Undergraduate Research

Congratulations to the March Undergraduate Researcher of the Month, Carly Smith! 

Carly Smith is a senior double majoring in English and Environmental Science. During her undergraduate career, she has pursued interdisciplinary research that bridges the sciences and the humanities, with a specific interest in examining how environmental issues are shaped not only by ecosystems, but also by culture, policy and lived experiences. 

Carly’s first published paper, “Nature as a Shared Language: Cultural Exchange in Eighteenth-Century Poetry of the United Kingdom,” appeared in the inaugural volume of Crossing Currents and explored how literary representations of nature reflected cultural exchange and evolving environmental perspectives. Her second publication, “Rewilding the Built Environment: Navigating Economic, Political, and Social Barriers to Urban Ecological Restoration,” was published in the sixth volume of PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas and investigated how governance structures, planning systems, and public perceptions influence the adoption of ecological restoration strategies in cities. In addition to publishing her work, Carly has presented at several on-campus research conferences and at the 2025 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC). 

When reflecting on her research experiences, Carly shares that her favorite part is conducting literature reviews and identifying gaps in existing scholarship. She enjoys tracing how different researchers approach complex problems and discovering unanswered questions that create space for new work. Through her projects, she has strengthened her skills in qualitative analysis, synthesizing interdisciplinary information and developing focused, impactful research questions. 

Carly encourages students interested in research to start by being curious and connecting with their professors. “Many research opportunities begin with a conversation after class or during office hours,” she shares. She also highlights the value of community-based and applied research, which can be just as meaningful as traditional lab work. 

After she graduates this spring, Carly plans to pursue a master’s degree focused on environmental social science and community-centered environmental planning. Her long-term goals are to earn a Ph.D. and build a career in research and higher education, studying how environmental learning, policy and communication shape the ways communities respond to environmental change.