Students in Alain Plante’s Global Seminar, Case Studies in Environmental Sustainability, stand beneath the Seljalandsfoss waterfall on the southern coast of Iceland in May 2019. The waterfall is part of a river that originates from a glacier atop Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that disrupted travel across Europe in 2010. Plante, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, chose Iceland as the course topic and destination because its rugged landscape, reputation as a renewable energy hub, and high levels of tourism allowed students to research topics ranging from climate change and energy production to land management and fisheries.
