This summer, turn classroom knowledge into real-world impact

Morgan Ramsey took her learning abroad by enrolling in UW Sustainable Food Systems in Italy, a 2-credit, short-term field experience offered by the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, in partnership with International Academic Programs. The program is open to all UW–Madison students who complete the 1-credit pre-departure seminar, Inter-Ag 321, during the spring semester.

“Visiting organizations such as the FAO [the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization] and the World Food Programme and learning from small-scale farmers in Southern Italy deepened my understanding of global food systems,” Ramsey said. “The experience also helped me think more critically about how to communicate complex issues like food security and climate change to broader audiences.”

Between coursework, a full-time internship, international travel and her work with Badger Volunteers, Isadora Collins packed her Summer Term full of hands-on learning experiences. “It definitely was a learning curve of figuring out how to manage my time,” she said. “But I like having a full schedule.”  

During her internship at Promega, Isadora was part of a team focused on manufacturing psilocybin for clinical trials in treatment-resistant depression, a hands-on experience that directly aligns with her interest in biotechnology. Her summer experiences, she said, helped her determine whether to pursue a future PhD in biochemistry or chemistry.

Isadora Collins gained hands‑on biotech experience during her full‑time summer internship.

For Naureen Kamal, conducting undergraduate research in the summer offered an important — and personal — avenue for discovery. Her work in the Bendlin Lab gave her the opportunity to study the role of the gut microbiome in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, a condition her grandmother developed 15 years ago. 

“I worked closely with participants, screening them for eligibility and shipping research kits for sample collection,” Kamal said of her research experience. “Part of this process included data entry and coding based on external coding materials.” In one of the studies she worked on, she screened participants, shipped sample kits and piloted blood spot collection. These samples were then analyzed at another lab, providing Kamal’s team with genomic DNA information used for further analysis.”

If you’re ready to make your Summer Term count, now’s the time to enroll and start shaping what comes next, whether it’s inside the classroom, across Wisconsin or around the world.