Peter Boucher is a first-year Environmental Science master’s student at UMass Boston and an IGERT associate fellow. After graduating from the University of Chicago with a BA in English, Peter developed a passion for environmental science while working for a conservationist newspaper in Boone, NC. He also completed post-baccalaureate study at Appalachian State University, where he worked in a freshwater ecology lab studying salamanders and spent his time preparing a publication on the effects of human handling on tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). He is working with his UMass advisor, Dr. Conevery Valencius, to grow as a scientific communicator and to develop his understanding of climate change in coastal communities. He is particularly interested in the impact of ocean acidification on biodiversity. As part of IGERT, Peter is looking forward to working with international scholars to foster scientific dialogue that is accessible to both academics and to the public.