Peer Academic Coaching for Environmental Studies and Sciences

Ellie Runiewicz '24 - PAC Captain

Major Biology Minor Environmental Science 

About Me: Hi! I’m a junior at Skidmore and from Swarthmore, PA. When not at PAC, you can find me jamming, dancing & frolicking with buddies.  

Why PAC? PAC has always been an awesome place for me talk through my problems. Whether you’re working through a new concept, going over a lab report or answering a problem set, I’ve found explaining your thought process to someone else can be incredibly helpful in better understanding it yourself. More often than not, you’ll find you already knew the answer! 

Fav Class My favorite class at Skidmore has been Comparative Vertebrate Physiology. It was awesome to learn about how different systems in the body allow organisms to survive environmental challenges.  

Academic Advice? My biggest piece of academic advice would be repetition. I’ve found the most helpful tool in studying for any test or exam is always rote memorization. Quizlet flash cards or rewriting notes are a great way to organize and retain information.  

Emily Healy '25

About me: Hi there! I’m from upstate NY, practically Canada. I spent the past summer working in the field across California soil sampling for carbon. Feel free to ask about it! When I’m not traveling, I love to hike, swim, and spend time with my friends.

Why PAC?: I found PAC very helpful my first year and I also think the best way to learn a subject is to teach it.

Favorite class and why?: My favorite class was ES 105. I loved sampling and learning in the field and on Loughberry Lake.

Academic advice: Use a planner! It doesn’t have to complicated or fancy but use something to keep yourself and your time organized.

Ben Frank '24   

About me: Hi, I’m Ben and I am a Junior at Skidmore. I am from a small rural town in Maine called Pownal which is where I grew to love being around nature and the environment. This summer, I worked for the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado doing agrivoltaics research (agriculture underneath solar panels) and soil sampling. I love hiking in the Adirondacks, mountain biking, skiing, you know, the classic ES major hobbies.

Why PAC? I love Environmental Science! I think it is an amazing field of study and the most important thing you can learn about in school because the future of the entire world depends on it. I want to help make it as accessible to people as possible, so if you’re having trouble, don’t give up! I want to help!

Favorite Class and Why? I recently took Regenerative Systems with Professor Covey and loved it. We learned to think about the environment through a “regenerative” perspective rather than the traditional “sustainable” perspective which was super interesting. No one tell Covey about this because he won’t let it go if he finds out I said that about his class…

Academic Advice: Work with your peers (when permitted of course). In ES, there are very few assignments that are strictly solo work. Find people and make a study group! You will all be able to learn from each other and grow much more as a collective than on your own.