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Studying abroad was not in Kathryn Bennett鈥檚 plans. In fact, it was pretty much the opposite. But things change. Opportunities present themselves. For Bennett 鈥�19, the latter led to the former and now she鈥檚 headed to Abisko, Sweden, a small village north of the Arctic Circle, to spend the summer studying methane emissions from melting permafrost. 听

鈥淭his really came out of nowhere,鈥� the Medway, Massachusetts, resident says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I wanted to study abroad, but this is such an incredible opportunity that I couldn鈥檛 say no.鈥�

An and dual major, Bennett will spend 10 weeks in Sweden, thanks to the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship she received from the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research. The project involves examining gas samples released from a system of area ponds.

Bennett will stay at the Abisko Scientific Research Station, where research that includes observation, monitoring and experimentation has been conducted for more than 100 years. Part of Bennett鈥檚 work will have her learning to fly a drone that will take photos of the ponds.

鈥淲e鈥檒l be able to track their size,鈥� Bennett says. 鈥淎s permafrost thaws, the carbon stored there is released and ends up in lakes and ponds. Our research will be combined with data from the last four or five years and help inform how the system works.鈥�

鈥淢y advisor, John Aber, has been so supportive of me. He鈥檚 one of those people who sees more in you than you do and keeps pushing.鈥�

The Sweden trip is actually Bennett鈥檚 second study abroad experience. Her first came during the January term when she took a sustainable agriculture and ecology course in Costa Rica. But she began honing her research skills at 91制片厂 with the Sustainability Institute when she helped calculate 91制片厂鈥檚 nitrogen footprint for 2016. A 2017 Social Innovation Internship took her to Portland, Maine, where she worked in the corporate sustainability department at , a worldwide engineering consulting firm known for its sustainable practices. There she tracked emissions tied to specific projects. She has twice presented at 91制片厂鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Conference.

鈥淚鈥檝e been very impressed with the opportunities I鈥檝e had at 91制片厂 for hands-on research experiences,鈥� Bennett says. 鈥淢y advisor, John Aber, (professor of natural resources and researcher with the听) has been so supportive of me. He鈥檚 one of those people who sees more in you than you do and keeps pushing.鈥�

Growing up, Bennett spent a lot of time outdoors, which she says made her 鈥減assionate to help preserve the land, the globe, for others.鈥� Throughout her college career she has pursued interests that could help her answer the question: How can we protect the planet on a large scale?

鈥淲hat can you and I do that will make a difference?鈥� Bennett says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I love about research 鈥� the process, the conversations, working through problems. And then turning that into tangible results. I really like the idea of working on research that can improve policy.鈥