Internship

Student recaps summer internship with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension water programs

7Aug

By: Beth Ann Luedeker

For ten weeks this summer, Chase Murphy, a junior majoring in ecological restoration, participated in a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension internship program in water resource protection and restoration. He recently discussed his experiences with faculty, staff and students via Zoom.

three people by creek with testing equipment

As part of the internship, Chase Murphy (kneeling) collected water samples and conducted tests on the Mill Creek near Bellville with Ed Rhodes and Gabriela Sosa of TWRI. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photo by Ward Ling).

A main component of the internship, and a favorite part for Murphy, was sampling water quality in the Mill Creek Watershed near Bellville. Through a contract with Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), he participated in two sampling runs, and had the opportunity to use the same equipment used by water quality professionals. He took field measurements including transparency, water temperature, conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen, to name a few, and helped collect water samples for testing at the analytical laboratory.

Murphy also helped measure water flow in deep and shallow portions of the creeks using a river surveyor. This “boogie board” uses a Doppler flow sensor coupled with GPS to obtain highly accurate flow data.

“The river surveyor is calibrated by waving it around in the air,” Murphy said with a smile. “When they first told me to do that, I thought they were just hazing the new guy.”

young man with small raft covered by electronic equipment

Chase Murphy with the river surveyor used to collect flow data from the Mill Creek. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photo by Ward Ling)

The internship included much more than the fieldwork. Murphy also received professional trainings, including learning how to manage and update the Texas Watershed Stewards (TWS) and the Mill Creek Project websites. He helped record audio and video clips explaining the basics of a watershed, and posted the video on YouTube. He also served as a “second pair of eyes” to review and proof contracts, press releases, and other documents.

Each week, Murphy met with the specialists to discuss different aspects of watershed management and topics that aligned with his desire to explore environmental consulting as a career. This information could help him stand out among other graduates when he is ready to enter the job market.

“One of the biggest things I got out of this internship is the relationship,” Murphy said. “Everyone worked very hard to help me and I learned a lot about the steps to take after college.”

Intern Chase Murphy keeps an eye on the river surveyor as Ed Rhodes of TWRI records measurements sent by the device. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photo by Ward Ling)

“Though there are many benefits to an internship such as this, one unique aspect that comes to mind is our genuine desire to provide applicable, real-world experience,” said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension Program Specialist in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and one of the mentors for this internship. “We try our best to task an intern with the same, or similar, work we are doing so they may get applicable experience. Moreover, we try to ensure an environment in which they may ask questions pertinent to a career field they are interested in exploring.”

Murphy is the fourth student to go through the internship program, and while his experiences were similar to his predecessors, his internship was undeniably impacted by the ongoing pandemic.

“For most of the summer I was unable to be on campus, so a lot of the work had to be done from home,” Murphy said. “On the sampling trips, we all had to take separate vehicles.”

“Unfortunately Chase missed out on the conversations that happen in the office and on the way to sampling sites. There is no good substitute for those spontaneous interactions,” said Ward Ling, formerly a program specialist with Soil and Crop Sciences and now with Texas Water Resource Institute.

Chase also missed the opportunity to present to a live audience at a TWS program, but he did get to be part of the video.

“I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to experience the full capacity of the internship due to COVID, but I was able to make the most of the internship because everyone wants you to succeed,” Murphy said. “They answered countless questions and gave me a lot of advice.”

Murphy highly recommends this internship to other students and offers this admonition – “don’t be afraid to ask questions. Everyone is here to help.”

Soil and Crop Sciences undergraduate’s internship initiates urban farm on campus

16Dec

Writer: Beth Ann Luedeker

Experiential learning enhances a student’s college experience and is a required part of the curriculum for undergraduates in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. The department offers internships and study abroad opportunities to help students meet this requirement. Broch Saxton, one of the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences December graduates, created his own internship as a student leader and greenhouse project director with TAMU Urban Farm United (TUFU).

Seedlings are planted in the towers where they will remain until they reach maturity and are harvested. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

TUFU is an urban farm that utilizes vertical towers — Tower Garden — that produce high value/specialty crops in a space-conscious technique via hydroponic growing methods. The project started by Broch is housed in a greenhouse on the Texas A&M campus. It currently includes twenty-four towers on which a variety of produce was grown, and plenty of room to expand.

