A Summer Outside

The Econ canoe – I swear I paddled and didn’t just sit in the middle the whole time

When it comes to my free time, I love doing just about anything outside – from hiking to swimming to playing basketball. My time with the LAKES program has been perfect for this so far. When we aren’t working on our research projects, most of our free time has been spent outside. A basketball hoop next to our dorms always keeps me busy in the evenings, and trips around the region fill the rest of my time. Just last weekend we went canoeing down Red Cedar River and biked to a local strawberry patch to pick our own berries for the week (pictures included).

The strawberries were so good we ate a whole
bucket in less than a week

My interest in the outdoors and traveling to new places not only influenced my decision to study Geography as my second major, but it also strongly influences my research interests. As someone who enjoys spending a lot of time outside, it only makes sense that I would be interested in research involving the environment and sustainability. The LAKES research is right up my ally – I get to learn about ways to limit environmental pollution while also exploring how much of a positive economic impact a cleaned-up lake would have on the local community. Studying a lake that I pass each day makes the research project even more interesting as I get to know the local area and community more and more every day.