Western Washington University
EN-2: Student Orientation

Although not a required component of incoming student orientation, incoming freshmen students can elect to participate in several "Viking Launch" opportunities. Viking Launch is designed to provide incoming freshmen a strong, focused start-up to college life at Western. Research demonstrates that freshmen are most apt to succeed when they are socially and academically integrated within a campus community, when they are prepared and ready for their courses, and when they attend classes with an eye to their future goals and plans. Viking Launch is designed to help students successfully achieve these advantages before fall classes begin. Here are some of the Viking Launch course descriptions:

FYE ENVS 195: Digging Into Bellingham. Explore and engage with some of our region's most exciting community gardening and farming projects. Get your hands dirty alongside community leaders who are using healthy, local food to address pressing social issues like unemployment, depression, and climate change adaptation. We will learn about projects on campus, around town, and in the surrounding countryside. Ready to work outside, get inspired, explore, and play?

FYE ENVS 195: Environmental Impact and Sustainability. Explore climate science through research and field observations, with a special focus on the Nooksack River watershed and examine the environmental impacts of our energy, waste, food and transportation choices. Discover how local schools, governments, non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals are working together to help solve the problems associated with climate change and take action by participating in a service-learning project. Acquire carbon footprint analysis training and work with staff at the Washington Department of Ecology Bellingham field office to implement their ‘Carbon Smart at Work’ program. Document your experience with photographs, field audio and writing to create a culminating presentation.

MSCI 195: Intro to the Science of Sustainable Energy: The quest to develop scalable and economically-feasible sources of sustainable energy is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. This course explores the science and technology of sustainable energy, providing students a deeper understanding of the prospects and problems that need to be overcome. The class consists of a combination of lectures on topics including biofuels, wind, wave solar, and nuclear power, as well as field trips to local energy companies. A laboratory component includes hands-on activities such as the fabrication and testing of student-made solar cell devices.