Applying for the Conversation Medicine (ConMed) program was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I reflect on the experience with nothing but vast appreciation for everything we had the privilege to experience. Our program is currently led by faculty, and I cannot rave about it enough. We had the opportunity to learn and explore the totality of the country, from warm rocky beaches to cool mountain ranges, and everything in between. One of our program leaders, Nathan, had the uncanny ability to choose stunning lecture locations. One day found us at the top of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. We saw a pod of dolphins while discussing wayfinding techniques used by the Māori people. Infusing culture with science is an important skill I did not have before this program but am so glad to have developed. There are many social considerations when determining the right path forward, the most logical choice is not always the best.

With experiences in the field, in the lab, and in the classroom, the ConMed program is exceedingly helpful for narrowing down future career goals. In my case, a career involving both lab work and fieldwork appeals to me immensely. I have had lab experience previously, but we did work with actual applications on the program, not just labs to learn. For example, we learned how to develop antibiotics from soil samples, and a few of our samples had actual promise for a potential new drug! Seeing how science actually fits into the world was life changing and made me fall even more in love with what I’m doing.

The program also heightened my appreciation for the natural world. Instead of soil, I see a potential lifesaving compound. I better understand natural relationships and how nature can work as one whole living organism. I see firsthand the impacts humans can have on nature, and that we must be more conscious of the consequences of our choices. I also understand how a group of total strangers can become a family, united by a shared experience so far from home. There is beauty all around us, and the Conservation Medicine program reminded me of that beauty and continues to remind me every day.

Name: Emily Callcut
Status: Junior
Major: Environmental Biology/Zoology and Environmental Science & Management
Hometown: Farmington Hills, Michigan
Program: Conservation Medicine in New Zealand