“I’m interested in places we don’t necessarily think of as the environment,” says Dylan Metsch-Ampel ’19 of Montclair, N.J.
Such as the built environment of Lewiston’s downtown, which was the topic of his environmental studies honors thesis, “Sense of Place in Kennedy Park: the Role of Urban Green Space in the Tree Streets Neighborhood.”
Metsch-Ampel’s research on Lewiston’s downtown park supported an effort, undertaken by the Healthy Neighborhoods Planning Council, to make the district a healthier, happier place.
Writing the thesis left him feeling that he’d had “a tangible effect on the community that I’ve been living in for four years,” said Metsch-Ampel, who was recently honored by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships for his outstanding community-engaged academic work.
Video by Phyllis Graber Jensen
As an Admission tour guide, Metsch-Ampel has had an effect on the Bates environment, too.
“One thing I always tell prospective Bates students and their families is that Bates is a place that’s going to push you outside of your comfort zone while providing all the right resources and the right help.”
