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DePauw Environmental Fellows Practicum Experiences
Focused endeavors tailored to meet the individual goals and needs of students in the Environmental Fellows Program at DePauw University.
The practicum enhances a fellow's education by improving their environmental knowledge and skills in a practical or applied manner. The practicum may take the form of an internship, an off-campus study program, supervised research, a civic project, or a creative endeavor. Or it may be something that we have not yet envisioned! Environmental fellows at DePauw University work closely with their advisor, the Environmental Fellows Program Office, and the Hubbard Center to find an opportunity that fits their personal, academic, and professional goals.
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Citizen Science at the Butterfly Pavilion
Citizen Science at the Butterfly Pavilion. Click to expand.
As an intern for the Colorado Butterfly Pavilion, Michael helped oversee 60+ butterfly monitors, identified butterflies, and did conservation research comparing distribution and diversity of butterflies between two large butterfly databases (Pollard Base and iNaturalist).
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Internship with the World Wildlife Fund
Internship with the World Wildlife Fund. Click to expand.
Madeline was an intern with the World Wildlife Fund, helping to plan the WWF's annual Kathryn S. Fuller Science for Nature Symposium, an event that brings conservation scientists and environmental leaders from around the world together to discuss specific issues in the conservation field.
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Summer Research at DePauw University
Summer Research at DePauw University. Click to expand.
Bryce, Vy, and Xiaoli conducted summer research at Depauw with Prof. Fred Soster on suspended sediment transport and sources in the Big Walnut Creek Watershed in Indiana. The research will have implications for sediment control strategies that could help alleviate environmental problems related to runoff in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Deconstruction and Environmental History of the DePauw Campus Farm House
Deconstruction and Environmental History of the DePauw Campus Farm House. Click to expand.
Cecilia completed her practicum by researching the local and environmental history of the DePauw Campus Farm House and assisting with its deconstruction alongside Professors Jennifer Everett (Philosophy) and Jim Mills (Geosciences).
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Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). Click to expand.
Charlie completed an REU on Beaver Island through Central Michigan University. During his ten weeks on the island, Charlie assisted in a group study focused on water velocity’s effect on nutrient limitation of algal communities in northern Lake Michigan. This study lent insight on how nutrient inputs might be controlled in order to limit harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes.
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Central Indianapolis Regional Transit Authority (CIRTA)
Central Indianapolis Regional Transit Authority (CIRTA). Click to expand.
Annie completed her practicum interning during a summer with both the Mad Farmers Collective on urban farms in Indianapolis and the Central Indianapolis Regional Transit Authority (CIRTA). She created commuter routes for CIRTA and gained skills in data management and GIS software.
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The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy. Click to expand.
Regan was a digital assets intern at the Indiana Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Putting her technical skills to work, Regan compiled a database of photographs for the Conservancy's various social media platforms.
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Teacher and Naturalist at Glacier Institute
Teacher and Naturalist at Glacier Institute. Click to expand.
Mary interned during a summer at Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest as a Teacher/Naturalist at Big Creek Outdoor Education Center, a branch of Glacier Institute.
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Wildfire Mitigation
Wildfire Mitigation. Click to expand.
Anna worked at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico as a member of the Philmont Recovery Corps, which was formed in response to the Ute Park Fire. Anna did Timber Stand Improvement work, thinning overgrown forests in the backcountry to mitigate the impacts of future wildfires and make evacuation possible.
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Doris Duke Conservation Scholarship
Doris Duke Conservation Scholarship. Click to expand.
Joevita was awarded a Doris Duke Conservation Scholarship through UC Santa Cruz. Students are selected to participate in a two-year conservation leadership program consisting of a summer research experience and a summer internship with a conservation organization.
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Environmental Education
Environmental Education. Click to expand.
Hannah was an environmental education intern at Touch of Nature Environmental Center.
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Environmental Consulting
Environmental Consulting. Click to expand.
Sarah completed an internship with Resolution Group, Inc an environmental consulting group focused on groundwater protection at road construction sites in Indianapolis, IN.
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Research at the Monteverde Institute
Research at the Monteverde Institute. Click to expand.
Donna completed her practicum at the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica, where she studied Spanish and researched the soil quality of pasture land.
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Sustainable Development in Colombia
Sustainable Development in Colombia. Click to expand.
