MCCALL FIELD CAMPUS

ABIGAIL MACKAY

M.S., Environmental Science, Class of 2024

Hometown: Murray, Utah

This new academic year brings with it some of the most exciting and hopeful moments in my Vandal journey. At the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) on the McCall Field Campus, I am experiencing my master's program in a beautiful wilderness setting while sharing ideas with the middle-school-aged children I teach.

This program is truly a dream come true: my place-based education course lets me learn how to teach the students of Idaho to love their native flora and fauna, while my science communication class will help me share science with every generation, allowing me to instill a curiosity for and understanding of the natural world in all Idahoans.

As part of my degree work, I will participate in research with the Cultivating Indigenous Research Communities for Leadership in Education and STEM (CIRCLES) Alliance, bridging science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and indigenous worldviews. As an indigenous woman, I am inspired to connect my sacred sense of self with my education and pave pathways for more indigenous students to do the same.

After graduation, I want to teach the world about the beauties of nature through an environmental education or science communication role. I hold as sacred the Hawaiian belief of Mālama ka ‘āina: our responsibility to care for the land. I want to teach this fundamental belief to my community, no matter where, and bring harmony between land and people.

The awards and graduate funding that I have received, including the MOSS DEI Scholarship, have greatly minimized the financial burden and worry for myself and my family. This allows me to dive fully into classes and learning without any distractions. While I previously worked to support my undergraduate studies, I won’t have to do that here at the McCall Field Campus. This means I will be the most engaged learner I've ever been.

Thank you so much for perpetuating learning for new generations and communities, and for allowing me to share my education with Idaho’s children.

With your generous donation, I am able to be part of the profound experience of connecting education to the place where we are and to sacred cultural beliefs. Thank you so much for perpetuating learning for new generations and communities, and for allowing me to share my education with Idaho’s children.

Our Vision

Growing the future of natural resources research and education

The next chapter of McCall Field Campus (MFC) begins with a new Teaching and Learning Center and a new Dining Lodge. Each new facility will be designed, built and operated to the highest performance standards. Through a holistic, regenerative approach, we are creating buildings that help teach and demonstrate best practices to students and communities. This is an opportunity to use a building as a teaching tool and inspire stewardship through its use of materials, operations, artwork and connection with land and water.

Since 2021, we have raised $6 million in contributions! Our goal is to raise the remaining amount by 2025, to complete these critical improvements to bring revolutionary and sustainable infrastructure to inspire future generations. We express deep gratitude to donors and contributors from across Idaho and the region. Consider joining us in supporting the ongoing work and future potential for MFC in providing outdoor educational opportunities to help solve the grand challenges of our time.