Throughout this week my responsibilities mainly have not been outside the office. However, it came to a big surprise that on Monday we had such strong storms that it left CMREC without power. So, I teleworked on the first day of the week. Using our prompt for this week, reflecting on my summer with the UMD Extension, I have become very appreciative of the role extension work plays in combining scientific research and practical, real-world solutions. Farmers and local communities navigate continuous change of market prices while simultaneously adapting to environmental challenges like unpredictable weather patterns and shifting pest pressures.
Through this internship, I have learned that the key to helping farmers and local communities adapt can come from data-driven, accessible education. Through UME, research is translated into practical applications, which gives producers and communities the tools to make informed decisions and adapt to changing environmental conditions. Moving forward, I plan to apply the communication, field research, and problem-solving skills I developed this summer to help communities implement sustainable practices that protect and enhance their local ecosystems.
This past week provided a perfect snapshot of that mission in action. Much of my time was focused on creating and maintaining items for an upcoming farmers market project in a few weeks, as well as creating a snap ID of all the species in the turf in our crapemyrtle study to assist us with identification in the field.
A big highlight this week was to design a tablecloth. I started working with Ed, our vendor, to figure out what material to use. I ruled out stretchy fabric, but I also realized a flowy material would just blow away if the weather got bad.
Once I made the design, I sent it to Ed. He said the material and design were fine, but the resolution was too low to print. He told me it needed to be 300 dpi. Since I’d never done that before, I asked him for help, and he walked me through it. I resent the PDF, and he said it worked, but told me I'd need to fix the tote bag design for the same reason. I updated the tote bag to 300 dpi, and he said it looked good.
Late that evening, Ed told me the layout could actually be wider from side to side. The following morning, I used custom sizing to stretch it and send back to him. Xuan thanked me for the effort and asked me to keep her updated on the final product. After that, I asked Ed to look it over one last time to confirm everything was good. While looking at the design myself, I noticed a small white border might show up, so I asked Ed for his thoughts. I'm still waiting to hear back from him on that.
Experiencing the day-to-day realities of being a member of Extension has shown me just how dynamic this field is. It requires not only technical agricultural expertise but also deep empathy and active listening to truly understand a community’s needs.
This summer has been incredibly formative and deeply motivating to continue my education and future career aspirations in agriculture. Ultimately, my time with UMD Extension has solidified my desire to pursue a career in extension work. I am incredibly eager to continue serving as a trusted resource for farmers, helping them navigate a changing world and ensuring the long-term viability of our agricultural communities.
Apart from working with our vendors and working on our identification slides, I was able to input data for Lisa Kuder’s program and was able to successfully assist her in securing our Chessie Green Speaker, Dr. PZ.
While at the office, Camren came by to work with Lisa today, and while showing her around the projects that have been going on I was able to find a young Praying Mantis.
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