I wasn’t supposed to ever go to Wyoming. I had originally signed up for a summer study abroad trip to Ecuador that got cancelled because of a lack of enrollment – and when I found out that the alternative was to go to Wyoming, I was more than a little disappointed. What could I possibly…

We woke up early (as always) on Monday morning in one of the most comfortable places we have stayed in all six weeks. Flushing toilets, fluffy pillows, and lots of hot water elevated the Colter Bay Cabins to the top of the list. It was sad to say goodbye to the Grand Tetons, but we…

The environment of the Spring Creek Preserve here in Wyoming is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before – and it is something that I am unlikely to have the opportunity to study in-depth again. That’s why, when choosing the question for my independent research project, I wanted to focus on the prairie ecosystem. Despite appearing…

I stand at the end of eons of history, quite literally. My feet rest on the youngest layer of earth, writing the smallest sentence at the end of a never-ending encyclopedia that is the story of our world. There has been an unfathomable amount written before me and there will be an unfathomable amount after,…

I find a lot of comfort in the idea of cosmic insignificance. Our existence on this planet is so infinitesimally small on nearly every scale – Wyoming itself, for instance, was covered in water for the majority of its geologic history; our human perception of it is an abnormality. In general, I tend to get…

As I write this, I am sitting next to the opening of a prairie dog tunnel system, there are ants, bees, and beetles are hard at work all around me, and there is a bird of prey circling far above my head. Life persists. Plants of so many species grow around me, and I am…

Hello! My name is Emma Paci and I am a rising junior at Pitt. I am majoring in Biological Sciences with minors in Chemistry and Literature – my long-term goals are to attend graduate school for Ecology and do field research. Outside of class, I am a member of the ski club, outdoors club, and…