Meet a Student: Samantha Haughton ’19

August 6, 2017

Name: Sammie Haughton
Hometown: Severna Park, MD
Major: Environmental Science BS-Quantitative Energy Systems Track
Minor: Computer Science
Expected graduation: May 2019

What drew you to your major? 

I came into college undecided, but have always been interested in the Environment, so I took ENEC 201 my first semester. I loved it, and was particularly intrigued by our unit on “smart cities”. I wanted to learn more about the topic so I went to a guest speaker’s lecture on campus. Since then I’ve been pursuing the Environmental Informatics dual-degree in hopes of gaining skills such as data analysis, programming, and modeling to apply in a career in helping create smart cities. Dr. Gangi has offered me a lot of guidance since my first year as an undergraduate and also played an integral part in my interest towards the field.

Have you had any jobs or internships related to your major? 

Last summer I worked for a non-profit called GOBike Buffalo in Buffalo New York. They have a variety of projects and initiatives, focused on improving biking conditions in the city. I worked with local government officials on policies surrounding infrastructure in the city, as well as outreach programs to teach cycling safety and encourage biking as a healthy, sustainable mode of transportation.

This past spring I started working at the Environmental Finance Center on campus. I am a Student Data Analyst and have helped conduct Water and Wastewater Utility Rates Surveys in several states including North Carolina, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

What has been your favorite environmental studies/science course? 

I really enjoyed ENEC 490 which is a Special Topics course and changes every semester. The section I took was Energy Analytics and we worked with Matlab to learn modeling skills and apply them to answer questions and solve problems utilities might face.

Next fall I am signed up to complete my capstone research project, focused on smart cities which I am also really looking forward to.

What are your non-academic hobbies or interests? 

I am a Group Fitness Instructor for Campus Recreation and love teaching Zumba and Barre. I also enjoy dancing, reading, and spending time outdoors, especially on the water. I recently started teaching myself to play guitar but that’s a much more recent hobby!