The urban farm project began as a collaboration between Saxton and Lisette Templin, an Instructional Assistant Professor from the Department of Health and Kinesiology.

“I have dreamed of running greenhouses in this form. Using the knowledge obtained from my degree, I want to help people have better access to greater food, all while engraining hydroponic farming into the university. My experience in this process has been completely driven by networking and passion. This, is what I want a career in,” said Saxton, who received his Bachelor’s degree in Plant and Environmental Soil Science Dec. 13.

“Hydroponics have huge potential to benefit many people,” he said.

Dr. Lisette Templin, second from right, discusses the closed-loop water system with Dr. Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson (L), Broch Saxton and Dr. David Reed (R) from the Department of Horticulture. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

“When I approached the Texas A&M Office of Sustainability with my idea of a vertical farm project, they suggested I partner with Dr. Templin, who had approached them with a similar idea.”

Templin has a tower garden on her patio, which feeds her family of four. She and Saxton envisioned a project that could potentially feed Aggie students and staff on campus. They submitted an abstract to the Aggie Green Fund and in January 2019 received a $60,000 grant and permission to use space in a greenhouse owned by the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology.

With the grant funds, Saxton and Templin purchased towers and the closed-loop watering system that provides nutrition to the plants, as well as 800 seedlings from an urban farm in Austin to use for their initial crop. They will be self-sufficient and seed their own plants for future endeavors.

The first crop included four different types of lettuce, kale, snap peas, snow peas, herbs, chard, bok choi, tatsoi and celery. They plan to expand the project to include peppers in the next round.

The team manages each tower individually to ensure that the pH of the water is appropriate for the stage of growth, and that the nutritional requirements of each plant are met.

Since it is an internship, and Saxton received college credit for his time with TUFU, he needed an advisor in the department. He reached out to Dr. Jacqueline Aitkenhead-Peterson.

two students putting seedlings in towers

David Hendrix, a biochemistry major, and Madison Mau, majoring in biomedical science, get hands-on experience through internships in the tower gardens. (Texas A&M AgriLife

“I had taken courses under Dr. Peterson and was impressed by her value as a teacher and her approach to education,” Saxton said. “She has the mentality of mentorship and guidance that I was looking for.”

Aitkenhead-Peterson was happy to serve as Saxton’s advisor for the project.

“The fact that this project was not research based was very unusual to me” she said. “However, this project is about feeding people and educating people on the possibilities of feeding themselves which I deemed to be a very important exercise.”

Produce harvested by TUFU was distributed by the 12th Can Food Pantry, a student-run program on the Texas A&M campus which serves all students, faculty and staff in need of assistance.

TUFU looks forward to continuing to support the 12th Can and hopes to expand to support student dining.

Soil and crop student interning in Washington D.C.

24Sep

Ashley Carter, a senior in the Texas A&M University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, is one of 11 Aggie students spending the fall semester in Washington D.C. as part of the Agricultural & Natural Resources Policy (ANRP) Internship Program.

Carter is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Plant and Environmental Soil Science – Crops Emphasis, with a minor in Agricultural Economics. She expects to graduate in May 2020, after which she plans to pursue a career in international trade analysis and policy making.

She is spending the semester in the office of Congressman Filemón Vela, who has represented Texas’ 34th congressional district since 2013. That district stretches from the southernmost tip of Texas in Cameron County to Gonzales County, and includes Brownsville and the King Ranch.

Carter came to Texas A&M from Brasilia, Brazil, following in her father’s footsteps.

She grew up in an rural community in Brazil, and found her passion for agriculture when her family began farming, and also when she began barrel racing, according to her ANRP profile.

At Texas A&M, Carter is a member of the Agronomy Society and serves as the group’s treasurer.

In her ANRP profile she expresses a desire to help aid in the beneficial relationship between large companies and the government to help them work together to further agriculture.

