Ryan Kim - The Physiological and Mental Effects of Being Outdoors and Why This is Important for Adolescents from Underrepresented Communities
Ryan Kim is a First Year Franke Wildcat studying Public Health
Tell us about your Quest Project:
I wanted to find a way to dive deeper into an idea I initially had when volunteering with the Community Outreach Program at Saguaro National Park. Quest has been a great way for me to pursue research that I am personally interested in and work closely with faculty who have been supporting me throughout this process. Quest was also a great way for me to work on a research project that intertwined my major Physiology and my interest in Public Health.
The goal of this project was to identify the positive effects being outdoors has on one's physical and mental wellbeing and what are the implications for people from underrepresented communities who are disproportionately underrepresented in the outdoors. I initially started this project after talking and volunteering with Cam Juarez, Community Outreach Coordinator for Saguaro National Park. Cam and I discussed how within underrepresented communities there is a need for additional support for those who would like to participate in the outdoors. After volunteering with the team last semester, I identified underrepresented youth as a target group for a future community outreach plan. If you are able to cultivate someone's love for the outdoors at a young age, they are more likely to continue the habit later in life which can positively affect their physical health, mental health, and prompt them to make more environmentally conscious decisions in the future.
Overall this project has been super exciting because I have had the opportunity to get involved in research I am passionate about early in my undergraduate career. However, because I am completing research early in my undergraduate career it has been difficult to know exactly what I should be doing because of my lack of experience. This project has given me a great experience in working closely with faculty and members of the community to make a difference in the Tucson Community.