peter jurich

planet forward senior correspondent | university of wisconsin-madison

thank you for visiting my profile! i am a second-year master's student in the department of life sciences communication at the university of wisconsin-madison. i grew up in the city of dearborn, mich., which is known for having the highest middle eastern population in the u.s. -- a fact that has influenced my appreciation for the importance of diversity in a community. as a child, i thought i wanted to be an actor and a novelist because i love storytelling so much, but a working a job at an aquarium has pushed me into science journalism. as an interpretive naturalist at the aquarium of the bay in san francisco, learning about the world under the water's surface made me fall in love withe biology and environmental science. i think it's important to care about the environment because as climate change becomes a bigger threat to the world, other animals who do not have the power to reverse find it increasingly difficult to live here. it's our responsibility to future generations of all living things to make sure they have just as many opportunities here -- and more -- as we have. after i graduate, i hope to work as a science communicator, inspiring others who have lacked the exposure to be as enthusiastic about discovery as i am; or in science policy, writing and reviewing the guidelines by which our county operates as they relate to complicated health and environmental issues.