Connor worked on a UN-sponsored project to propose a plan to increase the sustainability and livability of Moravia, a neighborhood in Medellín, Colombia.
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Clean Energy Advocacy
Clean Energy Advocacy. Click to expand.
Greta was awarded a clean energy advocacy internship with the Vermont Law School's Institute for Energy and the Environment, which conducts graduate-level research on global and national energy law and policy. She worked on projects relating to soil health, agricultural energy use, and biogas policy development.
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Turtle Conservation
Turtle Conservation. Click to expand.
At the Sian-Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Sally monitored nesting turtles and recorded data on hatching success, poaching incidences, and mortality rates.
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Peace Building in Jordan
Peace Building in Jordan. Click to expand.
Nicole completed her practicum experience with EcoPeace Middle East as a summer intern with the "Good Water Neighbors" project in Amman, Jordan.
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Nature Conservation Research Center in Ghana
Nature Conservation Research Center in Ghana. Click to expand.
The NCRC is a non-governmental organization that analyzes and implements sustainable practices in West Africa. Kojo assisted with agricultural reports that were presented to policy makers and government officials about community-based agricultural initiatives.
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Environmental Justice in South Africa
Environmental Justice in South Africa. Click to expand.
Annie completed her practicum while studying abroad, researching the Durban beachfront through an environmental justice lens - examining how infrastructure improvements have led to social and racial cohesion since the end of apartheid.
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Community Development in Fiji
Community Development in Fiji. Click to expand.
Sally spent a summer tutoring children in English, installing rainwater harvesting systems, and constructing vegetable gardens on Yasawa Island.
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Community Development in Madagascar
Community Development in Madagascar. Click to expand.
Molly interned at Centre Valbio with the Reforestation, Education, and Community Development project. She helped establish and manage tree nurseries in several remote villages in order to restore fragmented forests around the Kelilalina commune. She also assisted in planning research on local cash crops.
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Lemur Conservation in Madagascar
Lemur Conservation in Madagascar. Click to expand.
M. K. completed their practicum studying abroad during a semester in Madagascar. They conducted research on lemur calls with Dr. Patricia Chapple Wright, world renown lemur researcher and winner of the 2014 Indianapolis Prize, the World's Leading Award for Animal Conservation.
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Economics of Photovoltaic Solar Panels
Economics of Photovoltaic Solar Panels. Click to expand.
Oksana spent a semester abroad at the Katholieke University of Leuven where she researched economical solutions to increasing efficiency in photovoltaic solar panels.
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Environmental Education and Water Conservation
Environmental Education and Water Conservation. Click to expand.
Peng was a summer intern with THIRST, an NGO that works to raise the public’s awareness of the global water crisis and promote environmentalism and water conservation through education and social events.
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Sustainable Development Studies in Thailand
Sustainable Development Studies in Thailand. Click to expand.
Erika and Emily spent a semester with the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute (ISDSI) in Chiang Mai, Thailand where they studied the relationship between Thai history, culture, society and the northern region’s unique local ecology.
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Water Quality Inspection and Waste Management
Water Quality Inspection and Waste Management. Click to expand.
Linying conducted on-site sampling of wastewater produced by factories and its impact on local waterways.
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Himalayan Environment & Society in Transition
Himalayan Environment & Society in Transition. Click to expand.
Daniel spent a semester in Bhutan with the School for Field Studies, exploring the challenges of protecting biodiversity and maintaining traditional rural lifestyles as Bhutan undergoes rapid development.
Citizen Science at the Butterfly Pavilion
Butterflies are important pollinators and indicator species of many ecosystems. As some of the most recognizable and colorful insects, they are a gateway to the wider world of naturalism. As an intern for the Colorado Butterfly Pavilion, Michael helped oversee 60+ butterfly monitors, identified butterflies, and did conservation research comparing distribution and diversity of butterflies between two large butterfly databases (Pollard Base and iNaturalist). This internship led him into the greater world of citizen science and helped him understand its importance in worldwide conservation.
Walking with Butterflies
Doris Duke Conservation Scholar
Joevita was awarded a Doris Duke Conservation Scholarship through UC Santa Cruz. The scholarship is a two-year conservation leadership program which includes a summer of research and a summer internship at a conservation organization. In addition to her scholarship experiences, Joevita also secured a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates placement at IUPUI comparing air pollution and public health in the region to public opinion on climate change. As a first-year at DePauw, she also worked as a paid intern for the Greencastle City Planner and created an animated video to educate local residents about proper disposal of household pollutants in order to keep toxins out of storm water, streams, and rivers.
