Biology
Student Narratives of Recent BIO and NRM Internships
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Student Narratives of Recent BIO and NRM Internships
Internship Sponsor: Mote Marine Laboratory, Pineland, Florida
Student: Ryan Decker
Faculty Sponsor: Eric Snyder
Semester: Spring/Summer 2003
Duties: Assisted senior and staff biologists in field work including pulling seine nets, identifying, measuring, and dissecting fish, testing water quality, preparing microscope slides, constructing plastic mesh fish cages, measuring stream water flow, collecting and recording data.
Student Comments: “The internship director did an excellent job by giving me a wide variety of experiences that broadened my exposure to marine ecology. I used physical skills, swimming, communication skills, lab skills, biology and chemistry background, as well as computer skills. The internship went very well and I learned a lot about marine biology and fisheries biology.”
Internship Sponsor: USFWS, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia
Student: Melanie McGuire
Faculty Sponsor: Shaily Menon
Semester: Spring/Summer 2003
Duties: Biological intern responsible for monitoring the threatened piping plover. Responsibilities included finding and enclosing plover nests to reduce predation, monitoring adult incubation of eggs, monitoring chicks to determine brood success, assisting with predator control, and using GPS to map dunes and exclosure sites for inclusion in GIS map layers.
Student Comments: “I feel that this internship has given me an opportunity to work and understand the operations of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I was also able to partake in a number of opportunities to learn more about the refuge and work in other fields than piping plovers. I was also able to utilize several of the field techniques I have learned while at GVSU during the course of the summer such as using a GPS, compass, plant identification, DBH measurements, and GIS.”
Internship Sponsor: MSU Trevor Nichols Research Complex, Fennville, Michigan
Student: Ashley Leimback
Faculty Sponsor: Bruce Ostrow
Semester: Fall, 2004
Duties: Assisted with studies of insect fruit pests. Maintained traplines in the field to study the populations of several insects. Helped maintain indoor insect colonies, and assisted with bioassays on the colonies to determine which chemicals and concentrations of chemicals were effective in controlling insect pests.
Student Comments: “My laboratory classes helped prepare me for this internship. I used my knowledge of lab equipment on a daily basis. My supervisors were excellent. They always explained what was going on and why. I was given background information about every project I participated in. I enjoyed my internship and I thought it was beneficial to my education.”
Internship Sponsor: Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Student: Jack DeGroot
Faculty Sponsor: Rod Morgan
Semester: Winter, 2005
Duties: Assisted in laboratory research on MET protein expression in cancer tissue. Duties ranged from molecular biology techniques such as PCR genotyping and western and southern blot analysis to histological analysis through necropsy reports, slide development, and database updating.
Student Comments: “My supervisor was great because she let me work the experiments and figure everything out on my own while always being there for questions and insights. I got real research experience and was able to think it through rather than perform a list of instructions or protocols. The internship was a great experience. It was everything and more than I expected.”
Internship Sponsor: Aspen Achievement Academy, Loa, Utah
Student: Joseph Westerhof
Faculty Sponsor: Carol Griffin
Semester: Spring/Summer, 2005
Duties: As a wilderness field instructor, duties focused around the emotional and physical safety of the 8-10 at-risk teenage students in the backpacking group. Day to day activities included teaching the students Leave No Trace wilderness ethics, how to build primitive shelters, how to start a fire using a bowdrill, leading off-trail hikes, and working with a staff team to insure that the students received the best available treatment.
Student Comments: “I was thrown into the job right after training which is the style of learning I prefer, trial by fire. In the areas of teaching Leave No Trace ethics and teaching science-based curriculum, I felt very well prepared by my classroom learning. Although this is true, the internship was very much psychology and sociology based, and much time was spent processing emotions and feelings with students. In this sense I found myself wishing I had taken more psychology classes or had been taught how to properly interview and lead conversations.”
Internship Sponsor: Annis Water Resources Institute, Muskegon, Michigan
Student: Michelle Lelli
Faculty Sponsor: Neil MacDonald
Semester: Winter, 2006
Duties: Used ArcView to apply 2000 census data to maps of the Muskegon River Watershed in Newaygo County. Assessed conditions at road/stream crossings in the Mona Lake Watershed using GPS, a dissolved oxygen meter, and stream flow measurements. Used EXCEL spreadsheet software to enter and format road/stream crossing data. Assisted with sediment toxicity testing, prepared water samples for analysis, and participated in stream macroinvertebrate collections.
