This research paper explores how different relationships between people and nature can be fostered by learning experiences to bridge harmful gaps in the field of sustainability. Current disconnectedness from nature and people both within and across geographical borders hinder the cultivation of sustainable solutions. After attending a sustainability-oriented educational experience abroad in Ecuador recently, I decided to investigate how cross-cultural exchanges in Ecuador influences participants’ views of nature, new points of intersectionality participants learn while amongst nature in Ecuador, and what about this experience made it uniquely meaningful. Research methods included individual interviews and a group hike and picnic focus group discussion to collect qualitative data. I found that during this experience, students were able to lean into being vulnerable with each other, connect with indigenous community members beyond language borders, and connect with nature in ways that fostered awareness of the human position within it. From this, I learned that there were unique aspects of this learning experience that allowed for these relationships to be built and therefore for sustainable knowledge from the trip to stick when participants got back to the United States. The amount and flexibility of learning and processing time and dynamics created by classroom structure were important variables to the effectiveness of the learning experience. Institutions can learn from these experiences and connect people back to nature to implement successful sustainability solutions in the future.

Excavating Self was created between January and April 2023 and is comprised of two series and other additional works. It starts and ends with a set of self portraits that reflect on the experience before and after creating this body of work. The first series, On Sacrifice, draws on experiences from a previous relationship, the feelings surrounding them, and the emotional fallout of the breakup. The second series, Juntos, explores relationships with family, past and current loves, and the way these relationships shape understanding of identity. The remaining pieces focus on topics such as ancestry, gender expression, and sexuality. Other central themes include self discovery, preserving memory, and love in all of its multiple truths. All pieces were created using intaglio printmaking techniques with hand written text.

Coelophysis (see-luh-fai-suhs) was an early theropod dinosaur that lived during the Triassic Period over 200 million years ago. Coelophysis has often been depicted as a creature that was scaly and lizard-like in appearance. However, recent paleontological evidence paints a different picture of this early dinosaur. This sculptural rendition of Coelophysis includes round pupils, feathered insulation, and even varied color patterns, all based on possibilities generated from current scientific findings. This hypothetical model was created to stretch popular assumptions about the appearance of early dinosaurs.

In the Southwestern United States, climate change poses challenges to reliable water access due to droughts, wildfires, and urban development. Arizonan farmers are faced with unpredictable precipitation, muddled legal water rights, and outdated equipment to irrigate their land. Located in Northern Arizona, Verde Valley residents and stakeholders are challenging the way the Verde River water is managed through collaboration, partnerships, and technical changes to water infrastructure. Through interviews conducted with various stakeholders involved in the Verde River ditch irrigation system, ranging from water users to nonprofit organizations, this paper identifies sociotechnical tinkering as an important aspect of maintaining agricultural operations along the river amid political tensions, social relations, and climate change. Through interviews and analysis, this paper further contributes to the relatively new discourse on the concept of sociotechnical tinkering by proving its existence and its subsequent effectiveness in the Verde Valley. Using statements made by respondents, the paper argues that sociotechnical tinkering helps manage resources through political and social relations.