Office of Sustainability

Nathan Warner — Student

William Olson Student Achievement Awardee

Auburn University, Auburn, AL

The impressive example and dedication to a range of sustainability topics that Nathan Warner exhibits make him a clear choice to be the first recipient of the William K. Olson Student Achievement Award.

Nathan is a 2012 alumnus of Auburn with a B.S. in Ecological Engineering through the Department of Biosystems Engineering. After graduation, Nathan started his graduate program as a student at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in the Peace Corps Master’s International program studying Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering.

During his time at Auburn Nathan excelled academically as an Honors student and has been widely recognized for his achievements:

• Robert E. Stewart Engineering Humanities Award
• The Udall Scholarship for “Excellence in National Environmental Policy”
• Outstanding Biosystems Engineering Student 2012
• Tau Beta Pi, Engineering Honors Society

Nathan is more than just an excellent student, he is a thinker. He understands concepts and how to apply them to world issues, and he excels as a truly holistic sustainability practitioner who focuses on solutions to hunger, poverty, disease, and water issues.

While it’s not unusual for an outstanding student to excel in a single student organization, it is what Nathan accomplishes while being a leader to his peers that makes him stand out, and the number of organizations that he led or worked with closely, including: Engineers Without Borders, Auburn Sustainability Action Program, ONE, The ChALLenge, The Committee of 19, and the Student Engagement Working Group of Auburn’s Climate Action Planning process.

Nathan does all of this with humor, grace, passion, professionalism, and a maturity beyond his years. Nathan is already a successful leader in the sustainability realm, and his career and impact will undoubtedly continue to inspire the Auburn family as he works to create the sustainable future he knows to be possible.