Is Astro Turf Environmentally Friendly

Aside from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, one of the most recent triumphs in combining artificial grass with natural plants is at John Lewis's flagship store on Oxford Street, London. Here there is a mesmerising roof garden carefully integrating the two. Easigrass's products have been used in this space to create an incredible combination of nature and synthetic turf, and the sumptuous artificial grass sits comfortably among the rosebuds, vegetables and other plantings.

Until recently this was a sparse area with minimal containers for plants – now it displays stunning green artificial lawns which perfectly complement the beautiful plants. This is somewhere that real grass would never have coped or lasted, and by making greenery for the floor a reality, Easigrass's premium Mayfair brand enables the garden to continue and attract many visitors. One of the hottest trends in landscaping, SmartGrass is a new type of artificial grass that is realistic, durable and environmentally friendly. We're experts in artificial grass installation that looks and feels much more real than other artificial turf and fake grass products. Learn more about the synthetic grass that's revolutionising lawn maintenance for NZ homeowners. Astro turf is made from a variety of human made unnatural materials including polyethylene, polypropylene and nylon.

While individually these components can theoretically be recycled, in reality this isn't happening for fake lawns for the following reasons. First, the materials are often bound together making it impossible to separate them and therefore making it impossible to recycle, because recycling of the materials requires them to be separated and pure. Some products are made from just one material which means at least, theoretically they can be recycled. After spending 5 – 10 years outside on top of soil and surrounded by planting, with people running and walking across it, the amount of debris they collect makes the material very hard to prepare for recycling. You can't recycle plastics with contaminants in like soil and grit, which is why we're supposed to rinse plastic before putting in the recycling bin. Thirdly, this is a specialist form of recycling, local councils certainly aren't set up to recycle rolls of fake grass, they need to be sent away.

What will most people prefer, dumping it for free in the local tip or paying for it to be taken away and cleaned for recycling? Hopefully one day it can be recycled as we need the existing lawns to be recycled, but that doesn't account for the remaining 14 points. When people think of going green in their garden, it's unlikely that they will envisage Astroturf. But in reality, fake grass can be a lot friendlier to the environment than you might initially imagine. Purchasing synthetic grass from the right retailer could potentially help you to reduce your carbon footprint in the garden. As a result, more and more people are considering swapping their lawn for artificial grass that often looks better and requires less maintenance than a regular lawn.

Reducing your shower time by just one minute can save 365 gallons of water a year. Refraining from hosing down your patio or driveway can save 960 gallons! And filling your bath tub up only halfway can save 3,650 gallons a year.

Just imagine how much water installing artificial grass or synthetic turf system can save! Installing a Heavenly Greens artificial grass system for home landscaping alone can save a whopping 56,000 gallons of water per year. On an average-sized sports field, that number skyrockets to millions of gallons per year. When it comes to carbon footprints, there's simply no comparison between natural grass and an artificial grass system from Heavenly Greens.

Keeping your lawn looking green all year round requires a lot of work. Depending on the soil in your area, you could need regular lawn feed in order to keep it looking its best. Similarly, weeds can spring up in every area of your garden and sometimes the only way to get rid of them is with weed killer. However, all that lawn feed and weed killer is not only harmful to the wildlife in your garden, but it can run straight into the water stream and affect drinking water. Fake grass installation can reduce dependence on harmful chemicals in gardening. By choosing the right artificial grass retailer, homeowners can select a durable Astroturf product that doesn't let weeds penetrate through the lawn.

Looking great all year round, fake grass installation negates the need for chemicals altogether. Environmentally friendly artificial grass (bio-based) is the latest addition to products working to lessen carbon emissions, and homeowners are loving this environmentally friendly addition to their yards. The fact that it requires practically no upkeep is just an added bonus when considering how much synthetic turf improves the appearance of lawns.

