I (Nick) successfully defended my M.A. thesis(!), bringing an exciting and challenging year of graduate school to a close. My time at UVA gave me the opportunity to explore new areas of environmental science, develop new technical skills, and think more critically about how emerging technologies can help us understand and manage environmental challenges.
When I initially arrived at UVA, I wasn’t entirely sure where I would fit in. My undergraduate background was in Environmental Studies, and my previous experience centered on environmental management, GIS, and applying environmental science to real-world problems. Entering a program alongside people with more traditional “hard science” backgrounds, I sometimes wondered what my own perspective would contribute.
Over the past year, and especially through my time in Dr. Meghan Blumstein’s lab, I’ve come to appreciate that having a different background can be a strength. Environmental problems rarely fit neatly within one discipline, and working alongside people with different interests and skill sets showed me the value of bringing an environmental management perspective into research. I learned that I could contribute by thinking about how scientific research connects to management, decision-making, and real-world applications.
My experience at UVA also pushed me beyond the areas I was already comfortable with. My coursework exposed me to hydrology, biogeochemistry, GIS, microclimatology, and machine learning, while working with the Blumstein Lab gave me opportunities to participate in fieldwork with red oak seedlings at Morven.
I’m incredibly grateful to Dr. Blumstein, my thesis committee, my labmates, and everyone else who helped me throughout the past year. With my thesis defense complete, I’m now pursuing a career in GIS, environmental science, and natural resource management.
I may not know exactly where that next step will take me yet, but I’m leaving UVA and the BUDS lab much less uncertain about where I fit within environmental science than when I arrived.