Buffalo, NY – When Canisius Professors Jonathan M. Roth and Jennifer Lodi-Smith, PhD, recently led 13 students into the Florida Everglades, learning transcended traditional classroom boundaries. During the group’s transformative week-long expedition, students immersed themselves in one of America’s most complex and fragile ecosystems and gained profound insights into environmental stewardship.
“What makes this experience so transformative is that students discover their place within these ecosystems,” Roth explains. “They begin to understand that environmental stewardship isn’t just about preservation. It’s about recognizing our role in the larger natural community.”
The course, Ecology and Self, took students far beyond textbook learning. They spent their days wading through cypress domes, surveying coastal prairies, canoeing along the mangrove-lined Buttonwood Canal, and snorkeling around the coral reefs of the Florida Keys. Each experience offered a unique lens into the intricate ecosystems of the Everglades National Park – a critical habitat for rare and endangered species such as the West Indian manatee, the American crocodile and the Florida panther.
“This trip was unforgettable,” says psychology major Jamie Kosten ’27. “I left the Everglades with knowledge of a whole new environment, new friends with whom I shared this amazing experience and a long list of animals I have never seen before.” Kosten continues, “We kept track of every species of plant and animal we saw, and our number was well over 280.”
At Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, students learned how conservation efforts saved 2,421 acres from potential condominium development and protected more than 80 species of plants and animals. A visit to the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center further illustrated the human impacts on wildlife, as students witnessed firsthand the rescue and rehabilitation of native and migratory birds. Their outdoor classroom also included lessons on the Everglades’ watershed history and the complex interactions between human development and natural environments.
“I have never been the most environmentally friendly … and hadn’t really thought about it until we saw so much plastic on our walks, and I realized how much waste we produce,” adds marketing major Maggie Eisel ’27. “This changed my views on consumerism. I don’t need all the products and excess I thought I did and if I decrease how much I use then maybe it could help reduce the amount of plastic that accumulates.”
“After seeing all the pollution and damage humans have caused in South Florida, the Everglades and on the Botanical Trail, it saddened me,” continues biology major Aurora Masset ’27. “It made me want to be better for Mother Nature. I want to consume less … and help clean up heavily polluted spots of Buffalo. I want to learn more about the environment so I can educate others so we can make a difference in the world.”
Ecology and Self is a collaborative, interdisciplinary course offered by the Environmental Studies, Psychology and Honors program, and open to students of all academic disciplines.
“This immersion experience is becoming an essential part of our environmental education offerings at Canisius,” Lodi-Smith says. “It exemplifies our commitment to academic excellence with personal growth and community responsibility – in this case, ecological responsibility.”
Canisius introduced the Ecology and Self course in spring 2024 to further the university’s Laudato Si’ initiative. Launched in 2021, the Vatican-led project guides Catholic institutions on ways to achieve an eco-sustainable environment within seven years. Canisius was among the first universities in the United States sign on to the Laudato Si’ platform, committing itself to offering ecological education, ecological economics, eco-sustainable campus projects, ecological spirituality and community environmental support.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership
