Life as an MI student...

I haven’t mentioned much about serving as a Master’s International student, and thought this would be a good opportunity to share my experiences so far. Just to recap, and if there are new readers trying to understand more about this program and how it works, I will try to summarize my personal experience as an MI student in Zambia.

I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the MI program through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and spent two semesters fulfilling the course requirements for my degree (M.S. in Natural Resources). What is remaining now is my research, writing and defending my thesis, and also presenting it to fellow grad students and interested professors and staff. So basically, the hardest part is yet to come! Before embarking on this journey to be both a Peace Corps volunteer as well as a grad student in Zambia, I was told that I can develop an idea of a research project but that it may need to be tweaked upon learning what is most realistic and appropriate given my lifestyle and what I have access to.

The issue of colony collapse disorder afflicting honeybees as well as pollinator declines around the world sparked a personal interest in this area of study, and I have continued to develop a project focusing on pollinators in Zambia. With the help and guidance of experts in the field of pollination ecology, biology, and taxonomy, I will work to create a manual that highlights pollinator conservation in Zambia. Specifically, I will be working with a great organization, the Conservation Farm Unit. The CFU has been working with rural small-scale farmers in Zambia since 1995 on incorporating sustainable techniques that are designed to improve the soils and eventually their harvests. To learn more about the wonderful work the CFU has and is doing in Zambia, visit: www.conservationagriculture.org.

In addition to creating some literature, I will also collect data regarding pollinator diversity as well as farmers’ perceptions and knowledge regarding pollinators on their farms. As I mentioned in another post, I have been in Zambia for over a year now and have just recently finalized the direction and specifics of my research here. To be honest, it’s been frustrating and overwhelming at times, but also exciting and wonderful to piece it all together and network with others in this field. If I were given the opportunity to change anything up to this point I wouldn’t, it’s been a tremendous and unique learning experience and I’m happy to be balancing life and work as a PCV and MI student in Zambia.