Home is a simple word, but the experience of finding home is personal, complex, and always evolving.
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters invites people across Wisconsin to join our Finding Home series and explore what it means to find home through the lenses of science, arts, history, literature, and civil discourse.
In every region of the state, people shape their sense of home through cultural expression, ecological knowledge, and community care. Many are also noticing changes in the places they know best, from shifting seasons to new pressures on land, housing, and water. Finding Home programs explore how people respond with creativity, stewardship, and resilience.
At its core, Finding Home brings people with different perspectives together with the goal of deepening understanding and identifying shared values and common ground.
In this video interview, Samara Hamzé reflects on the role of UW Oshkosh in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability while strengthening ties between campus and community. As a town and gown connector, she highlights how partnerships across the UW System help Oshkosh move toward common goals that benefit everyone. From the growing adoption of solar energy on campuses to the importance of programs like KEEP at UW Stevens Point, this work shows how higher education can lead by example. Samara also shares a personal view of home as a place shaped by memories, the Great Lakes, nature, and a deep commitment to conservation.
This is what it looks like when education, community, and care for place come together.
