For the love of Science: UNK Public Communication M.A. graduate is ready to share her passion

“I love science communication,” said upcoming University of Nebraska at Kearney Public Communication M.A. graduate Gwendolynn Folk. 
 
She loves it so much that she drove more than 800 miles to UNK from Idaho State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and worked as a post-baccalaureate scholar in a socio-urban-hydrology lab. 
 
This 12-hour journey was sparked by meeting UNK’s Research Professor of Communication and Biology Dr. Mary Harner at the 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences meeting, which is among the world’s largest gathering of aquatic scientists, students, and professionals. 
 
The two “were a really good match,” as Folk was transitioning out of biology and into science communication, and Dr. Harner was looking for a Graduate Research Assistant who was “interested in water, water sciences, and getting people interested in water science.” 
 
Folk checked every box. 
 

“I had a passion for it but knew I didn't want to go into field work,” Folk said. “I wanted people to be as excited about it as I was.” 
 
After further discussion about UNK’s online Public Communication Master of Arts program, Folk said, “Yes, that's it. That's perfect - this is what I'm looking for.” 
 
The online program can be customized to fit students’ diverse career interests. For Folk, this meant combining the Public Communication curriculum with UNK’s graduate level biology courses to allow her to pursue a career in science communication. 
 
The online aspects of the degree allowed Folk to create a good balance. 
 
“I thought the time commitment was perfect,” she said. “It was a really good life balance that keeps me engaged and in the rhythm of doing school but wasn't so demanding that I couldn't have a life outside of it.” 
 

The program also allowed Folk to continue researching and share her research at local and national conferences. Her research on creating outdoor education lesson plans for high school students earned her first place at UNK’s Research Day in the Fine Arts and Humanities Poster Presentation. 
 
Folk was able to put her research into practice and do what she loves, getting people excited about science, by teaching her lesson plans at Kearney High School. 
 
“My dream is to be an educator in a natural history museum,” Folk said. “I love getting people excited about science and this degree really helps me do that. I now have the qualifications to do what I want, which is great.”