Snyder's summer internships during her college years also provided valuable research experience. She has done research at the University of Colorado studying alpine biogeochemistry and community ecology and at Stanford University studying invasive species, nutrient cycling and tropical ecosystem processes. "With age, my addiction to the outdoors grew stronger. New skills enriched my experiences in the backcountry, and a greater scientific understanding of the environment increased my sense of wonder," she wrote for her Marshall Fellowship application.
Gaining the fellowship
Snyder recently received a Marshall Fellowship for two years of postgraduate study in England. This fellowship can be used at any university in the United Kingdom, and was created in honor of the Marshall Plan to promote better U.S.-U.K. relations. She is one of only 40 American students chosen this year. Snyder was also a semi-finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, but withdrew when she won the Marshall. Snyder's two years in England will be split between two programs. She will spend her first year at Trinity College at Oxford University to obtain a Master of Science in Environmental Change and Management. She will be working with the Environmental Change Institute, a prestigious interdisciplinary program, to learn about the "economic, social, and international context of environmental issues." This program also focuses on environmental law, ethics, economy and management technology.
Snyder will spend her second year at Cambridge University for a Master of Philosophy in Environment and Development, which is based on developing nations, public health, resource management conservation and political ecology. After the fellowship is complete, Snyder plans to work for a Ph.D. in the environmental sciences, in a field concentrating on the ecosystem.
Snyder has also received numerous awards for her work in physics, chemistry and biology, and was chosen to be a part of Phi Beta Kappa her junior year. She also received the Goldwater Scholarship as a junior, a highly competitive math and science scholarship.
High praises
"Carolyn has a strong academic record at Amherst. Her professors lauded her sharp mind and high energy, but Carolyn also possesses a spark that was revealed in our meetings and in her interview with the Fellowship Committee … It was such a pleasure to work with Carolyn," said Fellowship Coordinator Denise Gagnon. "I am confident that she will use her education to address environmental issues which effect the planet and, therefore, effect all of us."
Associate Professor of Biology Ethan Temeles also praised Snyder's great academic performance. "Carolyn was a delight to have in the classroom; she always asked fun questions and displayed much enthusiasm for learning and discovery. She was a patient and caring teaching assistant."
Snyder's life at the College is successful beyond the academic dimension. She rowed two and a half years on the crew team, worked as an emergency medical technician and the co-director of the Amherst College Emergency Medical Service for the last year. She was also an active member of the 3+4 Committee, which promotes relations among the science departments and student-faculty bonding.
Her friends compliment her character, warmth and optimism. Jon Brooks '03 commented, "[She is] an absolute joy to talk to [...] Even though she's always doing amazing things and could very easily talk on and on about herself, she would much rather talk about you. She's always full of positive energy; I've never heard her say anything bad about anyone."
Lindsay Clarke '03 also relates to Snyder's qualities as a friend. "Carolyn is such a wonderful friend and roommate. She and I have connected on so many different levels the past four years; we've shared the dramas of having curly hair and being 'lactarded,' being female scientists, rowers, and similar thoughts on social and political issues. No matter what, she always has something kind, funny, supportive, intelligent or interesting to say. She's one of the smartest and most determined women I know, and also one of the most fun-loving."