Student Comments: “Both of my supervisors made sure to check on my progress on projects on a regular basis. They were also very helpful in answering my questions. I learned how to perform many chemical analyses on water samples and also solution and sample preparation. My GIS skills were also greatly improved. I have really enjoyed my internship at AWRI and will continue to work there full time in the summer.”
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Michelle assisting with macroinvertebrate sampling on Ryerson Creek in Muskegon County, Michigan. |
Internship Sponsor: Northwoods Wildlife Center, Minocqua, Wisconsin
Student: Ashley Crocker
Faculty Sponsor: Joe Jacquot
Semester: Winter, 2007
Duties: A 50/50 split between wildlife animal care and wildlife education. Animal care involved examining, medicating, feeding, and cleaning sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals. Education involved leading tours and presenting programs to the public, as well as interacting with the public through phone calls.
Student Comments: Employer supervision was “very helpful, but made you think for yourself, pushed you to learn. I learned how to give effective programs, how to feed certain animals, how to restrain birds of prey, how to give medical dosages, and other general rehab knowledge. My advisor was helpful with making the internship fit my schedule and helping me decide what to do as a project. I learned so much, and gained a position with the company because of it.”
Internship Sponsor: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising, Michigan
Student: Micah Meendering
Faculty Sponsor: Heather Rueth
Semester: Spring/Summer 2007
Duties: Assisted National Park Service staff and cooperators with vegetation inventory and monitoring. Located plots using GPS and gathered plot data. Surveyed Lake Superior beaches and jack pine forests for rare plant locations. Collected data from weather stations and organized data for submission to NPS staff and cooperators.
Student Comments: “I gained countless amounts of experience as I was involved in so many different projects and have the ability to constantly gain more experience and knowledge when working. The methodology of certain research projects has been a beneficial part of my experiences. It has been nothing but a great experience and I now understand why so many people push students to pursue experiences such as these.”
Internship Sponsor: Clean Water Action, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Student: Kate Baney
Faculty Sponsor: Karel Rogers
Semester: Spring/Summer, 2007
Duties: Conducted internet research pertaining to septic system data and researched elected county officials in respect to their political stance on the issues surrounding septic systems. Assisted in organizing Clean Water Action’s professional canvassers by designating maps with corresponding official’s precincts. Aided in the public education aspect of the Clean Kent County project by interpreting E. coli data, creating an abstract and talking points regarding the findings, and presenting findings to area groups. Maintained and updated volunteer database and developed twice-monthly e-mail messages for members and volunteers.
Student Comments: “Classroom learning gave me an excellent background for data interpretation, and equipped me with the professional written and spoken communication skills necessary for the non-profit field.” The employer supervisor “gave me tasks to accomplish, provided me with the required background information and knowledge necessary to complete the tasks, then allowed me the space to follow through. I was able to clearly communicate with project partners, volunteers, and collaborators using the written and verbal communication skills promised from a liberal arts school.”
| Kate (in brown sweater) as part of a group participating in the Clean Kent County project. |  |
Internship Sponsor: Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission, West Olive, Michigan
Student: Carla Hill
Faculty Sponsor: Heather Rueth
Semester: Spring/Summer, 2007
Duties: The intern worked closely with parks staff on a variety of projects and tasks, including but not limited to park planning and park user surveys, assisting the naturalist and park supervisors, and assisting with office work including answering the telephone and taking reservations. One of the biggest duties was to oversee the garlic mustard control program within the Ottawa County Park system, including monitoring sites, inventorying invasive species, and coordinating control efforts.
Student Comments: “My training in NRM really helped but some things you just can’t learn in the classroom. I was given independence, yet felt comfortable asking for guidance as I saw fit. Every NRM major should do internships, they really teach you about your likes and dislikes leading you towards a specialty career you may never have considered.”
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Carla conducting an erosion survey on the Eastmanville Farm property. |
| Carla with a wolf skull she prepared for the nature center at Hemlock Crossing Park. |  |
Procedures to Arrange and Complete an Internship: Procedures for students to follow to complete an internship through the Biology or Natural Resources Management Programs.
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Page last modified August 6, 2008