All of our products at SNYLawn® are plant-based and completely recyclable, as we work hard to offer our customers options that not only benefit them but also our planet as well. By creating a dense plastic barrier on top of compacted soil and sand, no garden material can reach the soil beneath it. Things like leaf litter and grass clippings, which may be in tiny amounts in a normal garden after mowing and tidying but still exist. Natural materials like this are essential for feeding soil organisms like worms and microscopic animals that keep soil healthy. This is little different to impermeable hard landscaping like patios but a really important point if you're considering replacing a living lawn with a fake lawn.

Even if you remove all clippings and leaves from a real lawn, real grass grows and dies back and rejuvenates every year. Roots grow and die, some leaves die and these form natural material drawn into the soil to feed soil life. I could go into great detail about why soil life is important because it's the building blocks of our entire way of life; a simple example is birds picking out bugs and worms for food. Some astro turf will have worms beneath but this will be under a new laying or toward the edges where soil is richer from nearby planting. Over time, there will be nothing beneath fake grass for most soil life to survive. If you are looking for a luxurious lawn that doesn't come at a cost to environment, TruLawn are experts in supplying and installing artificial lawns.

Whether you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint or lay a lawn that looks great for longer, fake grass installation from TruLawn may be right for your needs. To find out more, browse the entire artificial grass range online today. PST Lawns artificial grass products are 100% safe and environmentally friendly. Our durable, natural looking artificial grass is designed specifically for the domestic market making it completely eco-friendly.

And, if you're fed up with a muddy lawn, our synthetic grass provides a very resilient and weatherproof, all-season and mud-free outdoor space. While synthetic grass may look and feel like the real thing some simply can't get past the fact that it's plastic. It is hailed for its water-saving benefits, but artificial turf has its own environmental drawbacks. It is a petroleum-based product that creates pollution and waste in the manufacturing process.

And, while it is often made partially with recycled materials, it is not biodegradable. After a long life of from 15 to 25 years, it will, ultimately, end up in a landfill. We are experienced and have a thorough understanding of the needs of your outdoor space. We offer only quality artificial turf that effortlessly blends with your outdoor space and looks like natural grass. We understand that the needs of every space are different and bring you a huge range of artificial grass products to suit your exact needs. All our artificial turf is created from high-grade materials and known for its vibrant appearance.

Eco Grass brings artificial turf that requires minimal upkeep which is ideal for a multitude of environments. Artificial grass lawns offer a lush, beautiful, low-maintenance alternative to natural grass. What some people don't realize is thatartificial grassis also a responsible landscaping option, with many numerous benefits to the environment such as water conservation, chemical-free maintenance, and recycling. Artificial grass products can even help green builders meet U.S. I get that synthetic turf doesn't provide the same water capture or ecological benefits of a soil-based landscape. And it would be bad for the environment if Los Angeles' yards were be blanketed in fake grass.

For that reason the city should reconsider whether artificial turf deserves the full $3.75-per-square-foot lawn replacement rebate, which is part of the water conservation program. The recycling Re-Match does for Unisport is of the highest quality available in the market, and the products generated from artificial turf fields are suitable to re-use in our system design and installations. Without leaving any waste from the original components we provide the opportunity to dispose and recycle the used artificial grass fields without negatively effecting the environment.

This means, that the customer can dispose of old turf in an environmentally friendly way. Re-Match can separate all the components and reuse them in the turf industry or sell the standalone products for other purposes. When you think of the work you put into your lawn over the course of a year, you soon realise how it can affect your carbon footprint. Mowing your lawn requires a great deal of electricity as people demand more powerful lawn mowers and strimmers that get the job done quickly. Frequent use of these items undoubtedly contributes to your carbon footprint in the electricity you pay for or the diesel you use in your mower. As a result, more and more people are turning to fake grass installation where beautiful turf can be laid down without the need for maintenance that could impact the environment.

