Jake Downey loved visiting museums in Chicago as a kid, so when he saw that U-M’s Natural History Museum was hiring student docents, he didn’t hesitate to apply
That was his freshman year, and Downey, a senior, has been leading tours since.
“I’ve loved learning how to communicate science to the public,” said Downey, who is double-majoring in LSA’s ecology, evolution, and biodiversity, or EEB, plus the Program in the Environment, jointly managed between LSA and the School for Environment and Sustainability.
Downey first developed an interest in environmental science as a child, visiting a nature center near his home in Elmhurst, Illinois.
“It was a pivotal place for me growing up, and I think going there fostered my love for the environment,” he said.
That affinity for natural sciences also played a role in Downey’s decision to come to U-M.
“Deciding factors for me were the resources Michigan put behind its EEB program, as well as its hard-science approach to studying the natural world,” he said.
Downey was also wowed by U-M’s Biological Sciences Building.
“Lots of schools invest in engineering or medical sciences, but the fact that U-M had a fairly new building for biological sciences was a selling point for me,” he said, adding that the building also houses a museum to make science more engaging for the public, which is important to him.
Once he arrived in Ann Arbor as a freshman, Downey quickly found ways to get involved in research on campus. He joined the Michigan Research and Discovery Scholars learning community, which connected him to a paleontology research lab on campus.
“I loved dinosaurs as a kid, so this opportunity spoke to that part of me,” he said, laughing.
At the lab, Downey examined sediment through a microscope, looking for microfossils. Over the summer, he volunteered to do field work for the lab in Powell, Wyoming, and he helped train K-12 teachers on conducting field research.
That experience paid off when he applied for a freshwater ecology internship in Charlevoix, sponsored by the Michigan Sea Grant, a NOAA program.
“They were looking for an intern to look at fish scales under a microscope to age them, and they told me I was selected, in part, because I had experience using that technology,” Downey said.
Downey also spent a summer at the U-M Biological Station in Pellston where he saw first-hand what ecological field work looks like.
One of his favorite experiences that summer was taking the course “Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands,” where class time was spent suited up in waders doing field work in streams and lakes.
When he’s not doing research, Downey also loves to sing. He’s part of an a cappella group called Heartbeat, and they sing regularly at U-M’s main hospital.
They also host a concert each semester to raise money for a chosen cause. This spring, Heartbeat performed in Angell Hall to support anti-gun violence advocacy.
After graduation, Downey plans to work for a year in freshwater ecology while applying to graduate schools.
“I’m hoping to pursue a Ph.D. in freshwater science,” Downey said.
“Ultimately, I’d like to tie public engagement into whatever I do. My goal is to build relationships with communities, so they have a say in the science we conduct, and we have a better understanding of what they need.”