Doris Duke Conservation Scholar
by Joevita Weah
The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program is a two year funded program to train the future leaders of conservation. It is a two-year commitment consisting of one summer of field research and one summer internship with a conservation organization.
During the first summer of Doris Duke, I spent one week at the University of Santa Cruz California learning about research methods, effective teamwork skills, and equity and inclusion within the conservation field. I then embarked on a five-week field trip to a few research reserves in Northern California. At the Big Creek Reserve in Big Sur, I along with a few other scholars, took part in two small research projects to grasp research methods and statistical analysis. I traveled to the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Center where I researched literature relating to geologic substrate and growth of the bristlecone pine tree. The literature search was in preparation for my research project in the White mountings of California where I measured the change biodiversity and abundance of insects living in sagebrush with the change in elevation. This project consisted of trapping and identifying hundreds of insects and resulted in a manuscript and presentation of the findings. The group headed to the national seashore to round up the field portion of summer. While at Point Reyes, our team researched the micro invertebrates within pine gulch creek. This project was significant in relation to the salmon population. The team realized the population had disappeared, but returned recently. They wanted to see if there was a difference in the amount of food available at different parts in the creek. I reflected and presented my work at the end of the first summer.
During the second summer of the scholarship, I worked with the company Climate Central. Climate Central is a non-advocacy NGO, meaning they distribute science without making policy suggestions. While at Climate Central I learned a lot about the various paths one could take to work in the climate field. Climate Central employs meteorologists, journalists, PR and media professionals, researchers, and scientists. These people perform many jobs such as creating educational materials for whether people present to their audience about climate change, researching and publishing peer reviews academic papers, and creating tools that project sea-level rise. While at Climate Central I worked with the sea-level rise team. I helped create a literary review of research on biodiversity and climate change as well as affordable housing data. I also helped create maps and visual options of data using Climate Central tools that projected sea-level rise and increased flooding in important land panels and ports. I learned a lot about the importance of climate communication, known laboratory or field science, and the importance of work-life balance. The welcoming and inclusive community at Climate Central taught me that there are many factors to consider when choosing where to work. The various backgrounds of individuals in the company explores how far climate communication can go as well as how necessary it is.
Both of these internships allowed me to explore what I want to do after graduating from DePauw University. They both have different sides of science and allowed me to visualize what role I could contribute to these spaces. These two positions have brought great mentorship opportunities as well as professional development. As I look into going to graduate school and the workforce I am confident in my ability to handle the environment as well as choose the best one for myself.
CLEAN ENERGY ADVOCACY
Greta Greta was awarded a Clean Energy Advocacy internship at the Vermont Law School's Institute for Energy and the Environment. Through this position she worked on renewable energy projects for the institute and participated in weekly Energy Clinic meetings and a Clean Transportation Law and Policy course.
Clean Energy Advocacy
Aquatic Research
Charlie, a Biology major with a minor in Earth Science, completed an REU on Beaver Island, MI through Central Michigan University. During his ten weeks on the island, Charlie assisted in a group study focused on water velocity’s effect on nutrient limitation of algal communities in northern Lake Michigan. This study lent insight on how nutrient inputs might be controlled in order to limit harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. While helping in the group study, Charlie led another study focused on the relationship between zooplankton and fish species diversity in the nearshore communities of Beaver Island. Since many Great Lakes fish species prey upon zooplankton, information on the relationship between zooplankton and fish species diversity provides a deeper understanding of the ecological dynamics of Great Lakes fisheries. Charlie is passionate about aquatic ecosystems and is pursuing these interests through veterinary medicine.
Environmental Consulting and Construction Management
Sarah, an Environmental Geoscience major, completed her practicum with Resolution Group, Inc (RGI). RGI is an environmental consulting group focused on groundwater protection at road construction sites in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Construction Management and Environmental Consulting
Fire Mitigation and Timber Stand Improvement
Anna is an Environmental Biology major, a member of the Sustainability Leadership Program, and a Campus Farm intern. She worked at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico as a member of the Philmont Recovery Corps, which was formed in response to the Ute Park Fire. Anna did Timber Stand Improvement work, thinning overgrown forests in the backcountry to mitigate the impacts of future wildfires and make evacuation possible. She experienced the negative impacts that long-term fire suppression has on ecosystems that require periodic burning to remain healthy.
