In the College of Arts and Sciences, students do more than simply learn about the world. They learn how to change it for the better, thanks to a liberal arts education that gives them the versatility to make a difference in whatever direction life leads.
Consider graduates from the (EES). Working alongside faculty whose expertise ranges from solid earth sciences to paleoclimatology to water resources, they gain hands-on experience through field work, geochemical and geophysical methods, quantitative analysis and professional skills development. This comprehensive training as scholar-scientists prepares students to shape environmental policy, advance climate science, innovate sustainable solutions and inspire public engagement with the natural world.
A&S recently caught up with EES alumni whose prominent roles include advising Congress on environmental legislation and designing sustainable footwear. Their diverse career paths reflect how an A&S education equips graduates to solve problems that demand both subject-matter expertise and humanistic insight.
Bringing Sustainability to Footwear
Walk into any major shoe store, and you might spot a product inspired by Earth sciences alum Pete Lankford ’87, ’92. Among iconic designs he helped create is Timberland’s , known for its distinctive golden-tan color. During his career at Timberland, Lankford didn’t just design trend-driven footwear; he also pioneered sustainability in the industry through the Earthkeepers brand, using eco-friendly materials and design principles.
Lankford’s path to becoming a pioneer of sustainable footwear was far from linear, but his time at 网爆门 provided the crucial foundation. After initially enrolling in Syracuse’s architecture program, he discovered the field wasn’t the right fit. Drawing on his family background, where his father was an oceanographer and geology professor, he switched to Earth sciences. There, he developed a passion for studying the Earth that would carry throughout his career.
“The thing I love about geology, and this is why it translates to design, is you have to imagine what was there before,” he says. “You have to imagine the forces that created what you’re seeing. You’re not just looking at what’s there. You’re trying to figure out what was there and what happened.”
A pivotal moment that shaped Lankford鈥檚 career trajectory came during his junior and senior years at Syracuse, when he took on a work-study position in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. His responsibilities ranged from preparing thin sections of rock samples for microscopic analysis to photo-documenting paleontology specimens for graduate students and faculty, as well as assisting with the construction of test equipment.
It was during this time that his supervisor, who was a department technician in EES and was also a student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts鈥 Industrial Design (ID) program, introduced him to the field of ID. “The idea instantly appealed to me,” Lankford recalls, attracted to the opportunity to create diverse products and master the entire design process.
Lankford stayed at Syracuse to pursue a second undergraduate degree in Industrial Design. This unique combination of Earth science and design became his signature advantage during his 18 years at Timberland, where CEO Jeffrey Swartz tapped him to lead sustainability initiatives. Lankford’s geological knowledge proved extremely important to this work.
鈥淚f you’re going to think about sustainability, you have to understand the carbon cycle,” says Lankford. 鈥淢y degree in a field of science also taught me the power of a logic-based approach to problem solving鈥攆or example, through the scientific method of observation, hypothesis, testing, evaluation and conclusions.鈥 His foundational education in science became invaluable as he pioneered sustainable footwear, creating what he calls his “critical creative mindset” that allows him to shift fluidly back and forth between ‘what if’ and then ‘how.’
After his time at Timberland, Lankford joined Erem, a startup founded by the Swartz family to advance sustainable footwear even further. There, he developed performance desert hikers designed to return safely and completely to the Earth鈥攁ble to reenter the carbon cycle without causing harm. Erem described this approach as 鈥渂io-circular,鈥 highlighting the footwear鈥檚 ability to break down naturally and responsibly.
“That was probably the biggest career challenge in my life,” Lankford says, describing months spent sourcing eco-friendly materials like dry, twisted linen thread from obscure manufacturers. The Erem work became what he calls “the best work I’ve ever done,” landing a product that changed the industry conversation from whether sustainable performance footwear was possible to how competitors could catch up. For Lankford, his Syracuse education, bridging Earth Sciences and Industrial Design, was the first step toward his trailblazing career in sustainable footwear.
Informing Environmental Policy on Capitol Hill
Keeping our oceans safe requires a complex set of specific regulations. From managing fishing quotas to protecting marine ecosystems as climate change threatens habitats, the United States Congress can legislate and provide important oversight to safeguard this critical resource. Without congressional intervention, some short-term interests could damage the ocean ecosystems that humanity depends on for its survival and prosperity. But in order to act on policy proposals, members of Congress must first understand them. That’s where Caitlin Keating-Bitonti ’09 comes in.
Keating-Bitonti works as a natural resources policy specialist for the Congressional Research Service, where she applies her scientific training to help members of Congress make informed policy decisions. She uses analytical skills she developed at Syracuse, such as synthesizing complex information, evaluating evidence objectively and communicating findings clearly, as the backbone of her daily work.
“What I like about the job is helping them get the information they need to make their own sound decisions,” she explains. She takes pride in knowing that behind the scenes, “things aren’t very political. Both sides are just trying to do good policy, and we’re trying to help them with the research and analysis to get them there.”
Being able to apply her knowledge to make a difference for the better is something she aspired to as a student at Syracuse, where she worked with EES Professor . During her first semester, she began working in Ivany’s paleontology lab, a position she maintained throughout her undergraduate years.
That early research experience proved transformative. With Ivany’s mentorship, Keating-Bitonti wrote and published a peer-reviewed paper in the journal , a significant milestone at that stage of academic training. The research examined ancient shell fossils from the U.S. Gulf Coast to understand what Earth’s climate was like 52 to 54 million years ago鈥攐ne of the warmest periods in recent geological history. Her findings revealed that ocean temperatures then were surprisingly similar to today, just a few degrees warmer, offering insights into what our planet might look like as it continues to warm.
The mentorship model she experienced at Syracuse continues to shape her approach to her work. Just as Ivany gave her autonomy while providing guidance, Keating-Bitonti now helps policymakers navigate complex issues by presenting options without bias.
“The Earth sciences department just went above and beyond for me,” she says when reflecting on her time at Syracuse. Her education鈥攑articularly Ivany’s encouragement to tackle challenging research, embrace intellectual rigor and persevere through setbacks鈥攂uilt the foundation for a career serving the public good through analysis that shapes national policy.
