From St. Olaf to Sweden, the student researches the impact of climate activist Greta Thunberg – St. Olaf College
From St. Olaf to Sweden, students research the impact of climate activist Greta Thunberg
In January last year, Cully Hauck ’23 attended a research course at St. Olaf where he examined global responses to the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
That course aroused a deeper interest in the climate movement, which only months later led Hauck to Stockholm, where he met Thunberg himself at the site in front of the Swedish parliament where her activism began.
“It was the only chance I will ever have to actually meet Greta and meet the person I have been researching all along,” says Hauck. “It was a fantastic experience to see the work she does in action. I think it was the cherry in addition to my experience to see Greta. There is nothing about it that I would not relive again.”
Hauck’s interest in the Swedish youth climate movement gained momentum when he signed up for a course in targeted basic research entitled “Responses to Thunberg” last interim. The course, led by the Norwegian faculty member Jenna Coughlin, focuses on how climate rhetoric in Sweden is portrayed in the media, especially the influence that young people play in changing that narrative. Hauck was part of the first group of students to take the interim course, and Coughlin will continue working as part of the Colleges Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI) program.
“Currently, we have decided to focus our analysis on how opinion writers represent Thunberg’s leadership – is she an effective and appropriate leader?” says Coughlin. “We are still working through our archive, but our preliminary analysis indicates that Thunberg is increasing tensions in Swedish society because, while Sweden has actively promoted democratic participation among young people, young people still do not have a formal voice in politics and feel the need for protection. Thunberg’s message on the urgency of tackling climate change seems to suggest that the role of children in society may need to change, and the authors are divided in their views on this. “
After collaborating with the class to publish one database of their findings, Hauck and Coughlin proposed a year of independent study to expand on the subject. Their proposal was accepted and received financial support with a Magnus the Good Collaborative Fellowship, a St. Olaf Fund to support faculty-student partnerships in research outside the classroom.
In order to study the effect of the youth climate movement on climate legislation abroad, Hauck traveled to Stockholm to gain access to articles and original documents that are not available in the United States. With a detailed itinerary to maximize the material collected, Hauck spent much of his two weeks abroad visiting libraries and universities. Hauck devotes this interim to reading through the more than 3,000 articles he sent to St. Olaf from Stockholm University Library.
“I am really looking forward to finding out the real impact the last three years have on the Swedish climate agenda and all the national discussions they have about how to deal with the climate crisis,” says Hauck, who majors in biology and environmental studies at S: t Olaf, with a focus on Nordic studies.
Although the research material Hauck collected was fantastic, the most memorable part of his time in Sweden may have been meeting Thunberg himself. Hauck participated in Thunberg’s “Fridays for Future” youth climate strike on what happened to be the third anniversary of her first ever youth climate strike in August 2018. Given the event’s significant anniversary status, Thunberg was present – and Hauck was able to present herself and her project to her.
“It was a great honor to talk to her, but it also seemed to be the most relaxed thing in the world because she was there with a group of 15 to 20 teenagers right in front of the parliament and dropped out of school,” said Hauck, noting that the famous the activist ended the conversation with both a wish for good luck in his research and a fist bump. “A lot in the world has changed since she started this job three years ago, but she was in exactly the same place where it all started. And it was fun to see.”
Much in the world has changed since she started this work three years ago, but she was in exactly the same place where it all began. And it was fun to watch.Cully Hauck ’23
Hauck has always had a passion for research. This summer, he participated in a research experience with the University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources sponsored by the National Science Foundation, and conducted his own experiment to study water potential and photosynthesis in a restored deciduous forest. Later in the autumn, Hauck learned about climate management through a virtual internship at the Stockholm International Water Institute, and led an outreach project to include more of the global south in conversations about climate change. Hauck wrote to more than 100 organizations in South America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa focusing on water-based solutions to combat climate change, and invited them to the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
In addition to his academic interests and research, Hauck is incredibly engaged on campus and sings as tenor 1 for the famous St. Olaf Choir, who, as a native of Northfield, had been his dream for a very long time. Hauck is also a member of the Blue Key Honor Society and until October he also swam sprint competitions such as 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle for St. Olaf Swim Team, which his father, Bob Hauck ’87, has trained for the past 33 years. Hauck is also joined on campus by his mother, Karna Hauck ’91, who has taught art education for the past 20 years, and his triplet siblings, Marcus ’24, Tatum ’24 and Signe ’24.
“Despite the challenges, I feel best when I feed all my interests because when you do what you love every day, there is a constant sense of reward,” says Hauck. “I need both creative and physical outlets for my energy, and I prefer it that way. Thankfully, St. Olaf lets me do everything I love to the highest caliber I know. At another school, I may not have the same breadth of opportunities as suits me on all fronts, and I will never take it for granted. ”
I feel best when I feed all my interests because when you do what you love every day, there is a constant sense of reward. I need both creative and physical outlets for my energy, and I prefer that. Thankfully, St. Olaf me do everything I love on the highest caliber I know. At another school, I may not have the same range of opportunities that suit me on all fronts, and I will never take that for granted.Cully Hauck ’23
Hauck says he has his interests in research to thank for the project he worked on when he was on campus in the summer of 2020, where he was one of only two students doing research on a campus that was otherwise largely closed due to precautionary measures against covid -19. Under the guidance of Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Kathy Shea, Hauck participated in a Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI) project on sustainable agriculture and forest restoration.
“We were the only project on campus that did not work practically because we had to work outdoors,” says Hauck, noting that it gave him invaluable experience. “If I had not been included in it, I would never have really tasted research and realized that it could be something I would appreciate.”
While he was at St. Olaf, Hauck served Ernest F. Hollings undergraduate scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The award provides $ 9,500 per year of academic study for two years in addition to a paid summer internship at the NOAA facility of his choice. This summer, Hauck will travel to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to investigate the baleen whale song using passive bioacoustics. Hauck says that his chances of getting the scholarship seemed small, as it has an acceptance rate of about 15% and he has no background in oceanic or atmospheric science. But he decided to give it a try.
“My childhood dream job was to become a marine biologist, and I never really let myself be abandoned,” says Hauck. “I thought, like when I came to St. Olaf, that I would start going away and find something else interesting to do, but I think in my heart I have always been set on marine science. It could not have ended better for now my college is paid and I have a really good feeling for what I want to do for a career – and what more can you ask for? ”