Learning by Doing
<\/strong>Zmich\u2019s first big leap into sciences came when she completed a CELS Summer Research Fellowship<\/a> at URI\u2019s East Farm, working with 36 domesticated beehives and native pollinators, gaining experience in field research. \u201cThis is where I found my love for being involved in the work,\u201d she says, \u201cespecially being outside and learning new things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2130\/IMG_4797-preview.jpg\")
Hands-on field courses in wildlife conservation \u2013 like ornithology labs, herpetology field trips, botany hikes, and wildlife field technique surveys \u2013 further fueled her passion. While she valued the policy and economics she learned in environmental science and management, she says she\u2019s been energized by courses that have taken her outdoors and into real ecosystems. \u201cYou start to appreciate the small things and realize how important they are,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also sought out additional research experiences beyond her fellowships, including work with faculty on plant-herbivore interactions involving slugs, reinforcing her interest in applied ecological systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just as productive as discovering what she loves has been discovering what she doesn\u2019t feel as passionate about, she says. A later fellowship studying microplastics in freshwater systems helped further clarify her direction. \u201cI appreciate the work, but it\u2019s not for me,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be in a lab. Failures are just as important as successes, because then you learn what you are good at and what you like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Global Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With two majors nearly done, Zmich decided it was time to chase a long-held dream: studying in Australia. There wasn\u2019t a pre-built study abroad program that matched what she wanted, so she worked with URI\u2019s study abroad office to create one. She ultimately chose Bond University on the Gold Coast for its mix of beach, city, and outdoor culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because her major requirements were largely complete, she filled her semester with courses like surf culture and storytelling, adventure tourism, content creation, and an immersive island class where students spent a week living and working on a nearby island, conducting beach cleanups, bird surveys, and crab research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being in Australia illuminated the importance of broadening one\u2019s perspective by being immersed in new environments. It also deepened her awareness of sustainability and Indigenous rights. \u201cSustainability and inclusivity are built into their systems,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in Rhode Island, those experiences helped inspire a project in her Program Development and Evaluation<\/em> class, where she\u2019s working to integrate Indigenous knowledge into environmental education at Norman Bird Sanctuary, a local nonprofit where she also teaches. There, she sees firsthand how environmental knowledge can transform young minds. \u201cAll of these kids are finding a passion for the environment,\u201d she says. \u201cThat spark is what moves me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, trying a new experience \u2013 teaching \u2013 revealed a new sense of purpose. \u201cI realized the impact isn\u2019t just the research, it\u2019s what people do with it,\u201d she says. \u201cThe real impact happens in how you communicate it.\u201d
Building Community at URI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2130\/IMG_3924-preview.jpg\")