Upstate Institute News and Announcements

The project I have been undertaking is a new endeavor, started by Rogers Center Environmental Educator Ellen Rathbone, to inventory and address the concerning population decline of native bumblebees at Rogers Center and around central New York. This initiative is fittingly called the “B-Team.” 

Rory Gold Wienk ’24 is one of 31 student fellows who completed research with a community-based organization in upstate New York this summer as a part of the Upstate Institute Summer Field School.

Community members recently heard from a panel of experts discussing Lyme and other tick associated diseases, one of the impacts of the overabundant local deer population in the Hamilton area. On April 5 at the Hamilton Public Library, panelists cautioned that deer ticks are emerging now in the spring, and they can carry not only Lyme disease, but also nine other diseases. 

With over 14 separate programs including citizenship, employment, traffic safety, and English language class, a newly arrived refugee can access resources that cover every aspect of life from green card application to professional skills development and infant car seat installation. The Center’s work with refugees from around the world has changed Utica into a diverse and vibrant community, with over 17,000 refugees resettled since 1981 and over 15 languages spoken at the Center.

I worked for the ACLC’s Nest Raft Program to help mitigate these nesting threats. I regularly kayaked on six lakes, observing eight loon pairs for their nesting successes and failures. Out of those eight pairs, only half ever built nests, and half of those nests failed due to flooding.

This summer, I completed my Field School Fellowship with the Madison County Department of Health (MCDOH). My project focused on the prevalence and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which is just one of the many important issues MCDOH works to address.

My project this summer with the History Center was called  Rejuvenating Local History and had me take a hallmark event about the Center’s core exhibition, the Historical Hall of Fame, and make it accessible to virtual visitors and connect with on-site visitors in a new, engaging manner. 

My responsibilities as a grant writing Fellow for MUCC included assisting with the Consolidated Funding Application, drafting support letters for grant applications, facilitating on-site community events as needed, and creating a spreadsheet that keeps track of past grant proposals.

Not only was I able to contribute to longstanding research and databases, but I was also able to interact with and communicate messages of conservation to the public.

My project with NYSARH this summer is to help them understand the association from an outside perspective and summarize the advantages and attractions of the association.