A Change in Plans: Fly Fishing to Fire Mitigation
by Anna Stehlik
I spent my summer in New Mexico working at Philmont Scout Ranch as part of the Philmont Recovery Corps, which was created in response to the wildfires that affected the camp. Philmont is the Boy Scouts of America’s premier High Adventure base and consists of 219 square miles of mountain wilderness in northeastern New Mexico. Scout groups come to Philmont to take on challenging backpacking treks of up to 21 days.
Originally, I planned to work at a backcountry camp teaching fly tying and fly fishing while portraying a historical character from 1927. Scouts would stop at the camp on their treks and learn to fly fish. However, plans changed when the Ute Park Fire broke out early in the summer and burned across Philmont property. All treks for the first half of the summer were canceled and then later, when the Morris Creek Fire broke out, the remainder of the summer treks were cancelled as well. As a result, my group did not work at our backcountry camp, but taught fly tying and fly fishing to Philmont Family Adventure participants in base camp for two weeks.
For most of the summer, we did Timber Stand Improvement work in the backcountry. The forests of northeastern New Mexico thrive off a wildfire ecology, but that area had not burned in decades, resulting in the intense and quickly spreading Ute Park Fire. To mitigate the intensity of inevitable future fires, we thinned the forest and removed much of the understory, much like what periodic natural wildfires should have done to keep the forest healthy. We worked along backcountry roads to widen road corridors which would act as slight fire breaks by slowing the spread of fire as well as allow for safe backcountry evacuation.
We removed small white pines and ponderosas, all junipers and scrub oak, and all growth within ten feet of the road. My main jobs consisted of constructing sturdy slash piles and hauling logs to the road to be collected for mulching or firewood purposes. We remained in the backcountry for five days at a time and the days were long and strenuous, but extremely rewarding; I learned a great deal about wildfire ecology and forest management. By seeing the states of forests before and after intense wildfire, I have grown to understand the importance of fire in ecological systems and the dangers of long-term fire suppression. In the future, I hope to work in environmental education and share this message with others.
Research at the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica
Donna is an Environmental Biology major and a student director for the Sustainability Leadership Program. She completed her practicum at the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica, where she studied Spanish and researched the soil quality of pasture land. Donna also spent a summer participating in National Science Foundation funded research on red maple seed production and viability in response to nutrient addition in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and has interned with Bee Public and the Patachou Foundation in Indianapolis, as well.
Conducting Research at the MonteVerde Institute
by Donna Riner
Spanish was one of my worst subjects in high school and I was dreading taking it at DePauw. Grudgingly, I enrolled in my required Spanish class. In class, my professor pushed me to consider the reality of learning another language. I was told about how learning a language other than your own can help you stand in solidarity with people across the world, grow your ability to emphasize, and can also help you make friends!
With a new passion for Spanish and a reason to continue learning, I signed up for a Winter Term class called Nature Writing and Tropical Ecology in Costa Rica. Within these two weeks we traveled from the coral reefs of Santa Elena Bay to the Cloud Forests in Monteverde. All along the way I had the opportunity to practice Spanish with local Ticos and Ticas (native Costa Ricans), and one of our guides Julio Rojas. Julio later offered me the opportunity to return to Costa Rica and work with him to study the soil quality of pastures at the Monteverde Institute.
The following summer, I returned to Monteverde and lived with a host family for three weeks, studied Spanish with my professora Evelyn, and researched soil quality with Julio. I visited four fincas and assessed soil compaction in both pastures and forests. The data supported that the farmers would benefit from reducing soil compaction in their pastos (pastures) because it would reduce the risk of damaging or deadly mudslides that are frequent in the region. In my research presentation, I recommended that farmers plant pasture grasses with deeper root penetration to decrease soil compaction.
This soil health research project at the Monteverde Institute (MVI) was the first project that collaborated with the local agricultural community, effectively opening the door to future collaboration between farmers and the MVI. I was also incredibly humbled to receive a positive response from the community whom I presented to, as everyone in the room following my presentation told me they were happy to see me take the leap and present in their native tongue instead of my own.