By installing Astroturf, people can reduce the amount of energy they use maintaining their gardens and thus reduce their carbon footprint. EcoGrass US is your family owned eco-friendly alternative to natural grass; we sell and install the industry's best artificial turf designed to beautify your home or company's landscape. We carry an extensive line of natural-looking artificial grass products and our staff can help you decide which product is right for you.

Aside from the high cost, short lifespan, and maintenance requirements of artificial turf, serious environmental concerns are another reason we can't recommend it. The synthetic-grass industry pitches its products as sustainable, emphasizing the renewable ingredients within the grass, as well as the claim that the turf can be recycled at the end of its life. The turf installation process is finished by adding the infill to the Matrix Turf surface. Hellas has introduced Geo Plus infill to its Matrix Turf systems, a 100% organic and environmentally-friendly infill approved for LEED credit government qualifications. This innovative product is produced with carefully selected, specially treated organic and blended fibers, a combination that assures the highest level of sports performance comparable to a natural grass sports field.

Matrix Turf also offers Hellas' patented REALFILL™ infill and the Sand & Rubber infill options, which are composed of 100% recycled rubber and allow for the recycling of 25 million tires per year. There have been many articles written about the negative impact rubber crumb can have on people's health due to the rubber crumb containing arsonic and other harmful chemicals. None of the artificial lawns that we install use rubber crumb infill. At SYNLawn, all of our USDA-preferred artificial grass products are designed to reduce carbon footprints and keep lawns looking healthy all year round. Learn more about our synthetic turf and lifetime warranty by visiting.

Is Artificial Turf Environmentally Friendly However, the biggest impact on the game of "turf", as it came to be called, was on the bodies of the players. Players also complained that the turf was much hotter than grass, sometimes causing the metal spikes to burn their feet or plastic ones to melt. These factors eventually provoked a number of stadiums, such as the Kansas City Royals' Kauffman Stadium, to switch from artificial turf back to natural grass.

Homeowners also appreciate the fact that they no longer need to spend time and energy performing maintenance on their artificial grass lawn. With artificial grass, people spend their time enjoying the lawn instead of mowing, edging, and seeding. Artificial grass lawns do not require water to stay green, lush, and beautiful all year. This water savings can mean many things to homeowners who decide to utilize artificial turf in their landscaping. Watering lawns accounts for a large percentage of residential water usage, so depending on how much natural lawn is replaced with artificial grass, the cost savings can be substantial.

The Synthetic Turf Council estimates that the use of artificial grass has resulted in the conservation of between three to six billion gallons of water in 2010. In addition to saving money on water bills, some cities offer rebates and credits for residents whoinstall artificial turfas a water-saving landscaping alternative. See, it really comes down to why we grow plants in the urban environment. Plant materials provide so much more than just aesthetic value.

They help improve water and air quality, reduce temperatures, reduce storm water runoff, and provide habitats for animals, insects, bees, and birds. With our increasingly built urban environment, less and less of our land is porous, allowing rainwater to infiltrate into our soil, which acts as a natural filter. This means our landscapes need to act more like sponges, allowing water to move slowly over the soil and spread its benefits. Contouring the landscape helps water sink into the soil, and adding plant materials and mulch increases the absorbency of our soil.

At a trade fair earlier this year, Brouwer talked to AnteaSport / Edel Grass about GreenFill. "At that time, we were preparing a tender for TPE-infill, which would be awarded to the company with the lowest bid," he adds. "But at the same time I was also aware that Antea Sport / Edel Grass, among others, was working on a biologically sustainable infill material. This is done, in no small part, by providing a sustainable alternative to natural grass and the harmful side effects caused by its constant maintenance requirements.

One of the most measurable "green" attributes of synthetic turf systems come from their impact on water usage. According to the Los Angeles Department of Engineering, each synthetic field saves approximately 2,480,000 gallons of water per year. This is all done without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals, nor does it require mowing. This may sound really silly if you're thinking of installing plastic grass, escaping a natural surface is probably one of the reasons you want it in the first place, but I urge you to think again. I actually feel this is one of the most important points on this list.

