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Meet Maryn Towers
Iceland 2025 – TGP Scholarship
Virginia Tech
Environmental Economics
Graduation Year: 2025
“It was the greatest experience of my life and I believe that anyone who wants to experience it, should be able to.”
About Maryn
I am Maryn, a senior majoring in Environmental Economics, Management, and Policy with a minor in Environmental Policy and Planning. I learned about the Green Program through internet research inspired by my university’s study abroad opportunities. Although my university has many interesting study-abroad opportunities, none of them perfectly aligned with my interests in environmental science. When I came across the Green Program website, I found the Iceland opportunity and realized that this was perfect for me.
I was interested in the TGP because I have always wanted to travel the world and this opportunity also aligned with my desire to learn more about sustainability. [When I learned I had been awarded a scholarship], I was ecstatic. When I had been talking with the program advisor, she had told me that there was an opportunity to apply for a scholarship to take off a little of the financial burden. I was so relieved that I got a scholarship because I knew that I would be able to go on the program trip now!
Some of my initial challenges were with the financial side. I support myself through school, so spending a lot of money on a trip was going to be hard for me to put together. But with the help of the scholarship and picking up extra hours at my job, I was able to make it all work!
Takeaways and Learning Moments
I expected things to be fast-paced since we had to explore and put together a project within a week. The reality was that things moved even faster than expected. We were doing excursions during the day and working on our capstones after dinner. But at the same time, I was able to find time to relax and connect with my peers.
My biggest takeaway, besides the lifelong connections I made with my peers, would be the desire to continue my education to make a powerful impact in the future. Throughout the program my guide was giving me information about the local universities, what he was studying, and how he decided on his specific program.
One of my favorite learning moments was when we got to go into the tunnels underneath a hydropower plant. It was amazing to see all the rushing water beneath our feet and hear the strength of the water knowing that it was actively producing energy. It was a surreal experience.
Capstone Project
My group decided on an agricultural drone that would be able to sample soil and transport it to a team of individuals who would test the soil for farmers. Once the soil is tested, farmers would be able to access their soil data and see insights from scientists on the health of their soil, what it’s lacking, and possible recommendations on what crops to rotate. Within the app, farmers could also connect with other local farms to see if anyone is having similar issues and create a sense of community with these farmers.
Some challenges we had was during our brainstorming session, when we were trying to figure out the logistics of the drones. I come from an environmental/ economic background so I had no idea how drones worked. But luckily one of our group members was studying mechanical engineering and had experience with drones, so we were able to figure out the logistics of the soil sample arm together.
Our end result was an amazing drone that collected soil, sent it to a science lab, then put data onto an app that farmers could access and use to gain insight on their land to increase their yields and soil health.
Maryn’s advice for new GREENies:
Before I got on my flight, I was so scared that I was making the wrong choice. I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to make any friends on my trip or that I would be miserable. One piece of advice that I would give would be to just do it. If you want to go, if you have the opportunity, then go on the trip. If you’re like me and you didn’t originally have the money, pick up some extra work hours, whatever you have to do, but create the opportunity for yourself. It was the greatest experience of my life and I believe that anyone who wants to experience it, should be able to.
To Those That Made My Scholarship Possible…
I would like to thank Briar for pushing me to apply for the scholarship. I would also like to thank my father for helping me with some of the funds for my program. I would finally like to thank my other family members who helped supply me with my gear so I could be well prepared for the trip.