Amanda Rugenski was in a bog when she realized that she wanted to be a scientist.
While on a field trip with her high school environmental science teacher, she found herself walking in a freshwater wetland that was soft and spongy, and holding on to a rope — in case she fell through.
“He said, ‘There’s water underneath,’ and I was like, ‘What?’ And then, ‘I am walking on water!’” she remembered. “At that moment, things clicked. Having him explain things to me in that environment, it all made sense. From that moment, I was sold.”
Rugenski earned a B.S. in ecology and an M.S. in biology at Idaho State University, followed by a Ph.D. in zoology at Southern Illinois University. Now a lecturer and undergraduate coordinator at the Odum School of Ecology, she’s able to help shape ecology’s undergraduate curriculum in ways that promote success for diverse groups of learners. Rugenski was part of the Active Learning Summer Institute to redesign general ecology and is currently part of the inaugural cohort for the Course Redesign Excellence Program.
“I strongly support UGA’s active-learning initiative and the focus on experiential learning,” she said. “All of these allow students to really thrive in varying learning environments.”
She also leads some of the school’s signature courses, including a semesterlong course on tropical ecology in Costa Rica and a Maymester field program focused on ecological problem solving.
She oversees ecology’s undergraduate degree program, including study away/abroad, internships and research, and handles curriculum modifications as well as assessments of student-learning outcomes. She also serves as graduate faculty.
Rugenski is constantly fine-tuning her teaching strategies, incorporating tools to increase her students’ opportunities — not just for academic success, but also for personal growth. She’s observed striking outcomes associated with the study abroad/away programs.
The Maymester program is designed to introduce students to the complexity of sustainability and ecological issues surrounding water issues in Georgia. While following the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, students meet with community members, city officials, governmental and state agencies, NGOs and other entities that are involved in decision-making.
“Students often approach problems with a linear mindset — ‘Here’s the problem, here’s the solution,’” Rugenski said. “But real-world challenges are rarely that simple. I want them to recognize the complexity while still finding effective solutions. That’s the goal.”
The semesterlong program in Costa Rica leads to “transformative” experiences.
“That course develops lifelong friendships,” she said. “They’re experiencing so many ‘firsts’ together, and you remember who you experienced those with.”
Even Rugenski, who first visited Costa Rica in 2008, is still experiencing firsts — in fall 2024, it was a new frog species.
“The first thing I do when I get there is walk down to the stream to see what has changed, because it’s going to be different than before,” she said. “I never know what we’re going to find when we’re doing our labs. I don’t know what organisms we’re going to see, and I don’t know what we’re going to collect. That’s exciting to me.”
The students live, study, eat and play together, fostering strong bonds. Rugenski is also there, getting to know them in a way to allow her to provide in-depth mentorship and guidance.
“It allows me to help them see what their strengths are and build confidence in themselves,” she said. “One of the main outcomes that I really like to see is that students feel a greater sense of belonging.”