Summer intern benefits water programs

13Aug

By: Beth Ann Luedeker

Contact: Dr. Jake Mowrer – jake.mowrer@tamu.edu

Makayla Faldyn, who will begin her senior year at Texas A&M in just a few weeks, spent her summer as a water resource restoration and protection intern with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension water program in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.

Makayla Faldyn near screen with Powerpoint presentation visible

Makayla Faldyn presented an overview of her internship to faculty and staff at the end of the summer.

“I have a passion for science, communication and education, so this internship fit me perfectly,” said Faldyn. “I got to learn more about watersheds, set up meetings, and even deliver outreach education. I also got to make direct calls to the stakeholders to encourage them to be involved with meetings and events.”

She spent ten weeks working with the Texas Watershed Stewards, Mill Creek Watershed Partnership, and Geronimo-Alligator Creeks Watershed program.

Faldyn’s internship was all “hands-on”. She spent the summer further developing the online presence of the programs by updating the Mill Creek Watershed Partnership website and updating the calendar to make it more user friendly. She promoted watershed events through their Facebook page and updated the Texas Watershed Stewards online courses, designed brochures and more.

One of her favorite parts of the internship was having the opportunity to serve as a youth program leader working with Texas Parks and Wildlife programs.

“I had the opportunity to work with about 400 young people ranging from six to thirteen years old at Lake Somerville and Huntsville State Park helping to teach water quality to younger generations,” Faldyn said. “I helped tailor the information to the ages of the youth and I really enjoyed it.”

“I cannot brag enough about the quality of this Aggie,” said Dr. Jake Mowrer, Extension Specialist for Soil Nutrient and Water Resource Management, who was her primary supervisor. “Makayla was a self-starter, very bright and engaging. She really benefited the program and has been very effective.”

Michael Kuitu, Extension Program Specialist and Program Coordinator, echoed those sentiments.

“This summer marked the second year our department offered undergraduate students an opportunity to join Extension’s water programs as an intern. Though these past 10 weeks with Ms. Faldyn working in that position seem to have flown by I can say with confidence she has made a positive, lasting impression. Her tactful and professional work ethic along with her presentation skills will take her far,” Kuitu said.

Some members from the various water programs with which Makayla worked this summer gathered for reception at the end of the summer. Pictured are: Michael Kuitu, Makayla Faldyn, Jake Mowrer, Ward Ling, Extension Program Specialist for the Geronimo-Alligator Creeks Watershed, and Drew Gholson, Extension Program Specialist with the Texas Well Owner Network.

For Kuitu and the rest of the team, it was “truly rewarding” to witness an intern taking the lessons learned in the classroom and applying them to a real world scenario.

“One of the goals with this internship is to create an environment of expedited professional growth,” Kuitu said. “ To achieve this, we aimed to treat our intern as a colleague, ensuring the work they are assigned is not ‘busy work’, but rather a component of our team’s collective deliverables.”

Internship provides learning opportunity

14Aug

By: Beth Ann Luedeker

David Bryant, a senior Plant and Soil Science student, spent his summer as a soil scientist intern at the Lincoln, NE, Soil Survey Office. The internship included spending time working at the Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory where he was introduced to each analytical section of the KSSL — Sample Processing, Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Physics.

An internship as a soil scientist with USDA was a valuable learning opportunity for David Bryant, a senior Plant and Soil Sciences major at TAMU.

David had the opportunity to observe analytical processes in progress and interact with KSSL technicians. He learned how soil characterization samples submitted by Soil Survey Offices are processed and analyzed, which links back to soil sampling and descriptions in the field and to the interpretation of soil data received from the KSSL.He also received hands-on experience crushing and processing soil samples collected by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at a National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) site in Wisconsin.

A native of College Station, David always had an interest in natural sciences, but he had little experience with agriculture growing up.

“My first exposure to agriculture was when I started working at my friend, Joe Jeter’s farm,” David said. “I realized how little I knew about where my food comes. Looking into it, I discovered how impactful agriculture is in geopolitical, social and environmental realms, and I became eager to make a difference in the world through agriculture. Soil and climate are huge factors in plant development, so I chose plant and environmental soil science as my field of focus.”

The internship was an excellent opportunity for David to further his undergraduate education and to see some of the possibilities for agriculture in the future.

