Emma Gray is a recent graduate with a Master's in Environmental Science and Technology from the University of Maryland. She is currently a research intern with Ward 8 Woods Conservancy, a small nonprofit in Southeast DC that focuses on environmental cleanups and litter pollution control. Her area of expertise is primarily in water resource management through academic research, though she's interested in entering the broader nonprofit field.
What kinds or forms of academic research do you conduct? What topics or questions do you explore?
Gray's master's research focused on building a model to examine reclaimed water use for irrigation in agriculture. Her work involved conducting surveys at agricultural extension meetings, analyzing crop data with water models to examine water budgets under specific climate conditions, and studying reclaimed water feasibility. More generally, most of her work has centered around agricultural and crop-related topics.
What was your journey into academic research like? How did you get involved, and what motivated or inspired you?
Gray discovered her interest for research during a required independent project at the University of Pittsburgh. Through this project, she realized she enjoyed being able to pick what to explore and designing her own methods in research. She then reached out to a professor doing work that interested her and they designed a project together that eventually became her undergraduate thesis. This positive experience led her to apply to the University of Maryland's research-based master's program, furthering her research journey.
How has learning about and conducting research impacted you? Have any of your beliefs, habits, or perspectives changed as a result?
Gray's research at UMD was very community-focused, examining what farmers thought about reclaimed water resources and how to make them more appealing. This work taught her about equity in agriculture and how farmers are often disadvantaged in various systems. She believes that "researchers are there to support them rather than leverage tools against them,” as farmers sometimes believe. This experience shaped her approach to emphasize trying to leverage data to support communities around her instead of just trying to fix it for them, making sure that they're continuously involved in the process.
Can you share a moment—big or small—when your research felt especially meaningful or had an impact beyond the lab/classroom?
While conducting surveys for her master's research, Gray encountered a farmer who expressed concern about his neighbor pumping excessive groundwater and feeling lost about what to do. Gray was able to explain how her research results could actually help him by showing that even if groundwater became unavailable, there were still resources and technologies being developed to support his crops and economic wellbeing. She found this moment particularly meaningful, since she felt it demonstrated the practical impact of her work.
Why do you think it's important for young people, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, to understand and engage with research?
Gray emphasizes that people who don't traditionally pursue STEM careers often have the biggest potential impact because they know their communities best. From her work with Ward 8 Woods, she's learned that many community members without traditional educational credentials possess valuable knowledge. She notes that if these individuals don't engage with research, significant knowledge is lost, since they bring unique perspectives from working directly within their communities.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out or curious about getting into research?
Gray's primary advice is to be confident and bold. She emphasizes that getting into research requires a leap of faith and rejection is normal: "If science were super easy, we'd all be doing it." She stresses that teachers and professors want to help students who show passion and persistence, and reminds us that students bring fresh, young perspectives that are valuable to research projects. She encourages people to recognize that they have more skills than they might think and emphasizes that persistence is key to success.
Finally, why should we, as a society, continue to support academic research and stay enthusiastic about it?
"A lot of the beauty of the world is based around research and being curious. Our sense of community is centered around being passionate about things." Gray believes that without academic research, society would lose much of its hope and beauty. She also notes that research and curiosity form the foundation of everyday structures and drive much of what we do daily. In summary, she believes that research supports the people who form the backbone of society and maintains the hope and wonder that make life meaningful.
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