Every year it is our honor to choose an ENVS graduating senior who displays significant leadership, presence and service within the ENVS department and Emory community. The Hickcox Award is named in honor of ENVS distinguished Emeritus Professor (and Waffles King), C. Woodbridge Hickcox, or Woody as we know him. Every year it is a difficult decision to choose just ONE student, but is is our pleasure to announce that Benjamin (Benji) Jackson is the 2025 Hickcox Award winner. We asked Benji to reflect on his time as an ENVS student and he graciously provided the following reflection:
Even before I set foot on the Oxford Campus at Emory—or knew what a “Waffle Captain” was—I knew I wanted to study Environmental Science. The natural world has always been a source of joy and peace within my life, whether it be hiking through the Cohutta Wilderness area or wading in backyard streams. However, I didn’t know that the community that I would find in the Environmental Sciences department at the Oxford and Atlanta Campus would be so supportive, engaged, and passionate. My time at Oxford Emory was spent exploring the introductory coursework in addition to engaging with sustainability and waste management through Oxford Climate Reality Project. I had the opportunity to take courses with Dr. Michael Martin in freshwater ecology as well as engaging in the work of his research lab about forest restoration through non-native plant removal. The skills I developed at Oxford pushed me forward to all I would engage with at the Atlanta campus of Emory. I had the privilege of TA-ing for ENVS 131_OX and ENVS 131 multiple times and discovered a passion for spreading the knowledge and joys of ecology widely. I was able to join the senate Committee on the Environment and engage with the process of implementation of environmental ideals around campus.
I chose to pursue the ENVS BS/Environmental Health Track (EVH), taking coursework through the Environmental Health BS/MPH program, with the goal of centering my future on the confluence of human health and ecology in regards to freshwater environments. This, however, did not stop me from exploring other courses including my favorite course I’ve taken within the Environmental Science department: ENVS 341: Field Botany with Professors John Wegner and JT Pynne. I believe that to truly understand ecological systems and their function, you must first get to know the plants and animals who live within. This is an ideal that is sustained by the field classes within the department, including Field Botany.
I had many opportunities to engage in research in my time in the department. Learning and developing remote sensing skills in a One Health context with Dr. Clennon and having the opportunity to pursue an independent honors thesis with Dr. Keogh, studying the hellgrammites and other aquatic macroinvertebrates that have been a constant friend throughout my time here.
When I reflect on my favorite memories from my time in the Environmental Science Department, I am reminded of the importance of the community that is cultivated here. Whether it was philosophical conversations while cooking waffles, leading walks in the woods or streams with members of Emory Ecological Society, scheming alongside Emory Climate Coalition, or the miscellaneous events that one cannot quantify or specify in a long-winded list, it was always the people that mattered. Which is an idea, that as I leave Emory to further pursue research regarding freshwater systems with an added human health context, that brings me tranquility. I know that while I might not be able to sit for countless hours in W501 or the LEK, the people I have met through my time here will remain with me. I am incredibly thankful for everyone throughout my time in the department, from professors and department staff who offered immense help, to mentors and peers with whom I’ve had the opportunity to delve into the surrounding natural environment.
Department of Environmental Sciences 