My name is Katherine Rigotti and I am a junior at the Pennsylvania State University. While attending school, I am located in State College, Pennsylvania. I was born and raised in the suburbs of the greater Philadelphia area in a town called Horsham. I am a biology major with a focus in vertebrate physiology in hopes of attending medical school once I complete my undergraduate degree. Within the medical field I am interested in emergency medicine as well as cardiology. I am very interested in this course as not only a source of “escape” from my heavy science course-load, but also as a way to further educate myself on the world. I have not taken a geography class since middle school and we did not go any more in-depth than labeling countries on a map. This class is especially interesting as it adds human-environmental interactions, including the current drought facing California residents. This is intriguing, as well as applicable, as I have a lot of family in California and I usually go out West two to three times a year. 

One major issue of note from Module 1 is based on social science perspectives and the ways in which social and natural sciences are intertwined. Global Warming would not be considered a “new” idea, relatively speaking – at least in my lifetime, but it is especially important as we approach the presidential election. As an active voter, it is imperative to pay attention to each candidate’s plan to produce change, in terms of sustainability, for the future. Natural science is capable of providing evidence of the ways in which global warming is affecting the Earth, but understanding the social science behind this phenomenon will eventually provide the knowledge and tools required for today’s society to make a change based on the indication of human impact on the environment. Finally, environmental policy is another crucial concept as we draw closer to electing the upcoming presidential candidates. The policies that each candidate plans to enlist will ultimately determine the course of action in place to eradicate this environmental obstacle. Though the implementation of such policies may not seem obvious to everyone, all members of society, regardless of profession, age, race, or gender, will feel the effects of environmental policy.