Little did I know that my required Spanish course would lead to a whirlwind of life-lessons and a crash-course in humility. My practicum experience through the Environmental Fellows Program opened my eyes to the possibilities of language learning and the importance of cross-cultural exchange.
Sustainable Development in Medellín, Colombia
Connor is an Urban Studies major and member of the Sustainability Leadership Program. Connor worked on a UN-sponsored project to propose a plan to increase the sustainability and livability of Moravia, a neighborhood in Medellín, Colombia. The goal was to find replicable ways to green and improve the neighborhood so that other neighborhoods could follow Moravia's lead. During his practicum, Connor gained valuable experience working in a community based organization and with the government planning department to effect changes in the city.
Internship with the Nature Conservancy, Indianapolis, Indiana
Regan is a Computer Science major with a minor in Biology. Her practicum experience included two internships. The first was a Digital Assets Intern at the Indiana Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Putting her technical skills to work, Regan compiled a database of photographs for the Conservancy's various social media platforms. The second internship was with the Sustainability Leadership Program at DePauw, where she operated the campus thrift store, The Thrifty Tiger. Over the course of two years, Regan increased sales and visibility for the thrift store through an advertising campaign and marketing events, which included a community wide garage sale and "pop-up" shops.
Summer Research at DePauw University
Vy Le is an Environmental Geoscience major with a minor in Chemistry. She is a member of the Sustainability Leadership Program. Vy interned at Buzzi Unicem-Alternate Fuels, where she helped conduct chemical tests on hazardous waste materials that are used as supplemental fuels to coal in the cement manufacturing process. Vy completed a second practicum experience conducting summer research at Depauw with Prof. Fred Soster on suspended sediment transport and sources in the Big Walnut Creek Watershed in Indiana. The research will have implications for sediment control strategies that could help alleviate environmental problems related to runoff in the Gulf of Mexico.
Sustainable Transportation and Urban Development
Annie Dixon is a double major in Environmental Biology and Urban Ecology. She served as a student director for the Sustainability Leadership Program. Annie completed her practicum interning during a summer with both the Mad Farmers Collective on urban farms in Indianapolis and the Central Indianapolis Regional Transit Authority CIRTA). She created commuter routes for CIRTA and gained skills in data management and GIS software. Annie had additional experiences participating in a summer-long research opportunity with DePauw Prof. Sarah Lee examining biodiversity-ecosystem functioning and the quality of nearby streams and traveling in the fall to Quito, Ecuador to attend the Habitat III Conference.
Urban Farm and CIRTA
by Annie Dixon
I found both of my internship opportunities with resources from the Environmental Fellows Program. The urban farm opportunity was listed in our Environment and Sustainability Bulletin we receive on a bi-weekly basis. I was able to secure my internship with CIRTA by networking with an Environmental Fellow alumna who connected me with my soon-to-be supervisor.
Both internships required a different skill set, but I was able to cultivate a corresponding variety of experiential learning. While interning with Mad Farmers Collective, I planted a variety of crops by hand, covered and uncovered beds, prepared beds for planting, harvested an assortment of vegetables, prepared vegetables for selling, weeded, moved compost, cleared out vegetables that were finished for the season, sold vegetables at the farmers’ market, and much more. During my work, I discussed the ideas of buying local produce and the significance of striving for “beyond organic” agriculture with my supervisors. The work was physically demanding but highly satisfying and wholesome.
The internship with CIRTA had a different learning curve and required a different skill set. I spent much of my time with two software programs. Major projects included coding routes of transit services into GTFS or General Transit Feed Specification for Google, which required an abnormally large spreadsheet. I coded 14 public transit routes and corresponding arrival/departure times for several locations in the surrounding counties of Indianapolis. I also made maps and did financial analysis with QGIS or Quantum GIS software. I would layer different vector data to determine land value along a route to determine if there was enough value to render a commuter service. I also attended any meeting my supervisor had scheduled. I was grateful for this experience for a number of reasons but mostly because it encouraged me to pursue career options in public transportation.
I gained skills in data management, Quantum GIS, General Transit Feed Specification, and organic farming practices. The most valuable part of my experience with both internships was the chance to discuss environmental issues with my supervisors. Additionally, I now have multiple connections in Indianapolis. I accomplished my goals of expanding my network and determining if there is a space for me in urban planning with my environmental biology background. If I could give any advice to current or future students, it would be to take the chance to expand your network beyond campus if you can.