Written by Sustainability Interns: Brenna McConnell ’24 and Tingkuan Hsieh ’24.
Colgate students have the opportunity to make a tangible impact in the field of sustainability through research, summer experiences, and on-campus work. Kayla Gutheil ’24 has explored many of those opportunities and will leave a legacy highlighting the intersections of agriculture, pollinator conservation, and sustainability throughout upstate New York.
Since she was in high school, Kayla has always been passionate about the environment. Now, as a graduating senior, she reflects on how her coursework and research in the Environmental Studies Program have shaped her interests and passion in the work that she does today.
After taking Professor Heather Roller’s introductory environmental history course during the fall of 2021, Kayla applied to work alongside Professor Roller the following summer as a research assistant. Their research delves into both the environmental and social impacts of agrichemical use on farms in various regions across the United States, focusing specifically on the 1970s to the present. Along with another student, Kayla spent the summer of 2022 in Hamilton, N.Y., performing a preliminary literature review and conducting interviews with farmers throughout Madison County. She spoke about the centrality of oral histories to the success of this research alongside Professor Roller at an Environmental Studies Brown Bag that fall.
During the spring semester of her junior year, Kayla was enrolled in a community-based research course (ENST 450) — her group focused its research on the threats posed by invasive species such as the spotted lanternfly and the fall armyworm in central New York. Similar to her research the previous summer, Kayla interviewed participants in an attempt to determine how risk perception was influenced by various economic and environmental factors.
Shifting away from invasive insects and toward native insects, Kayla began research as an Upstate Institute Fellow in the summer of 2023 for AdkAction’s Adirondack Pollinator Project. She was tasked with developing large-scale recommendations that could be piloted the following summer to increase pollinator habitat. These ideas included adjusting roadside mowing frequency, constructing rest-area pollinator gardens, and planting native wildflower species on capped landfills, septic drain fields, and powerline zones. Kayla also met with AdkAction’s partners and community stakeholders who provided suggestions about how to strengthen the Adirondack Pollinator Project’s network. Her work culminated in a final report that was presented to the Adirondack Pollinator Project board and partners, is being used in strategic planning for the organization, and was highlighted at the Environmental Studies Brown Bag in spring 2024.
Outside of her research and coursework in the environmental field, Kayla has worked at the Colgate Greenhouse in the Ho Science Center since the summer of 2022. She loves taking care of plants and currently has about 15 different houseplants in her room. In addition to her plant obsession, Kayla is an animal lover who was lucky enough to stay at DaCy Meadow Farm last summer and befriend many cows and goats. She is looking forward to graduating in the spring and hopes to return to the Adirondacks to hike and visit the farm. Although her post-graduate plans are still uncertain, Kayla is grateful for her professors and experiences in the Environmental Studies Program throughout her four years at Colgate.