In the Media

Adam Kaminsky and Ruth Kazmerzak have been named University of Michigan Wyss Scholars for 2024-2026. Both are students at the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). 

The Wyss Scholars program, funded by the Wyss Foundation, supports environmental and law students who are interested in nonprofit and public sector conservation careers in the United States. The program operates at six universities across the U.S. 

Kaminsky is a joint master of landscape architecture and ecosystem science and management student at SEAS. He grew up surrounded by woodlands and swamps in Vermont. He attended Middlebury College, where he earned an undergraduate degree in conservation biology in 2016. After graduating he moved to Montana, where he worked in organic agriculture, outdoor education, and land conservation and restoration. That work included six years as education director of the Rocky Creek Farm Camp and School in Bozeman and one year as a crew leader for the Montana Conservation Corps. Kaminsky's focus is on integrating the powerful tools of landscape architecture with the field of land conservation and restoration. Specifically, he is committed to improving rural working landscapes from both cultural and environmental perspectives.

Kazmerzak is a SEAS environmental policy and planning student. Kazmerzak grew up on a farm in Iowa and later moved to Seattle, earning a bachelor of science in aquatic and fishery sciences and a bachelor of fine arts in photo/media from the University of Washington in 2016. During their undergraduate studies, Kazmerzak interned with the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, a citizen science project housed at the University of Washington. After completing undergraduate studies, Kazmerzak worked at NOAA's Fishery Science Center, and worked in administration for seven years in University of Washington's Art School. Kazmerzak's focus at U-M is on collaborative approaches for engaging scientists, policymakers and stakeholders in the process of creating resilient conservation solutions to benefit ecosystems and communities. 

Read more about the Wyss Scholars program.