Some of my favourite childhood memories are sitting on a soft lawn, hands on the grass, plucking a blade of grass to whistle with, or a daisy or dandelion flower, or a plantain leaf. That sense of touch and the smell of mown grass is such an important part of my life experience and remains so today. I feel sad at the thought of children growing up with fake lawns and everything they will miss in those early years as a result. Even getting a bit muddy or seeing a spider, all of these things are little life experiences that make us who we are. Synthetic turf can also be used in the golf industry, such as on driving ranges, putting greens and even in some circumstances tee boxes.

Because of the vast areas of golf courses and the damage from clubs during shots, it is not feasible to surface fairways with artificial turf. Our artificial turf looks and feels like real grass, the only difference is, you don't ever have to water it! Our products actually fight back against the causes of drought here in California.

We sell the most durable, eco-friendly artificial grass in the industry; if it's economical and affordable, it's got to be EcoGrass US. While well-kept natural lawns look fantastic, they are not the wisest choice for those committed to an eco-friendly lifestyle. Grass consumes a significant amount of water to stay green, and it needs all sorts of chemical solutions that can be bad for the environment. If you're concerned about the environmental impact of your yard, you might be surprised at the many ways artificial grass in Modesto can be greener than the real thing.

Some companies claim a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years, while critics are estimating closer to eight years. We've experienced the incredible ability of the Arizona sun to destroy rubber and plastics, so any estimates will need to take that into consideration. Like any other product, as technology and design improves, the life expectancy will improve, as long as the product is properly maintained.

Proper maintenance of artificial turf can help maximize the appearance and longevity of that product. Routine maintenance includes keeping the product clean, ensuring that the infill material is kept at proper levels, and brushing the surface to keep grass fibers upright and infill even. The design, installation, and quality of the product that you purchase are just as important. To the contrary, Easigrass actually have a leading eco-policy, and specifically state that they will only undertake environmentally-friendly installations.

What Is The Difference Between Barnard College And Columbia University

Barnard is a small, highly selective liberal arts college for women located in New York City. The student body of just over 2,650 is part of a diverse and close-knit community and students study with leading scholars who serve as dedicated, accessible mentors and teachers. Founded in 1889, Barnard also engages in a unique partnership with Columbia University, situated directly across the street. Students have access to cross-registration of courses with Columbia, many joint extracurricular activities, participate in NCAA Division I Ivy League athletics and enjoy a fully coed social life.

The location in New York City grants students access to thousands of internship opportunities in addition to unparalleled cultural, intellectual and social resources. Barnard's diverse student body includes residents from nearly every state and more than 55 countries worldwide. About 40 percent of the student body identify as students of color, and 11 percent are non-US citizens or permanent residents. Columbia has a partnership with Barnard College, a highly ranked all-female college located across the street. The two schools operate independently, but students can attend classes at both campuses and participate in each other's clubs and events.

What Is Barnard College Columbia University This allows students to experience both what life is like at a large Ivy League institution and a small liberal arts college simultaneously. Barnard is one of a handful of outstanding colleges exclusively for women. The entrance standards at Barnard are very tough, but the Admissions process is definitely less competitive than Columbia's. For example, though Barnard matriculates about 550 students per year, it admits 23% of its applicants. Columbia, by contrast, only accepts about 7% of its applicants!

Now once enrolled, Barnard and Columbia seemingly intersect everywhere. Note that they do NOT share dorms, but the Freshman orientation program is completely co-mingled. So yes, I would probably recommend that a student who is in love with Columbia, but not quite qualified to be in the top 25% of the Columbia applicant pool look seriously at Barnard. They are both elite with incredible and strong alumni networks . For those who qualify (academically and 'financially) and fit , either school is a winner. Founded in 1889, Barnard is a small liberal arts and sciences college for women.

