Lender Global Student Fellows Learn About UK Environmental Sustainability
Among the students studying in the Syracuse Abroad London program this semester are three undergraduates who were selected for unique research opportunities as Lender Global research fellows. Since the semester began, they have engaged in hands-on learning by visiting famous environmental sites and examining social justice topics focused on the environment.
The Lender Global program expands existing Lender Center for Social Justice student research opportunities, offered on campus or at sites in the U.S., by broadening the scope of social justice research to include examinations with global dimensions. The research is customized to students’ interests and location. London is the inaugural site for the Lender Global program, which was announced last fall.
After arriving in the U.K., “Green Britain” course participants visited several environmentally designed and redeveloped sites in Wales, led by Becca Farnum, London Center instructor and Syracuse Abroad’s community engagement specialist, and Lender Center Director Kendall Phillips. They toured the Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay, Principality Stadium, the National Museum, St. Fagans Museum of National History and Big Pit National Coal Museum to learn about geographies, ecosystems, climate challenges, environmental preservation policies and cultural practices, as well as sustainable design.
The Lender Global student research fellows describe how their involvement in the program and participation in the course is already enlightening them on how environmental issues are treated worldwide.
Jude Bazerman ’26 is a dual major in broadcast and digital journalism in the Newhouse School of Public Communications and geography in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He believes his study abroad experience in the U.K. and Europe in general—regions he says have long been at the forefront of positive environmental change—will support his goal of becoming a TV news reporter whose focus is consumer and environmental stories.
“This experience has been hands-on, and that’s how I like to learn, rather than in a classroom with a couple hundred other people. As someone studying outside the U.S. for the first time, I would not have put Wales and Cornwall on my bucket list. But interacting with Welsh people and exploring various sites in Wales has been fantastic.”
Bazerman says his experience so far has taught him how to pivot and how to keep an open mind about new possibilities. “Leaving London and traveling in Wales just a few days after our arrival here has helped me learn to adapt quickly. Becca Farnum has taught me not to write anything off before you’ve had the chance to learn about it and experience it. I’ve learned that you have to adapt on your toes and roll with whatever comes your way. Those are skills I will use after I graduate and in my career.”
Gabrielle McCafferty ’25, a dual biology and psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, plans to eventually earn a doctorate in physical therapy. She says she comes from an environmentally conscious family that has long participated in sustainability practices.
Her time in London and trip to Wales have provided a new awareness of how other countries approach environmental concerns, she says. “I’ve seen a lot of sustainability features here that you don’t see as much of in the United States. Recycling bins are located everywhere. There are no paper towel dispensers, only electric hand dryers. The Welsh parliament’s windowed design and water-operated heating and cooling system is the most sustainable building I’ve ever seen. It has shown me how the little things add up here and that the United Kingdom has a very firm grasp on the environment. It is obviously working on a very sustainable future.”
Abdulai Jibril Barrie ’26, an industrial and interaction design major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, plans a career in footwear and product design geared toward addressing community challenges and creating solutions.
He says past visits to Ecuador, Senegal, Egypt, Germany and Jordan, and time living in both Guinea and the United States, have informed him on how differently various countries can regard environmental issues. Visits to museums and historic sites since he’s been in London have shown him how history, culture, natural resources and politics affect the ways a locale addresses environmental issues, such as the coal industry’s importance in Wales, yet its eventual shutdown due to environmental concerns.
“I’ve learned that preserving the environment is not just about recycling. It’s also about saving the trees and the oceans, where much of our air comes from. I think educating kids from an early age about the environment can be quite impactful, too.”
The second Lender Global location, announced earlier this month, is Santiago, Chile. Students studying there during the 2025-26 academic year will focus on social justice reparations and remembrances for hundreds of thousands of victims of human rights violations during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet from 1973-90.
