URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Communications Fellow, Yvonne Wingard, was drawn to the fellowship because they value both science and stories–and how connecting the two can advance scholarship, connect people across many different facets of life, and empower communities. “I want to take all the heavy academic jargon, complicated ideas, nuances, and interdisciplinary lenses that come with science and communicate it in a way that people can understand, relate to, and engage with,” they say. The Communications Fellowship is a welcome opportunity for them to develop their interviewing and storytelling skills as they write stories about research and work being done in CELS that “engage, inform, and inspire people.” 

A native of Augusta, GA, and current resident of Providence, RI, Wingard is pursuing the Master of Environmental Science and Management program, specializing in conservation biology. With a range of educational and professional experience in public health–including a B.A. in public health from Brown University, an M.S. in health communication from Boston University, and professional work in both research and marketing for a variety of health policy and health-focused organizations–Wingard sees the environmental science field as a natural extension of their core research interests and passions. 

“I am interested in connecting the two–framing environmental health as part of public health, and subsequent environmental issues as part of a larger discussion around public health and the structural challenges faced by communities today,” Wingard says. “I have always approached my work from an intersectional, interdisciplinary perspective, considering the structural and systemic barriers and challenges that exist within many marginalized and underserved communities, and how such issues connect to not only environmental challenges, but larger public health concerns.”

From learning how to use GIS and Remote Sensing to visualize data–and map out environmental issues across geographic communities–to botany, horticulture, and conservation efforts, Wingard notes that they are excited to broaden their personal and professional interests in their time at URI while engaging directly with the CELS community as a student, researcher, and writer. If you have a story idea for Yvonne, reach out to them at cels-info@etal.uri.edu!