Our unique and longstanding partnership with Columbia University provides students with a vast selection of additional course offerings, extracurricular activities, NCAA Division I Ivy League athletics, and a fully coeducational social life. A Barnard education is structured around The Nine Ways of Knowing, a flexible set of requirements designed to equip students to respond critically and creatively to a rapidly changing world and debate ideas from new perspectives. Our faculty is comprised of leading scholars who serve as dedicated, accessible teachers to our diverse community of 2400 extraordinary women. The College's metropolitan location grants students access to thousands of internships in addition to excellent cultural, intellectual, and social resources. Barnard students graduate from the University, though we remain an independent institution.

Barnard is a whole separate school from Columbia College with its own admissions, academic departments, dorms, and requirements. Many/most Barnard students highly value being at a women's college and choose to focus on that environment for their classes. So Barnard students take the vast majority of classes at Barnard, not Columbia College. There is no Core Curriculum requirement and they have a different set of courses in each academic department. There are some students who transfer from Barnard to the College every year. Students flow pretty freely across Broadway and social life is pretty closely integrated.

Barnard admissions is pretty good at spotting applicants who are looking for a back door to the College. While it is legitimate for Barnard grads to work in "of Columbia University" on their resumes, it is considered deceptive to simply drop Barnard completely. As of 2012 Barnard pays Columbia about $5 million a year under the terms of the "interoperate relationship", which the two schools renegotiate every 15 years. Despite the affiliation Barnard is legally and financially separate from Columbia, with an independent faculty and board of trustees. It is responsible for its own separate admissions, health, security, guidance and placement services, and has its own alumnae association.

Nonetheless, Barnard students participate in the academic, social, athletic and extracurricular life of the broader University community on a reciprocal basis. The affiliation permits the two schools to share some academic resources; for example, only Barnard has an urban studies department, and only Columbia has a computer science department. Most Columbia classes are open to Barnard students and vice versa.

Barnard students and faculty are represented in the University Senate, and student organizations such as the Columbia Daily Spectator are open to all students. Barnard students play on Columbia athletics teams, and Barnard uses Columbia email, telephone and network services. The Columbia administrators had different ideas about collaboration. The dean of the graduate faculties, George Fraenkel, had been recruited to work on merging Columbia's constituent colleges to cut costs. Fraenkel found that Barnard had not been paying enough for the numbers of students enrolled in Columbia courses.

Nor were they paying for facilities, namely Barnard's use of Columbia's research library. Rather than preserving the school's separate curricula, Fraenkel's focus was on eliminating inefficiency in redundant course offerings. He sent letters to various departments in 1976 encouraging them to create "V" courses, joint-listings between Barnard and Columbia. "Small liberal college in the best city in the world with all the perks of a big university across the street," is exactly what admissions office will tell you and they're right.

If you love the city, but still want a campus that feels like home... If you want to be surrounded by the most intelligent, driven women you'll ever meet in your life... If you want all the resources of a huge university, but the care and attention of a small school...

If you want a solid liberal arts base, but the opportunity for great work experience during your time in college... If you want to feel like you're part of a greater legacy and network of alumnae... Through an agreement with List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary, located just north of the campus at 122nd Street, students can apply to simultaneously earn a BA degree from Barnard and a BA at JTS. Barnard also offers highly-talented music students the opportunity to apply for the Lesson Exchange Program with Juilliard and/or the Cross Registration Program with the Manhattan School of Music.

Both programs will require a separate application and audition. The Lesson Exchange at MSM and Juilliard provide private weekly lessons with faculty. It is important to note that the Exchange does not include participation in large ensembles. Students in the Juilliard program can take classes in instrumental or vocal performance and piano composition.

MSM students can take lessons for instrumental or composition only. Barnard does also offer a multitude of music courses, major, private lessons and many performance opportunities through its own music department and at Columbia. Founded in 1889 as a college for women closely affiliated with the then all-male Columbia University, Barnard College is a self-sustaining entity under the Columbia umbrella. While we each have our own curriculum requirements, admissions and financial aid processes, and unique student experiences, Barnard and Columbia share a lot. Students can attend classes at both campuses and participate in each other's clubs and events. We're two distinct communities, across-the-street partners that create a larger whole.

