My name is Mary Spaulding and I am from Rochester, New York. I am a junior at Bucknell University which is located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. At Bucknell I am studying environmental studies and studio art. The classes that I take for my environmental studies major include a wide variety of subjects, but one of my main interests is in the deforestation of the world's tropical rainforests. Last January I did not even know that there were rainforests in Australia, but when I read about this program I knew that it was a chance for me to finally see what I have studied for many years. I think that studying the rainforests up close will give me the opportunity to understand the major role the rainforests play in the world's ecosystem.