Senior Lily Bechina Spends a Summer Learning From the Earth

This past summer, Lily Bechina didn’t just read about the environment—she lived it. Ohio Wesleyan University senior, a double major in Environmental Studies and Geography and one of OWU’s Schimmel Scholars, spent her summer exploring glaciers in Iceland, collecting climate data in Alaska, and studying ecology in Ireland—all through the OWU Connection.

“I never thought I’d visit two countries and a faraway state in one summer,” Bechina said. “It was the best kind of whirlwind—busy, hands-on, and full of moments that reminded me why I chose this field in the first place.”

Her summer began in Iceland, where she joined 11 classmates and two professors, Dr. Rowley and Dr. Anderson, for a 12-day Travel-Learning Course. The group hiked glaciers, volcanoes, and waterfalls, connecting what they’d studied in class to what they saw right in front of them.

“My favorite part was seeing the tectonic plate boundary at Thingvellir National Park,” Bechina said. “I’d read about how the Eurasian and North American plates pull apart a little more every year—but standing there between them was surreal. It was one of those moments that makes science feel real.”

From there, Bechina headed north to Fairbanks, Alaska, where she interned with the Alaska Climate Research Center under state climatologist Dr. Martin Stuefer. During her two-week internship, she created a presentation for a national climatology conference and helped update the center’s website section on climate change.

“I loved that my work felt meaningful,” she said. “I was helping communicate real data that proves climate change is happening—and that felt important.”

The highlight of her time in Alaska was joining Dr. Stuefer on a small plane flight to collect hyperspectral data, used to study the Earth’s surface from above. “Watching the data come in live as we flew over the landscape was something I’ll never forget,” she said.

Bechina wrapped up her summer in Galway, Ireland, taking a course called “Ecology: Living Landscapes of the West of Ireland” at the University of Galway. The program was full of fieldwork. “There was only one day we weren’t outside,” she said. “Every other day, we were in the field learning directly from the environment.”

Her favorite day came when the class followed a river system from a mountaintop all the way down to where it met the sea. “In Ireland, rivers weave in and out of the ground—it’s so strange and beautiful,” she said. “We’d see a river disappear, drive a few miles, and then there it was again.”

Looking back, Bechina said she can’t pick a favorite trip. “Iceland gave me incredible landscapes and professors who made learning feel like exploration. Alaska taught me how powerful environmental data can be. And Ireland reminded me how connected people are to the land they live on,” she said.

“I’ve always dreamed of studying abroad, but I never imagined I’d visit three such different places in one summer,” Bechina said. “The OWU Connection made that dream real. I learned more than I ever could’ve in a classroom alone—and I’m so thankful for that.”