To ensure successful planning, students should familiarize themselves with the requirements of any academic programs in which they may be interested. In particular, students should note that some concentrations and majors require that certain introductory courses be completed before the start of the junior year. Similarly, study abroad, professional programs, and graduate schools have a range of requirements that must be successfully completed at prescribed times during the undergraduate career.

This starts with the admissions process; it is a simple statistical truth that the average Columbia student is stronger academically due to being selected more rigorously during applications. There are many Barnard students that are stronger that the average Columbia student, but the mean of the Columbia distribution is undoubtedly higher. This is a signal to employers and further institutions that has nonnegligible value. In addition, the extracurricular opportunities are often more available to Columbia students, such as a general lower barrier to working in Columbia labs, getting access to Columbia preprofessional societies and their events, and so forth.

Yet, the faculty and administration have been steadily working to cultivate this small women's liberal arts college, and the school can now uphold the values that Ellen Futter and the Barnard faculty fought for in 1980. Today, Barnard represents a wholly different experience for students from Columbia or other co-ed institutions. Sixty-five percent of faculty at Barnard are women, and students at the college have access to opportunities like the Athena Center for Leadership Studies and the Barnard Center for Research on Women. Barnard now represents a distinct and essential place among American colleges. Barnard College considers the residential experience to be an integral part of a student's total education. Students who live on campus have a more productive and more satisfying college experience than those who live off campus.

Students who live in campus housing are close to academic buildings, libraries, and dining facilities. Trained, professional Residential Life & Housing staff members are present to provide social & academic programs and help in emergency situations. Additionally, living on campus provides access to amenities like internet access, laundry rooms, computer labs, music practice rooms, and study lounges. Students are not required to live on campus; however, students are encouraged to live on campus for at least their first year in order to acclimate to the campus and to New York City. 98% of Barnard First-Year students live on campus and over 90% of students overall.

The 4-1 Program provides Columbia Engineering students with the opportunity to expand their education in liberal arts through an additional year of study at Columbia College , including the completion of a CC major or concentration. At the end of the fifth year of study, students receive a bachelor of arts degree from CC in addition to a bachelor of science degree from SEAS. Admitted students are eligible for a fifth year of housing and financial aid. Students who are accepted and decide to matriculate into the 4-1 Program are required to be in residence at Columbia College for two semesters and complete at least 31 credits during their fifth year. Barnard College is one of the few colleges in the US where you can complete an undergraduate major in the field of Ethnomusicology, specifically.

This track is especially intended to prepare students for graduate study and careers in music, anthropology, music business and technology, and library/information science, among other related fields. The Music Major of Barnard College provides both a core of foundational studies and an opportunity to specialize in one of the areas of music such as composition, computer music studies, ethnomusicology, music history, or music theory. The Major, which is taught in conjunction with the Department of Music of Columbia University, is designed to take its place within Barnard's liberal arts program. Its purpose is to give the student the experience of doing sustained and advanced work, including the possibility of independent research, within the field of music. Simply put, Barnard is institutionally independent, while academically and socially linked to Columbia.

There are few freebies between the school- Barnard has to pay Columbia for access to utilities, the libraries, and other facilities such as Lerner. Columbia University does not handle admissions for Barnard, nor does it spend money on or collect money from Barnard students. Nevertheless, both student bodies typically benefit in some manner when either school spends money, as the schools tend to keep student programming open to all undergraduates, though this is not always the case.

It is a liberal arts college but because of Columbia across the street Barnard students get both a small community and a larger university. And in all honesty, Barnard truly does feel like a little more independent undergraduate college of Columbia University, it's a pretty close relationships. It's rare to find a Barnard student who doesn't express what she feels articulately in a class. It's a great liberal arts college focused on goal oriented women's success.

