News
Au Sable Grad Fellows Retreat and New Beginnings
Mar 31, 2011
Papers, research proposals, readings, meetings ... In many ways, graduate school is the ultimate grind that calls for stick-to-it-iveness. Add winter to the mix, and getting through school can be a daunting challenge. The Au Sable Graduate Fellows have hit on a novel way to combat the January blues: gathering in northern Michigan for a weekend of the sweeter side of graduate school -- camaraderie, thoughtful discussions, play and recreation and good conversation, warm places with good food.
The weekend of January 14-17 saw grad fellows from Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and University of Wisconsin-Madison collect on Au Sable’s Great Lakes Campus in Mancelona for a chance to recharge their batteries, connect with grad fellows across schools, reflect on new and emerging areas in Christian environmental stewardship, and reconnect with God’s world during a school year often loaded with office work.
As David Young, a MSU graduate student, puts it, "Many people regard winter as a miserable season where heating bills are high, roads icy, and sidewalks slushy. But, during the Au Sable Grad Fellows winter retreat we had opportunities to get out in the winter weather and enjoy the beauty of the earth in its winter state. From finding a mammal's den via the tell tale tracks left in the snow to snowshoe racing across a small frozen pond, it was a great way… to take a break from the daily grind of graduate school and to enjoy and remember the beauty and complexity of God's creation."
Now well into second semester, the graduate fellows continue to meet regularly to talk about topics of environmental stewardship at their respective colleges. It’s our hope that their retreat has spurred them to go back to their research and studies with renewed vigor and allowed them to recast their work within God’s grand work of restoration and redemption.
Vocational Calls: Graduate Fellows Receive Teaching Positions
We are happy to report that four Au Sable Grad Fellows alums have received their doctorates and have taken or will be moving into teaching positions shortly.
Ryan Bebej (Michigan) recently accepted a position in the biology department at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Ryan researched a branch of the whale family for his doctoral dissertation and was part of a field research team featured in the August edition of National Geographic magazine.
From Ryan: “[In my new position], I will be responsible for teaching introductory biology, anatomy, physiology, and upper-level zoology courses. The Au Sable Graduate Fellows program served me very well during my years as a graduate student at the University of Michigan. Our meetings prompted me to regularly think about how my work and faith are integrated, while also challenging me to think about what it truly means to be an environmental steward. Plus, the people I met through the program have been a wonderful source of encouragement over the years. I am very thankful for all the experiences that the Au Sable Graduate Fellows program afforded me.”
Brian Aukema (Wisconsin) moved to the University of Minnesota where he is a McKnight Land-Grant professor in the entomology department. He comes to Minnesota from a similar position at the University of Northern British Columbia and research work with the Canadian Forest Service.
From Brian: “The first two years of my tenure at UMN will be spent as a McKnight Land-Grant Professor, which provides some exciting new opportunities, not the least of which is a chance to explore opening an Au Sable Grad Fellows chapter at the University of Minnesota. The Au Sable Grad Fellows program was critical to my development as a scientist and person, and I hope other students can be afforded the same opportunities.”
Sarah Kelzer Wyse (Michigan State) began a teaching position at Bethel University in Minneapolis, Minnesota this past fall. She graduated from Michigan State University this past May and returns to her alma mater where she obtained her undergraduate degree.
Darren Proppe (Alberta) joined the faculty in the natural sciences at Montreat College in North Carolina after finishing his graduate program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Darren’s specialty is songbirds and the effects of human- induced change on bird behavior, particularly vocalization patterns.
Check to out some of our other current and former Grad Fellows on our website.
If you will be entering a graduate program at one of our AGF chapter schools, or know someone who is, or if you’d simply like more information about the graduate fellows program, please contact Grad Fellows Director Rolf Bouma at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).