UVM Graduate Students United - UAW

I study labor relations and feminist care ethics within alternative farming systems, specifically animal agroecology in Vermont right now. I am interested in using critical landscape design for just transitions from industrial agricultural models/mindsets to agroecological systems that support holistic health of all human and non-human laborers. I try to do as little work possible and instead spend time with friends and family, in my garden, in the kitchen, with my pup, or making art. I joined the union because there is a ubiquitous culture within capitalism that has us undervaluing our labor, accepting scraps from administration, and I want create a reality that allows us to realize our true worth and prioritize the things that actually matter in life.

I am a PhD student studying the effects of bacterial modulation of tryptophan in the gut on serotonin signaling in the brain, and the downstream effects on anxiety behavior. I am a climber, baker, and love to read and be outside when I am not in the lab or organizing for better worker rights as grad students. I come from an extremely pro-union family, so it is second nature for me to stand up for myself and my peers, and work towards the changes that we deserve!

I am a master's candidate in the department of Plant and Soil Science studying green stormwater infrastructure. When I am not teaching, organizing, or working, you can find me getting my graduate student comprehensive fee's worth at the gym, collecting fairy garden statues, eating breakfast burritos at Sweet Alchemy, frolicking in fields with my dog Dani, chaotically gardening, and riding my razor scooter through the streets of Winooski. I am pro-union for the empowerment of all voices and to achieve proper compensation for the important and involved work we do as graduate WORKERS.

I study mathematics, combinatorics and graph theory in particular. In the past, I have been a primary instructor for `Fundamentals of Calculus I' and `Applications of Finite Math' as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, although I am currently working as a Graduate Research Assistant. Outside of doing math, I like to skateboard, hike, and listen to music. I joined the union of grad workers at UVM to fight for our voices to be heard: we need livable stipends, better insurance, ... the list goes on (but little change has been made). We need collective bargaining!

​Mandy Nix (she/her) is a transdisciplinary Ph.D. student and Gund Graduate Fellow with co-advisors in the Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources and the College of Education & Social Services. After eight combined years of splashing through creeks as a freshwater ecologist and non-formal environmental educator, her research examines the nexus of K-12 watershed education, literacy, and justice. Her research and practice in learning ecosystems, abolitionist teaching, and radical reciprocity also fuel her efforts to unionize grad student workers — whose labor is the lifeblood of the Graduate College. She is organizing because all workers deserve the right to collective bargaining, livable wages, and high-quality healthcare to sustain their labor and lives. When she is not teaching, researching, or organizing, Mandy can be found in the Monkton countryside whispering sweet-nothings to her fickle garden, living vicariously through Neopets, frolicking with her leash-trained kitty Magpie, collecting secondhand treasures like a case-building caddisfly, and spending 70% of her monthly income on rent/utilities.

I'm studying the interactions between plant roots and soil microbes of crops grown in intercropping systems, like the three sisters polyculture of corn, bean, and squash. I'm specifically interested in how these interactions alter agroecosystem resilience and productivity. When I'm not playing in the dirt (soil), I like to kayak, hike, sew, and cook! My default fun fact is that my family has a labor day tradition of swimming across the Mississippi river, my first swim was at age 3. I am interested in having a union to support graduate student concerns because I think we all deserve to be able to afford our rent, bills, prescriptions, and doctors appointments without having to take out loans or work second jobs.

I’m a graduate student worker who’s interested in understanding how organisms acclimate to changes in the thermal environment they experience throughout their life. Drosophila melanogaster is my model organism but I probably can’t help you evict fruit flies from your kitchen. I like cooking, reading, tasting new foods, and exploring the city in my spare time. I joined the union so collectively we can gain more control over how we teach, do research and fulfill the mission of our university.

I am a PhD student in the Plant Biology Department. I use genetics and genomics to better understand the ecology of poplar trees, with the hope of helping these trees overcome challenges caused by climate change. My research is very interdisciplinary, so you might find me planting trees out at the Horticulture Farm, working on experiments in the lab, or running jobs on the VACC. I am also a GTA for Genetics (BCOR 2300). In my free time, I enjoy biking, soccer and skiing. I support a union for grad students at UVM because I'm tired of seeing my friends struggle to afford rent, student fees and medical bills, despite the amazing contributions they make to the university as teachers and researchers.

I’m a 3rd-year grad student worker in the Plant Biology department. I’m originally from Connecticut and completed my undergrad at Oberlin College in Ohio, after which point I started farming and participating in crop-focused research. Here at UVM I study the evolution of flowering pathways in an agricultural group of grasses (think: wheat, barley, rye). My interest in researching this topic centers around my desire to contribute meaningfully to the sustainable agriculture movement. I am a grad student at UVM because I want to make a difference, but I have had to sacrifice my financial, mental, and physical wellbeing to attend. I believe that the administration could be doing more to support the collective needs of grad students across campus, and with the formation of a union, I believe we can achieve this.

As a PhD student and GRA, my research is both the subject of dissertation and my job. My research is focused on methods for automated architecture design of deep learning models. When not working I enjoy board games and snowboarding. I want a union for the grad workers so that we won't have to worry that UVM will leave us stranded if the economic situation in Burlington gets worse.