{"id":21548,"date":"2026-05-01T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/?p=21548"},"modified":"2026-05-01T09:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:00:51","slug":"levesque-plant-sciences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/news\/levesque-plant-sciences\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cPlant Sciences Is For The Doers\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Justin Levesque arrived at the University of Rhode Island, he was looking for something hands-on and rooted in living systems. He found it through an introductory course that introduced him to a major he had never seriously considered before: plant sciences<\/a>.

What stood out to him immediately was the way the material is taught. \u201cThis is a major for the doers,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of hands-on work. You\u2019re not just sitting there trying to synthesize big abstract projects; you\u2019re doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A community with purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That emphasis on experiential learning is central to plant sciences at URI, where students work directly in greenhouses and outdoor labs. For Levesque, that approach quickly felt more engaging than traditional lecture-based coursework.

Over time, the campus itself became an extension of the classroom. Walking between buildings turned into opportunities for observation and identification. \u201cI walk places now and I know the trees,\u201d he says. \u201cI was always an indoor person, but now I understand where I am outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of that transformation, Levesque says, comes from the faculty who shape the department with their expertise, accessibility, and enthusiasm. He credits Professor Nathan Lambstrom, among others, for bringing energy and depth to field-based learning. \u201cYou can throw anything at him and he just knows it,\u201d Levesque says. \u201cHe\u2019s passionate in a way that makes you want to pay attention to every word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sees that same student-centered commitment in Professor Rebecca Brown, chair of the Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology<\/a>. \u201cShe\u2019s incredibly knowledgeable and quick-witted, but also the kind of professor who will sit with you, set up extra study sessions, and walk you through anything if you have the passion,\u201d he says. \u201cShe\u2019s not just here for a paycheck – she\u2019s here for the betterment of the field and her students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Levesque, that kind of engaged teaching connects to something larger: URI\u2019s land-grant mission in action as knowledge is not simply generated by shared and applied. Whether in hydroponic labs, greenhouses, or fieldwork, he sees students contributing to work with a real impact.

\u201cSo much of what Dr. Brown does is about other people,\u201d he says. \u201cShe\u2019s constantly thinking about how to support the food system in Rhode Island and make sure there\u2019s no food insecurity on campus. A lot of what we grow goes to help feed students. That\u2019s her first thought: how this work can serve others.\u201d

That sense of purpose also shapes the department\u2019s culture. Levesque has found a strong sense of belonging. \u201cIt\u2019s like a family,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery teacher is approachable, knowledgeable, and actually invested in you. They\u2019re here because they care about the field and about students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe greenhouse is our place,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe\u2019re always there, helping each other out. It\u2019s not just a class; it\u2019s a community.\u201d

\u201cI made a mark\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
\u201cThis is a major for the doers,\u201d Levesque says of plant sciences. \u201cYou\u2019re not just trying to synthesize big abstract projects; you\u2019re doing it.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Levesque believes plant sciences is especially valuable for students who learn best through doing rather than abstract theory. \u201cThere are people who don\u2019t thrive in traditional lecture settings,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they could have so much fun here. They could be outside, working with their hands, actually seeing what they\u2019re learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Levesque, though, the impact of plant sciences goes beyond career preparation. He points to moments that reshaped how he thinks about time, purpose, and impact: planting trees on campus, propagating plants that will outlive him, and even growing seeds brought from halfway across the world. One of his proudest moments was planting a date palm in URI\u2019s conservatory from seeds a friend brought from Jordan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you come back years later and see something you planted, that\u2019s powerful,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018I was here. I made a mark.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a fast-paced, increasingly digital world, Levesque sees plant sciences as a way to reconnect with nature, with community, and with a sense of permanence. \u201cYou\u2019re cultivating life,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re helping something grow that\u2019s going to last beyond you. That\u2019s not something you get everywhere.\u201d

As he prepares to graduate later this year, Levesque hopes more students will discover the major the way he did – even if it\u2019s by chance. \u201cJust take one class,\u201d he says. \u201cYou might realize it\u2019s exactly what you\u2019ve been looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Through hands-on learning in URI\u2019s Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology, Justin Levesque has found community, mentorship, and a lasting connection to the natural world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1089,"featured_media":21550,"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-21548","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\/21548","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=21548"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21552,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21548\/revisions\/21552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}