By Zachary Pousak
During the summer of 2024, I participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) hosted by the University of Michigan-Dearborn. It was my first exposure to research beyond small class projects. I worked with Dr. Paul Draus on his “Alley Alchemy: Implementing Urban Acupuncture in Detroit’s Depopulated Districts” project. The goal was to apply their “urban acupuncture” method in Detroit neighborhoods. Urban acupuncture involves making small “pinpricks of change” to an area within a city, with the hope of creating a positive ripple effect across a broader region. These effects can be environmental, such as reduced pollution, or social, like increased neighborhood cohesion.
The main organization we collaborated with was Rescue MI Nature Now (RMNN) in Detroit’s Nolan neighborhood. I joined Dr. Draus on this project because I had taken Urban Sociology with him during the winter 2024 semester. In that class, we partnered with RMNN on an urban acupuncture class project, which I really enjoyed. I’ve always wanted to work with communities in some way in my future career, so I thought the SURE program would provide valuable experience and prepare me for success.
Long story short, Dr. Draus selected me to join him on the project for the summer. Oh man, I did a lot of work! To summarize briefly, I attended numerous workshops and events throughout the city. These events helped me learn about environmental initiatives in Detroit and understand what other organizations are doing. After attending one event about an urban forest, I decided to focus my research on RMNN’s Therapy Forest. I was drawn to the forest because of the powerful healing benefits of nature and the unique opportunity to create such spaces in urban settings, especially in Detroit, where vacant land is abundant.
For my research, I gathered environmental indices of the forest, providing RMNN with data to track its growth over the years. I also interviewed residents to gather their feedback on how the Therapy Forest and other urban acupuncture projects have transformed the neighborhood. Additionally, I implemented an urban acupuncture intervention of my own: I created six smart rain barrels for the community. These barrels, equipped with solar panels, operate automatically.
Overall, I had a very productive and successful summer research experience! Participating in a research project like this felt special to me. Many of my peers struggle to find jobs, and it sometimes feels like a paradox—you need experience to land a job, but how are you supposed to gain experience straight out of university? That’s one of the main reasons I decided to participate in this project over the summer. It’s something I could add to the “experience” section of my resume.
Besides that, getting hands-on experience working with a small community in Detroit was so unique—how could I turn it down? The people in the neighborhood were incredibly kind, welcoming, and accepting of me, which made the summer even more enjoyable. They were genuinely some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I’m a little sad the summer went by so quickly because there were more projects I wanted to complete. But I still feel proud of what I accomplished.
Dr. Draus made the experience comfortable and supportive. He arranged workshops for me to attend, helped me run my own workshops, and supported my various ideas throughout the summer. He even helped me travel to Seattle to present my research at the National Sustainability Conference. That was an amazing experience. I met dozens of accomplished individuals in the sustainability field and presented my research to about 30 people. It may not sound like a lot, but knowing that each person was accomplished in their own right—and seeing them diligently take notes on my presentation—was exhilarating (and a bit nerve-wracking!). It was incredible to share my work with an international audience.
As I prepare to graduate this December, I look back on my SURE experience with great fondness. I stayed busy all summer, but it was absolutely worth it. I made meaningful connections with RMNN, Dr. Draus, and others at U of M. I presented my work at the SURE showcase and in Seattle, and I know I left a lasting, positive impact on a small corner of Detroit. Thinking about my post-university career, I’m confident this experience will benefit me in the future. And most importantly—I had fun, which is such an essential part of any summer.
