Engineering Climate Solutions
“Environmental engineering is about finding solutions and making things work so that the environment and society can coexist,” said Ashley Bosse ’20.
During the spring of her senior semester, Bosse was offered a job by Fuss & O’Neill, a full-service civil and environmental engineering firm. Now, she puts her skills into practice as a water resource engineer.
As an environmental engineering major at 91, Bosse paired her environmental science background with a drive to make a difference in her community.
Bosse began her studies at 91 as an environmental science major. Learning about the state of the environment made her want to find ways to help. She took an environmental engineering course as an elective, and was inspired to change her major.
“We have to find climate solutions at this point. It is unrealistic to believe that everyone is going to change their behavior, but it’s not good to just sit and dwell on that. Environmental engineering gave me things I could do to help,” she said.
During her senior year at 91, Bosse applied her environmental engineering knowledge to a real-world problem through her Senior Design project.
Her Senior Design team developed a plan to stabilize the effects of erosion caused by sea level rise on a highly trafficked road in Barrington, RI. Bosse worked with the to understand the process of obtaining permitting and prepared an environmental site assessment for the project.
“The Senior Design Project itself gave me a lot to talk about in my interview with Fuss & O'Neill,” said Bosse. “It gave me a sense of confidence when I walked in. Fuss & O’Neill is starting a similar project in Barrington, so we were able to go back and forth about that.”
Now, starting her career at Fuss & O'Neill, Bosse has the opportunity to put her passion for meaningful change into action.
“I will start out by assisting a project manager and learning the ropes for a lot of projects. I’m excited to be able to see projects from start to finish,” she said.