All of the administration wants to help and be accessible to the students. Barnard students, for the most part, while having a competitive edge, want to help each other. People think it's great when you tell them you go to Barnard, although initially between Columbia College Students and Engineering students, there may be a little tension. I don't spend all of my time on campus, there's lots to do in the city, and I view seeing the city as part of my education. Just as the admissions office will tell you over and over - Barnard is the best of both worlds, a small college in a big city.

Some people spend most of their time in the Barnard/Columbia/Morningside Heights area while others prefer to spend more time adventuring into the New York. The community can be what you make of it, if you want to find a large, close-knit, group of friends you will be able to. If you prefer to have one or two close girl friends, you can do that to. The community is a good size, Barnard is small but if you ever feel claustrophobic, Columbia is a much larger community right across the street. Most people hangout on campus in the dorms, or in the Diana Center .

A lot of people also choose to hangout at Columbia, in the libraries or the student center over there. Barnard has a lot of "Barnard Women" pride, but not a lot of pride in the traditional sense. If you really want a rah-rah campus with tons of pride for athletic events and school-sponsored functions, Barnard/Columbia is not the place for you. I love pretty much everything about Barnard, I think its great that you can get the benefits of a women's college without having to sacrifice men. Barnard College, one of the Seven Sisters schools, was founded in 1889 ; it remains an undergraduate liberal arts school for women only. The college was named for Columbia's 10th president, Frederick Barnard, whose campaign to have women admitted to Columbia resulted in a Collegiate Course for Women in the early 1880s.

Women completing the curriculum were awarded a diploma from Columbia, but they had to pursue their courses of study independently. The program was soon abandoned, leading to the establishment of Barnard. The college moved to its present location, across the street from Columbia in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan, in 1898. Because of the intensity of the thesis process in the Ethnomusicology track, it is not well suited for students who struggle with writing or who are not drawn to academic research or wish to focus on music performance in their studies. It isespeciallysuited to students who are considering going on to graduate study in ethnomusicology (or related fields such as anthropology, library science, or popular cultural/media studies), as have many of the program's alumnae. She leads the School's graduate and professional school initiatives, and in collaboration with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, develops new initiatives to support undergraduate research.

She also assists with curriculum development for GS's international dual- and joint-degree programs, helping build degree plans across a range of academic disciplines. Prior to joining GS, Dean Decker worked at MIT, where she focused on access for underrepresented students into STEM fields. In this role she was recognized by Harvard and Google for her pioneering research initiatives.

A native Californian, Dean Decker moved across the country to start her career as an English teacher with Teach for America in Paterson, New Jersey. A first-generation college student, Dean Decker's scholarship focuses on student access to tertiary and graduate education. In English and history from Agnes Scott College and an M.S.Ed. In higher education administration from the University of Pennsylvania. Students are encouraged to take advantage of interdisciplinary learning through exploring more than 50 fields of study in the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and arts.

Barnard is a community of accessible teachers and dedicated students who embark collaboratively on a journey of intellectual risk-taking and discovery. The small, personal, and close-knit character of Barnard is augmented by Columbia's resources, allowing students to benefit from both an all-women and a coeducational experience. Barnard and Columbia students cross-register for courses and share a multitude of extra-curricular activities. Certain departments are only offered at Columbia, and certain majors are exclusive to Barnard. Columbia students who wish to major in Theatre, Dance, Urban Studies, Architecture, and Education are a part of the Barnard departments. Barnard students who wish to major in Computer Science, Statistics and Engineering do so at Columbia.

There are some students who will never take a class outside of their college. There are some students who may take all of their classes on the far campus, except for the first-year courses for the Nine Ways of Knowing and the requirements for the Core Curriculum. Many students will travel back and forth quite a few times a week. In the end, the academic experiences of all of these students are fundamentally of equal quality. Different (and it's the difference that matters. See 'So Why Not Merge?' below.), but equal.