“I was really interested in the structure of the USDA’s systems,” David said. “They create incentives to practice sustainable farming and have a great reach in responsibility.”

David has one more semester at TAMU. He will spend some of that time doing research in the Geography department working on data from the National Soil Moisture Network under Dr. Brent McRoberts.

He will receive his Bachelor of Science degree in December, and is currently considering volunteering in Latin America for a year in the area of agricultural development. After that, David will apply to graduate school and pursue a higher degree.

Students from Mexico are interned in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department this summer

20Jun

Left to right: Dr. Jinha Jun from TAMU-Corpus Christi School of Engineering and Computing Science, Cristina Dzul Vela and Rusel Aldance

Three students from the Mexican state of Yucatan are interned in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department this summer under the guidance of Dr. Steve Hague and Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan.

Pablo Rosete, Cristina Dzul Vela and Rusel Moo Aldance are part of the Yucatan Initiative, a program designed to encourage more students to pursue advanced degrees in the U.S., specifically at Texas A&M University.

Each of the students has already earned at least one degree. Cristina holds a Bachelor of Science in IT Management; Rusel holds a Bachelor of Science in IT; and Pablo has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a master’s degree in business which he earned at a university in Switzerland.

Each of the students had a different reason for choosing to intern with the Soil and Crop Department.

Cristine wants to help provide useful technologies in her home country.

Left to right: Rusel, Cristina, Dr. Jun and Dr. Murilo Maeda, Asst. Research Scientist of cropping systems in Corpus Cristi

“Agriculture technology is useful in every country,” stated Cristine. “I think interest in improving agriculture is growing in our country and I wanted to see what is happening in other countries.”

Rusel grew up on a bee farm and studied agriculture technology. In Guadalajara Jalisco he worked with a company that developed drones for Mexican farms.

“I want to do that in Yucatan,” Rusel said. “Farmers there don’t have the opportunity to use technology to improve their crops. I want to help do that.”

Pablo has more agriculture experience than the others. He and business partner Fredy Coral, an agriculture engineer, raise pigs and organic chickens. While his degrees are in business and marketing, he became involved with the technology industry when he created a foundation that helps provide tablets and laptops to children in rural communities.

“So many people have no idea how to use computers,” Pablo said. “I want to learn more about technology, to see if I have the skills required. I may want to teach, so I wanted to learn what my options are.”

“Texas A&M has a good reputation and I thought this internship would be a great opportunity to learn and improve my tech skills,” Pablo continued. “I am very glad to be here. I can’t describe how impressed I am with the A&M. I was shocked by the feeling you have here, the 12th man and the environment. I have studied in Utah and Wisconsin and the first time I really felt that college spirit was here at A&M.”

Left to right: Pablo Rosete, Cristina Dzul Vela and Rusel Moo Aldance

The Yucatan Initiative, established in 2015, was initially an agreement between the College of Engineering and a research consortium, SIIDETEY, in Yucatan. The primary objective is to provide students an opportunity to gain practical experience applying IT to a variety of fields

Originally focused on engineering applications, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences became involved this summer to expand the program into agriculture related fields.

Sponsors intend to introduce the students to IT applications in agriculture including unmanned aerial vehicles, remote sensing, computer modeling, geospatial analyses and more.

According to Cristina, the program is available to students with a background in IT or engineering. They are required to have a basic proficiency in the English language and a good GPA. When applying, the students are also required to write an essay.

These three students were sponsored by Cámara Nacional de la Industria Electrónica, de Telecomunicaciones y Tecnologías de la Información (The National Chamber of the Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology), CANIETI. This organization has more than a thousand affiliated companies in Mexico and, according to their website, serves to represent the interests of the industry at the highest levels of the government.

CANIETI’s main goal is to boost the growth and competitiveness of the Mexican electronics, telecommunications, and information technologies industry.

As one means of achieving this goal, they sponsor the students for the 11-week internship at TAMU where they assist with research, study for graduate entrance exams and strengthen their proficiency with the English language.

“There are 46 students taking part in the program, 25 from Yucatan and 21 from the other Mexican states,” