Faces of Penn State, 2009: Sean Lobar
Credit: London Wolfe photography
Winter 2009/2010—Sean Lobar, a senior Penn State Schreyer Honors College scholar majoring in science, has spent the past four years learning genetics, ecology, and evolution, but he also has done much more. He has studied international relations in Argentina and worked as an intern at the United States Department of State in Washington D.C. and at the United States Embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Lobar has taken full advantage of the study-abroad and work-abroad opportunities that are available to all Eberly College of Science students. “I have learned a lot by traveling to other countries,” he said. “Abu Dhabi, in particular, is a very diverse city, and while I was there I met people from all over the world.”
According to Susan Knell, director of science career and international education, research is an international endeavor; therefore, it is especially important for science students to experience other countries. “Students need to learn that if they pursue an academic career, they will be collaborating with researchers from other countries and these researchers will have different educational backgrounds and different cultural perspectives,” she said. “Even students who choose to go into healthcare or some other profession likely will encounter a variety of people, and they need to appreciate the differences among these people.”
Students in the Eberly College of Science have several options for traveling abroad. They can participate in a formal education-abroad program in which they study at a foreign university for a semester or a year; they can sign up for a Penn State course that has a travel component; they can apply for an internship or job abroad; or they can travel with a student organization, such as the Penn State Global Medical Relief Program.
The college has established official study-abroad relationships with eight universities. “These are schools that our students go to if they want to focus on science,” said Knell. “The faculty have put a lot of effort into identifying upper-level equivalents for science courses at these universities.” If students want to focus on topics other than science, they can choose from among 200 study-abroad programs that Penn State offers.
Lobar used his education-abroad opportunity in Argentina to focus not on science, but on international relations, another topic he is interested in. “I decided to major in science because, in addition to being interested in biology, I knew the college would allow me the flexibility to travel and to take classes in other areas,” he said.
Lobar also earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies with minors in Spanish and Middle Eastern studies. After graduating, he plans to enroll in law school as well as a master’s degree program in international studies with an ultimate goal of finding employment in foreign policy/international relations.
“I have seen students change their minds about the career paths they have chosen based on their international education experiences,” said Knell. “The world is a big place, and it’s hard to imagine what possibilities might be out there for you if you stay only in one spot.”
Although Lobar has no plans to become a scientist, he says his degree in biology is a valuable asset. “My biology background may be the reason that I was accepted as an intern in the State Department’s Office of Environmental Policy,” he said. “I was competing for the internship against students majoring in economics and political science, and I believe I was chosen because of my scientific knowledge and interests. I also think my degree in biology will help me in the future because, through it, I learned how to think critically and to write. For example, I learned how to write without any fluff, and I am already seeing that people appreciate that about me.”