Summer Internships

Just because class is out doesn't mean AEE student's don't continue to learn. Check out four examples of internships our students experienced.

Molly Sparrow

Class Standing: Junior 

Major: Agricultural Education

Position: Latah County Extension Intern


I was attracted to this position because it creates a great avenue to network with the local 4-H and FFA students in the area. I enjoy working with kids of all ages and experiencing the diversity of extension education as well as agricultural education. I taught a safe sitter class, instructed at horse camp, and prepared many things for the Latah County Fair. 

I never did the same thing twice and I got to get out and be involved with the community. The most important concept I walked away with was that every student matters. Whether they are showing their cat, steer, working on rockets or just attending a safe sitter class. Everyone is an individual and brings something new to the table every time. 

Leah Stouder

Class Standing: Junior

Major: Agricultural Education

Position: Gooding County Extension Intern

This internship appealed to me because growing up I was  involved with the 4-H program through Gooding County. I wanted to go back to this county and give back to such an important program that has helped me get to where I am today. I was able to put on two different dairy clinics in Gooding County and Twin Falls County. I went to multiple different summer camps, including lamb camp, swine camp, Wet and Wild 4-H camp, and All Things Wild 4-H Camp. At these camps I was able to facilitate workshops a and help the younger members understand some of the topics better. 

Another big event that I was able to help facilitate was the Southern Idaho Judging Camp. Each day I was able to do something different and overcome new challenges each and everyday. 

I also enjoyed the teaching aspect.  It was the highlight of my days to teach a lesson and know members learned something new and they found it fascinating. Through this internship I was able to learn more about what an extension agent does and how their days are always different. I learned to always have backup plans in place, and to be flexible and adapt when details change. I was also exposed to many resources to help me with crafting lesson plans in the future.

Maggie Elliot

                       

                          Class Standing: Senior

                          Major: Agricultural Science, Communications, and Leadership 

                           Position: Office of River Protection- Tank Farms Intern 

This summer I worked for the Office of River Protection of the Department of Energy at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. I was employed in the Tank Farms division with federal staff who manage the maintenance and retrievals of 56 million gallons of nuclear waste which is stored underground in 177 tanks.

The internship appealed to me because I wanted to strengthen my technical writing ability, and also gain insight into how a government agency interacts with their stakeholders and the public. I assisted with internal communications, drafting newsletters about ongoing project accomplishments, aiding with logistics of meetings, and prepared agendas and presentations.

My favorite part of the internship was learning everything about the Hanford complex. Not only did Hanford supply the plutonium for the first nuclear bomb test at the trinity test site as well as the “Fat Man” bomb detonated over Nagasaki, the site also generated over 60% of the plutonium for weapons over the entirety of the Cold War era. It’s unarguably an important part of American history, and the technologies have rapidly evolved over the decades. Learning the diverse science and engineering innovations fostering the cleanup mission was a key element to fulfill my responsibility to write articles. As I was raised in the region, I appreciated the opportunity to get a true inside look at the operations of a site that has historically been shrouded in secrecy and public distrust.

The most important piece I took away was how such a large government agency operates, and the intricacies of federal positions within large projects. It was a politically charged environment, with different expectations and opinions from federal DOE headquarters, Washington's state government, the Trump administration, native tribes, congress, as well as the public. I walked away with the upmost respect for the management I worked for and today understand there are competent people working hard to do the right thing in executing clean up efforts. 

Dino Vinci

Class Standing: Junior

Major: Agricultural Education

Position: US Dairy Education and Training Contorium Intern

The USDETC is a program that brings all of the greatest and brightest minds in the dairy industry to the small town of Clovis, NM in order to fully immerse students into the dairy industry. There is an application process to be accepted into the program, the program accepts students from all over the nation, in order to select motivated and willing to learn students excited about the dairy industry. 

The responsibilities of a USDETC student is to maintain a level of professionalism when learning from the nation's leaders in dairy science. We are responsible for keeping up to date on the information being taught and apply those methods and theories to the 15+ dairies, feed mills, heifer ranches, and factories visited. One of the greatest parts of the USDETC is getting to network with people of the same interests from all over the nation. I made friends from Connecticut all the way Arizona. You also get to learn of different universities’ programs and do a little graduate school shopping as well. 

The greatest thing I took away from the USDETC was the knowledge and certainty for the bright outlook and future of the agricultural industry. This is the field of study that will oversee keeping the world fed and without us, there is no life.