Junior Biology major and Honors student Amital Shaver has been selected as one of 55 Udall Scholars for 2024 in recognition of her work toward the resolution of environmental challenges.
“I’m really excited about being a part of a community of scholars who want to make change within existing structures,” she said. “We’re thinking about how we can be practical about these pressing issues facing the environment,” she said.
Amital has spent summers in both Alaska and Washington working on forest fire suppression. It’s this on the ground work that has driven her desire to become an expert in land and resource management.
“I’ve met quite a number of mentors who have helped show me that women play a part in wildland firefighting,” she said. “Getting our hands dirty and knowing what things are like on the ground is really important.”
She hopes to use the knowledge gained from fieldwork to eventually create and influence policy that will have a direct impact on those who manage the land.
In addition to field work, Amital’s time as an Honors student has helped prepare her for a future in research, and she credits the access to small class sizes with engaged faculty.
“The professors are excited to work with students’ passions and move with the times,” she said.
Amital hopes to eventually work with a large research institution’s extension office, combining her interests in field work with her passion for research. She also wants to use the skills from her creative writing minor to better communicate scientific findings with the public.
“Storytelling is how people understand the world around them,” she said.