Hey girl hey – it’s me! Your future self! And guess what: right now you may be stuck in your hometown, working a retail job and worrying if you picked the right study away opportunity, but I’m here to tell you that you’re in for the summer of a lifetime. After you pack your bags…

Our ten-day trip around Wyoming culminated in visiting the state’s two iconic national parks: Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. The day I’m writing about is our second day in Yellowstone, which was also the final day of the trip, making it bittersweet. We began the day by driving from our cabins in the Tetons up…

Our time in Wyoming culminates in an independent research project that we design around any topic we are interested in: geology, ecology, climate science, anthropology, urban design, art, economics, and more. The project simply has to focus on the natural or human environment in Wyoming. For my project, I wanted to answer questions I had…

Our field study in Wyoming is split into two classes: Ecology, and Geology and Paleontology. The two topics are interwoven and alternated throughout the week, as we might first study Cretaceous fossils from the Western Interior Seaway (basically, the middle of the continental U.S. used to be covered in water), and then look at modern…

We’ve been in Wyoming for two weeks now, which feels simultaneously like both an instant and a lifetime. The days are long, and everything is very different from what I’m used to, i.e. the East Coast. I’ve had to adjust to flatter and vaster topography, new plants and animals, a lot more mosquitoes, and an…

I am sitting on the side of a ridge overlooking the western edge of the Spring Creek Preserve in Wyoming. The air carries a cool breeze, but the early morning sun already promises a hot day. It is silent except for the chattering of prairie dogs and the occasional bird call. I can see the…

Hello! My name is Lauren Posey, and I am a rising junior at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m majoring in Environmental Studies, with a certificate in Sustainability and a minor in Studio Arts. I will also be completing a Joint Honors Degree with the Honors College. Outside of the classroom, I’m actively involved in the…