I had an amazing experience this summer as an Avery Intern Scholar. I had the chance of a lifetime to raft down the Grand Canyon with the USGS — an experience I surely will not forget. With the USGS, I developed skills in characterizing springs. The main focus of this trip was to assess the water quality of the springs along the Grand Canyon, where I was able to apply the lab skills I have acquired in the classroom to the field. Most of all, I enjoyed learning about geology from all the professionals I worked alongside on the trip.
I also spent time at the City of Flagstaff, where I was involved in administrative tasks for the drilling of a new drinking well. I had the opportunity to build on my previous experience of working with local governments as I learned about reviewing requests for qualifications regarding the fulfillment of contracts. The most valuable experience from my time with the City of Flagstaff was learning what clients look for from consulting firms. This internship has helped me understand the other side of consulting from the perspective of a municipality, and I believe this will be valuable in my goal to work at an environmental engineering consulting firm.
I finished my internship experience at the Springs Stewardship Institute. With SSI, I broadened my spring characterization knowledge by looking at both the biotic and abiotic factors. In addition to water quality testing I learned how to analyze substrate composition, flora density, and fauna numeration. The SSI also taught me how to perform geologic assessments and spring classifications. Ultimately this data was used to provide recommendations for spring resource management.
I also spent a small portion of my time working towards a HAZWOPER certification so that I can fulfill my hopes to work to remediate contaminated waters.
I would like to thank everybody who was kind enough to mentor me, including Jamie Macy, Erin Young, Larry Stevens, and Jeri Ledbetter. I would also like to thank those who provided me this opportunity and supported my experience in other ways, including Wilbert Odem, Chris Cawein, Sharen Masek Lopez, and John Hoffman. I truly valued this experience and look forward to applying all that I learned in my future as an environmental engineer in the field of water resources.