Graduating senior Julie Howk created this ode to her “Wood Turning and Conservation” course with instructors Ralph Tursini and David Brynn, which she took this fall. The course, held in UVM's Jericho Research Forest, teaches students the principles of sustainable forest management, tree and wood identification and safe wood turning techniques. And each student leaves the course with a handcrafted bowl

“I really wanted to show my appreciation for it and just all the excellent courses, in general, I've taken here at UVM,” Howk says.

This isn’t the first time she’s created an artistic response to her coursework. An exhibit of her photography was on display this year at the Allen House gallery, photos she took while on a UVM-led travel study course to Nepal.

Howk, an anthropology major who hails from Oklahoma, says it was photos of Nepalese villages that first interested her in taking the course. “I looked with fascination at a place that seemed far away from the norms of home, not just materialistically, but also environmentally, politically, socially, and economically. This presented itself as an opportunity to apply what I’ve learned, in anthropology, in the field. The very thought of the kinds of adventurous experiences and research skills I could develop were too exciting for words.”

Read more about her experience and see her photos in this post on her blog, “A Flat Lander’s Guide to Nepal."

After finishing up her coursework this semester, Howk says she’s considering heading to Alaska or teaching English abroad; she’s applying for positions in Thailand, Vietnam, Korea and Japan.

“One thing is certain," she says. "I want to go somewhere that I've never been before.”