UVM Rubenstein School

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Whether it's rain gear, snowshoes, waders, neck gators, or anything in between, the Gear Library is here to make sure you have everything you need to make the most of outdoor experiential learning opportunities. Learn more at go.uvm.edu/gearlibrary.

Get to know the RSENR Gear Library The Gear Library always has your back! Whether it's rain gear, snow...

It's been a busy summer down at the Rube Lab!

Ph.D. student Braden Whisler and his team became quite a crew of night owls. They completed five weeks of nocturnal field work sampling nearshore fish communities with an electrofishing boat.

Meanwhile, WFB 3610's teaching team are preparing for field classes this fall, particularly the snorkel survey. Who said summer work can't also be a blast?

Alessia Noble was born in Sacramento, California, but has lived most of her life in Northern New Jersey. She is a rising senior at the University of Vermont studying Political Science and Sustainability, Ecology, and Policy. This summer, she is working with Forests, Parks, and Recreation in District 3 as a trail experience intern. With FPR, she is serving on two primary projects: creating environmental interpretation signage that narrates the history of the long-term Camels Hump research plots and doing trail work at various state parks. Last summer, Alessia interned with the Department of Environmental Conservation within the Solid Waste Management and Prevention Division, primarily doing outreach throughout the state. During the academic year, she works within the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources to improve indoor and outdoor lab accessibility practices. She feels lucky to combine her personal love of the outdoors with a professional goal of stewarding and conserving natural spaces for all to enjoy! In her free time, Alessia loves to swim in Lake Champlain, read, cook, scrapbook, and downhill ski (although she has torn both ACLs doing this, so maybe she should give cross-country a try). She is super stoked for the rest of the summer session with FPR!

Lorry Martinez is an intern with the Forest Health team within FPR, and will be helping to monitor forest regeneration on post-harvest sites. Originally from Duxbury Vermont, he’s excited to assist in the stewardship of the place he loves. Outside of work, he enjoys contra dancing and hiking.

Earlier this summer, Dr. Dan Erickson, a lecturer in the Rubenstein School and director of the Geospatial Technologies Program, taught a travel course on sustainable cities in the Nordic region. The class travelled to Sweden and Denmark where they learned about sustainable transportation systems, intense recycling programs, green building, green stormwater infrastructure, and intentionally designed neighborhoods. They biked on some of the most bike-friendly infrastructure in the word, hiked on offshore islands, and immersed themselves in Swedish and Danish culture!

ok, ok, one last to Commencement before we lock in and get ready to welcome a new class of first-years to the Rubenstein School! See a friend? Tag ‘em in the comments!

📸: Josh Defibaugh & Maddie Crossq

It's a cornerstone of the Rubenstein School experience. It's beloved by thousands of alumni. It's the winner of UVM BORED's Best Course Award for four years running.

Did you guess it? It's NR1010 and NR1020!

Learn more about this highlight of our first-year experience here:

Get to Know the Best Course at UVM | University of Vermont | The University of Vermont

New findings by UVM researchers Dr. Eric Roy and Dr. Kate Porterfield show that recycling food waste would bring huge benefits, but microplastics present a challenge.

The research, out today in the journal Nature Food, shows diversion of U.S. food waste from landfills could reduce related climate impacts by 89% and nutrient pollution by 50%.

The findings indicate a need to plan not just for channeling food waste into landfill alternatives—but also for managing the microplastics that can remain in the resulting compost and other organic materials.

https://youtube.com/shorts/OONvTVKF1wI

Learn more about the research here: https://go.uvm.edu/vi10n

UVM Research: Microplastic Pollution Teaser Learn more about the UVM research recently published in Nature Food!

Another fantastic session of Forestry Summer Camp (formally known as FOR 2220: Forest Ecosystem Analysis) has come and gone. Thank you to all the community partners, businesses, and individuals who were so generous with their time and expertise: VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, VT Fish & Wildlife, UVM Extension, Stowe Land Trust, Vermont Family Forests, Richard Carbonetti, Ethan Tapper, Joe Nelson, Lyme Adirondack Forest Company, SUNY-ESF, Gagnon Lumber, Ticonderoga Paper, Farrow Enterprises, Burlington Electric, UVM Watershed Hydrology Lab, and UVM Research Forests.

Recent Rubenstein School graduate Kat Rutkowski '26 presented at the International Association for Society and Natural Resources meeting in Corvallis, Oregon in June. Her presentation drew heavily from her paper, "Human Health or Ecological Function? Testing Conservation Frames in Vermont," which has been submitted for journal publication.

"I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to present my research and connect with a web of great social scientists, practitioners, and policymakers working to improve our human society and our environment," Kat said.

Learn more about the Rubenstein School and how undergraduates can get involved with and publish their own research here: https://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/prospective-students