University of New England

Environmental studies students work as summer interns on local research and service projects

by Sarah Tuttle '08

During summer 2006, four University of New England students are working on environmental internships within the local community. The students are part of the Center for Sustainable Communities, which operates through the Environmental Studies Department at UNE.

The Center helps place environmental students in internships uniquely suited to their interests.

Margaret Chabot graduated from UNE this year with a degree in environmental science. This summer, she is getting a jump-start on her career by working at the Wells Reserve in Wells, Maine.

As the WET (Watershed Evaluation Team) intern, Chabot works with local youth to gather and analyze water quality data. The data gathered through the WET program is being used in current research with global implications for conserving estuaries.
 
As an education intern, Chabot is certified to give guided walks at the Reserve. She also revives the Discovery Book series, a group of books parents can use on reserve trails to educate children in a fun and interactive way. Of her internship, Chabot says “I love it!”
 
Melissa Perry is an environmental science junior at UNE. This summer, she works at the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge in Wells, monitoring piping plovers and least terns.  “I’m mostly in the field,” she says. As a biological intern, she does everything from building fences to counting chicks and recording behavior.
 
Perry also works with invasive plant species. As a method of controlling purple loosestrife, an invasive plant that has caused major problems in local marshes, Perry caught and helped distribute galerucella beetles. The beetles eat loosestrife, but unlike other biological control methods they present little danger to the ecosystem. Once the loosestrife dies off, the beetles go with it. The internship “is a great way to experience a lot of different jobs you would have in the environmental field,” she says.
 
Greg Sanborn, a senior majoring in environmental science, is a research assistant intern at the Wells Reserve. “I definitely found the right internship for me,” he says. As a major part of his internship, Sanborn spends hours catching and measuring fish for a project assessing the ecological conditions of estuaries. He loves “being able to work outside.”
 
Sanborn also works doing chlorophyll sampling and “picking,” in which he extracts and identifies dyed salt marsh species. The dye shows organisms that were alive at the time of sampling, and allows scientists to gather accurate information long after the sample date.
 
Sarah Tuttle is a sophomore double majoring in environmental studies and English. This summer, she works as the coastal training program intern at the Wells Reserve. “I write articles on current events, research, and scientific terms,” she says. Tuttle also attends workshops on the latest developments in estuary research and protection.
 
Tuttle is developing a “what’s that word” column for the Wells Reserve newsletter, in which she explains complicated scientific terms in a fun and understandable way. “I’m in paradise,” she says. “I get to spend the summer in Maine and write the entire time.”
 
This summer, these students are learning more than they ever thought possible with school out of session. What’s more, they are putting their education and expertise to use right here in Maine.

(News release issued August 16, 2006)