Hailey Becker often chooses the path less traveled, and when there is no path, she has no problem blazing her own. In fact, her high school math teacher once told her: “the best job for you probably doesn’t exist yet.”
Embracing her trailblazing nature, Becker is currently enrolled in a first-of-its-kind at Michigan State University – a dual program that combines a Master of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with a Ph.D. in Forestry.
“My research walks the line between scientific research and artistic expression,” said Becker, who uses both disciplines to inform her work, including her current art installation that explores the complex relationship between humans and nature, specifically trees.
Part of the MSU Science Festival, the installation consists of LED lights mounted to 43 trees on MSU’s campus. The lights are positioned in such a way that they appear to pierce the heart of each tree, like a spear.
The trees are earmarked for removal to make way for the Spartan Gateway District, a future construction project on the west side of campus, located at the northeast corner of Trowbridge and Harrison Roads, just west of Holden Hall.
The name of the installation, “Where the Light Gets In,” comes from a lyric by songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen: “There’s a crack in everything; that’s where the light gets in,” referring to the way in which trauma can open your eyes to positive aspects, making one more receptive to the good in the world.
“The act of piercing the tree with light is a death ritual in which the community is given an opportunity to pay their respects to the trees, mitigating the shock of their imminent removal,” Becker said.
Becker collaborated on the project with Patrick N Taylor, who graduated from MSU in Spring 2024 with an MFA In Studio Art. The public is invited to visit the installation at any time of day, with the lights being active from dusk until dawn.
A closing reception and workshop is planned for this art installation for Friday, April 25, from 8 to 10 p.m. at the installation site. The workshop will be a choose-your-own-adventure where participants are given a series of ways to interact with the art through sound, movement, drawing, and more. Hot beverages, snacks, and supplies will be provided. No experience with art or forestry is required. There will be limited seating, so it is recommended that attendees bring a blanket or camping chair.
Part of Becker’s dissertation research, the public also is invited to participate in a study on ecological grief by completing a survey to share their feelings on ecological loss, knowledge of MSU tree management policies, and environmental behavior. The goal is to better understand how land management and ecological loss affects daily functioning, feelings about the future, and behavior.
Part of Becker’s dissertation research, the public also is invited to participate in a study on ecological grief by completing a survey to share their feelings on ecological loss, knowledge of MSU tree management policies, and environmental behavior. The goal is to better understand how land management and ecological loss affects daily functioning, feelings about the future, and behavior.
Last September, Becker and Taylor created a similar installation, also titled “Where the Light Gets In” and on MSU’s campus. That project also featured LED lights mounted on trees, looking like beams of light piercing the heart of the trees. It was located at the site of the future Plant and Environmental Sciences Building at the corner of Farm Lane and Wilson Road. After the installation closed, the trees were removed to make way for the new construction.
Becker has a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Alabama, where she also excelled in jazz saxophone. She decided during her senior year to pursue a master’s degree after a professor told her she would be frustrated in the workforce without an advanced degree.
This led Becker to MSU in 2020 where she first embarked on a Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering. Becker was beginning to fear losing a connection with music and the arts community, so she decided to pursue a degree in music as well.
As with many students from a large variety of majors, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected Becker’s music program. Shifting her plans and focusing her studies solely on materials science, she began noticing the beauty in how metals fracture in specific ways.
Becker’s interest in science communication began to grow as she developed a knowledge base that went beyond strict scientific research, which ultimately led her to art classes. One class in particular, Poetic Computation, taught by Professor Abhishek Narula, proved to be a game changer. Narula has a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and an MFA. This course was Becker’s first exposure to electronic art and intermedia, the study of the in-betweenness of things. Seeing the way Narula was able to mix the disciplines in a seamless way sparked Becker’s interest in an MFA.
Adam Brown, Professor in MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design, was in the process of developing an MFA (the terminal degree in Art) alongside a Ph.D., exploring the idea of how this kind of pairing would inform both research and the art world.
An MFA is the terminal degree in the United States, but not in Europe. In Europe, the terminal art degree is a doctorate. Therefore, Brown wanted to explore having students work on their MFA alongside a Ph.D. in another field, making them more competitive in the job market, and understanding how living in multiple disciplines informed their artistic and scholastic endeavors.
Becker flourished in this space, having a rich background of scientific research, as well as a deep connection with the art and cultural community around her.
“A lot of my artistic practice, unintentionally, has strong scientific components, even if it’s just methodology,” Becker said.
Having always had a profound interest in natural resources, Becker chose Forestry for her Ph.D. program. When asked what ultimately led to this choice, she said “like materials science, it sounds really specific and people have preconceived ideas of what it actually means, but it is actually quite diverse and there are so many avenues to explore.”
Becker currently works in the Silver Lab, focusing on human dimensions of natural resources.
“I am interested in tensions between the human side and the objective side. Nothing we really do is objective,” Becker said. “This kind of program allows me to explore these topics at different paces. I can dig into one topic that’s so niche for so long. The art side lets me move out a bit, and science is more focused.”
The Silver Lab is led by Emily Silver, Associate Professor in MSU’s Department of Forestry.
“Hailey provides an invaluable perspective to our MSU forestry community. Her work informs better science communication and will provide new and exciting ways for people to engage with trees and forests,” Silver said. “We are both learning from each other as she contributes to our forestry social science team.”
Becker plans to graduate with her MFA in Spring 2026 and is hoping to complete her Ph.D. the year after that. She would like to eventually work in academia and someday rise to the rank of dean or provost.
“I’d like to help set the academic mission of a school,” she said. “Individual paths in education are individual endeavors. It’s personal. This program sets me up to help other students navigate academia, now having an expansive understanding of where people are coming from.”
