Everyday news outlets report stories involving environmental issues. While these headlines do inform us about what is happening, I find that many times a lack of knowledge on the subject prevents us from truly understanding what is happening and what it means to us as a society. Part of this disconnect between issues and understanding is in part due to the perception that science is a complicated subject and not meant for everyone; this is not true. My goal is to bring to light the current topics related to science (particularly environmental science) and provide the background information necessary for all of us to be able to have a true understanding of what is happening. The reason I want to do this is simply to educate others. True understanding, uninhibited by political influence can allow us as a society to draw practical conclusions and help us find solutions that are not influenced by the so-called “special interest.” I do realize that many solutions will need to be initialized through political action, but that is to come after a basic understanding of the situation. This is not a political blog, but an educational blog on topics that are likely to have a strong political component. As stewards of the environment we must understand the science behind the issues first and then come together as a unified body to find solutions, which will then require political action to manifest itself. This is the first step in the ladder, education.
My name is Nate Jessee and I am a Michigan native and still a proud citizen of my home town, Ypsilanti. I have been fortunate enough to attend the University of Michigan-Dearborn and earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Earth Science and a Master’s of Science in Environmental Science. I am currently an assistant research scientist at the Michigan Tech Research Institute, MTRI (a research institute of Michigan Technological University). While I am in the early stages of my career as a scientists I have the privilege of working with some leading scientists in the Great Lakes region, which I learn from the everyday. During my studies at U of M-Dearborn and work at MTRI I have primarily focused on water quality issues including watershed analysis, chemical water quality, Great Lakes water quality, ground water dynamics, and water pollution sources. Aside from research on water quality I also have a working knowledge of air quality, geological phenomena, solar phenomena, climate change, soil characteristics and importance, agriculture, and transportation.
Other interest of mine (outside of science) include ideas of thought, pragmatism, principal-agent concepts, music, and cooking.
Feel free to contact me through email at nate.jessee@gmail.com
Science for Everyone: Understanding Our Environment 