How does Washington State handle matters of environmental protection? Come find out!

 

Hannah Aoyagi '01
She/Her/Hers
Major: Special Interdisciplinary Major in Environmental Policy
Job Title: Operations Planner
Organization: WA Department of Ecology

Date: 2020 TBA
Time: TBA
Location: Lacey, WA
 

We asked Hannah...

How would you describe your role and organization?

Department of Ecology is our state's environmental protection agency. We work on a wide range of issues, including air quality, water quality, water resources, ecological monitoring, hazardous waste, and even nuclear waste. I'm in the Toxics Cleanup Program, which cleans up contaminated sites all around the state.

I'm the Operations Planner for our program, which means I get to know a little bit about everything we do. I organize leadership and professional development for our staff. I also work on a lot of projects designed to make us more efficient and effective in our work.

What can a student expect to experience by job shadowing you?

I can tailor the experience to the student's interests by setting up time with a wide variety of staff at our agency. For example, those interested in field research could talk with our Environmental Assessment Program. We also have policy-makers, planners, environmental educators, engineers, and geologists.

A possible mini-project could be to interview a couple of staff for a profile in one of our program or agency publications. A building tour gives a great sense for what it's like to work here—posters and photos of our work, the garden where we grow food to donate, and the fun art throughout the building.