Springfield, Pennsylvania native Terry Jacob ’15 was not enthused about the idea of shoveling off snow in the early mornings. An avid lacrosse player who grew up in the northeast, Jacob knew too well that even springtime can be cold and wet.
Thus, it was a no brainer for him to choose the beautiful Southern California weather to play Division III lacrosse at a completive level for Whittier College, where he could also work toward his bachelor’s degree in environmental science.
“I would say that the men’s lacrosse team has impacted me the most at Whittier College,” said Jacob. “Through the four years that I have been here, I’ve always been able to fall back on them in times of need. I can honestly say that they’re my family.”
Jacob found a way to blend his interest in environmental science and his passion for lacrosse. His research project in drip irrigation was recently showcased on campus for World Water Day.
“My interest in the topic came from my senior project which has to do with athletic greywater and drip irrigation systems,” said Jacob.
Jacob’s trainer at the time asked if there was anything that could be done to reuse the water instead of tossing it down the turf drainage system. The typical forms of greywater come from sink water, shower water or washing machines. These are fine alternatives for irrigation but sometimes they can harbor harmful bacteria and cause environmental problems. Athletic greywater though is a great solution to that problem.
“I started brain storming the idea and thought that the school could use greywater tanks to store the excess ice water,” said Jacob. “Then they could use a drip irrigation system in the school garden or surrounding trees to help distribute the water in a sustainable way.”
Jacob gathered his research by weighing individual buckets of water twice a week for the length of the lacrosse season. Based off his excel documents and charts the men’s lacrosse team on average throws away close to 1350 gallons of water per season.
“I’m still waiting on a few more calculations in order to determine the total amount of water wasted in a year,” said Jacob.
Not surprisingly, Jacob’s favorite class was his paired course with Professor Fissore and Johnson. The class was Soils and Geomorphology paired with Food and Food Systems.
“The reasons why it was my favorite was because it sparked my interest in environmental consulting which I want to pursue as a career, said Jacob. “Also, the classes opened up my eyes to how our food systems are run.”
Watch a video of Terry as he reflects on his time at Whittier College.
