Wow, I can't believe we are already in week 6! On Monday, my tasks werefocused primarily on fieldwork, outreach, and content creation. I watered biohedge plot B to ensure the survival of the newly planted shrubs and worked on a draft for the upcoming blog. I also sent a follow-up email to Dr. Yonkos regarding a potential speaking engagement for Chessie Green; while he was unavailable due to prior commitments, he recommended reaching out to Dr. PZ.
Following up on this lead on Tuesday, I emailed Dr. Yonkos to thank him for his response and reached out to Dr. PZ about the speaking opportunity. Fieldwork and maintenance continued with watering plot A of the biohedge and prepping the specialized scythe provided by Lisa Kuder. Internally, I met with Xuan, who expressed interest in ordering a tablecloth from Ed (our tote bag contact), so I took on the responsibility of emailing him to coordinate. I also emailed Daniel Rodriguez to request a small batch of tomatoes for a test-run pricing auction at the upcoming farmer's market. To wrap up the day, I read through the siltgrass proposal to gather background information for my final internship presentation.
Wednesday began with attending the "Natives at Noon" webinar on July 1st, titled "From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape," featuring "Treecologist" Basil Camu, who discussed ecological landscape management. Following the webinar, I met with Emily to discuss production logistics for the stickers, updated the organizational calendar, and read a relevant scientific paper. I then worked on creating a webinar promotional flyer for Xuan and began inputting Natives at Noon participation and survey data into the UMER federal reporting portal.
By Thursday, the focus shifted to collaboration, design refinement, and data management. I participated in a meeting with the United States Forest Service (USFS) to discuss recent research progress and ongoing experiments. Afterward, I made necessary edits to Xuan's webinar flyer and finalized the sticker design for the farmers market so it could be sent to purchase. The remainder of the day was spent inputting the remaining federal data and survey answers on the UMER site.
Finally, on Friday, I started the morning by assisting with the inventory and storage of newly delivered books at the storage unit, went out to check on one of the crape myrtle sites, and dedicated the rest of my time to writing the blog.
Overall, things are going pretty well. I have gotten into the swing of things and now understand how to make my week work. Being trusted with certain responsibilities has been a true blessing and a great step forward in my career. To manage my schedule effectively, I meet with my mentors at the beginning of each week to see what their plans are, gather updates, and establish my responsibilities. This helps me stay prepared to plan my time accordingly so I can manage it wisely. If I run into any trouble at all, I simply contact my mentors for guidance.
Over the course of this internship, I have also learned a lot about myself and others. Handling a dynamic mix of tasks, whether it is pivoting quickly when a speaker drops out, coordinating logistics with contacts like Ed and Emily, or collaborating directly with Xuan and the USFS, has taught me that I am highly adaptable. I’ve realized how interconnected environmental work is and how much it relies on clear communication and collaboration among different people to succeed.
When it comes to career growth, I absolutely believe that contemplation, in the sense of deep, reflective thought, is useful. It allows you to look back at where you have been and see where you are now. For someone who has a lot on their plate, taking a moment in the day to step back, clear away competing distractions, and examine their decisions is invaluable. In terms of career paths, reflection helps you look at what you have done or are doing to see if you are actually enjoying your time. From there, it allows you to take the next step in your journey in a direction you think you'll enjoy it even more. Regardless, it is all a journey of learning.
On Tuesday, I watered our biohedge plot A. Thank goodness I had this hose or it would have taken twice as long as it did.
On Friday, I assisted in bringing in our newly ordered inventory of Maryland Native Plant Guides one for each region.
On Friday I checked on one of our sites to see how they were doing before the weekend.
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