{"id":20619,"date":"2025-07-24T11:22:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T15:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/?p=20619"},"modified":"2025-07-24T11:25:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T15:25:56","slug":"science-in-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/news\/science-in-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Science in Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

URI\u2019s Master of Environmental Science and Management <\/a>(MESM) is an interdisciplinary graduate program designed to build expertise in applying environmental science and technology to real-world problems. There are eight specializations available ranging from conservation biology to earth and hydrologic science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students learn to understand the scientific basis of environmental issues; use statistical methods to analyze and interpret data; develop practical, multidisciplinary solutions to environmental problems; and communicate scientific findings effectively to the public, policymakers, and experts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key component of the program is hands-on experience. This summer, thirteen students are completing internships. \u201cInternships let students see how the skills they learn in a classroom are used in real-world situations.\u201d says Michelle Peach, MESM Co-Director. \u201cStudents appreciate being able to make a meaningful impact while also building professional connections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jason Kaplan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Jason Kaplan, from East Meadow, New York<\/strong>, is working with Save the Bay\u2019s Aquarium. He interacts with the public via several different exhibits, including three touch tanks, and provides education on the species and habitats.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA highlight of the internship has been educating the public,\u201d Kaplan says, \u201cand being part of an organization that cares to educate everyone on the important issues around us and that each species in the ocean or bay has a role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaplan is pursuing MESM\u2019s Environmental Communication<\/a> track and says he appreciates the opportunity to work directly with a local community to apply what he\u2019s been learning in his courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to finishing my education on all the different sections of the aquarium so I can be more of an all around resource for the aquarium and its guests,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julia O\u2019Hara, from <\/strong>Westport, Massachusett<\/strong>s, is working on a variety of restoration projects alongside Wenley Ferguson, Director of Habitat Restoration, at Save the Bay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has been digging drainage features to minimize pooling on salt marshes, improving terrapin habitats, and planting native plants. O\u2019Hara is also working on an ArcGIS Story Map to educate local communities about the Kickemuit dam removal project<\/a> that Save the Bay is working to improve hydrologic connectivity and restore the tidal estuary. \u201cThis improves water quality, stream connectivity for fish and wildlife, and helps the salt marsh to naturally migrate upland,\u201d O\u2019Hara says of the project. \u201cUpland migration of salt marshes is important for habitats to be sustainable with sea level rise occurring.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Hara, who is pursuing the Wetland, Watershed, and Ecosystem Science <\/a>track, first connected with Ferguson and Save the Bay while working on a salt marsh restoration project at Mass Audubon\u2019s Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary. \u201cI\u2019ve learned a lot working with her,\u201d O\u2019Hara says of Ferguson. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with people who have a great deal of knowledge and experience and in beautiful places outdoors. The internship has been valuable in teaching me the hands-on skills I need to achieve a career in ecological restoration, which is my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students in URI’s Master of Environmental Science and Management are spending their summers putting coursework into action. “The internship has been valuable in teaching me the hands-on skills I need to achieve a career in ecological restoration, which is my goal,” says Julie O’Hara.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1089,"featured_media":20621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1089"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20619"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20623,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20619\/revisions\/20623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}