalizing and Completing the Lewiston/Auburn Heritage Trail". Bale, the child of Allen E. Bale of Northford, Conn. and Jacquelyn Baron of Wallingford, Conn., and a 2015 graduate of North Branford High School, worked with two other students, Tess Black of Los Angeles, Calif., and Zeke Smith of Weybridge, England, on the project.

As part of their environmental studies major, Bale, completed courses in natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities in addition to a 200-hour internship and the community-engaged capstone course in which groups of students pair with a community organization to bring scientific and other types of expertise to a specific project that addresses a community-identified need. Bates' environmental studies program is a national model for building civic engagement into academic programs.

Darby Ray, director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, said, "The Bates environmental studies program exemplifies the high impact of community-engaged learning. The program weaves public engagement into the fabric of the major, producing valuable outcomes not only for the students, but also for the off-campus community partners with whom they collaborate."