My experience with the Leonard Halpenny Intern Scholarship this past summer was quite enlightening, enjoyable, and valuable to me as I prepare to make the next steps in my career in hydrology. I was able to see and experience some really cool things as well as get a realistic taste of what daily life and duties are like for people in the field here in Southern Arizona.
One of the obvious highlights of the internship is the chance and excuse to visit and do work in beautiful riparian places around the region. I visited the headwaters of the Santa Cruz River in the San Rafael Valley and helped to update a stream monitoring station on Sonoita Creek. I toured the major Tucson area recharge facilities and gained greater appreciation for the huge water infrastructure that supports our city. I also gained an appreciation for the proactive and pioneering approach that Tucson Water takes in it’s approach to managing water resources. I was lucky enough to be working with the USGS when an inch of rain fell over Tucson and a bridge-spanning discharge measurement of the Santa Cruz River was in order. I worked on applying statistical analysis to groundwater PFAS data to try and determine possible contamination sources in what felt like a scientifically cutting edge investigation. I was one of the first and only humans to see a small cavern with is own miniature speleothems as an investigatory borehole camera was sent down a well being developed that had hit a cavity up on the Mogollon Rim. The projects that I had the pleasure of working on or being introduced to during this internship were interesting and stimulating. I enjoyed applying the tools and methods I have learned about in U of A classes to real situations and challenges.
This internship gave me a better understanding of the more mundane aspects of hydrological work as well. I spent time in offices updating groundwater elevation maps and reading research papers and articles. I spent a muddy morning on a drill pad, under a tarp, trying to write down measurements on a soaked piece of paper. These experiences were as valuable as the rest as they provided insight into the less glamorous aspects of being a hydrologist. I have a better idea what kind of mental acuity and physical stamina is required by this profession.
I also met some great people during the course of this internship. Long car rides to widely scattered places gave me plenty of time to talk to many interesting people and learn about their professional and personal journeys. If the people that you work with can make or break a job, I have no doubt that I made the right choice in pursuing hydrology as a career because something about the field attracts the best kind of curious and caring people.
On this side of the internship experience, I definitely have a much better idea of what I want to spend my career doing. I have a better understanding of how the public and private sectors of this industry practically underpin all civilization in the state of Arizona. I have nothing but appreciation for this unique experience.
-Brian Thompson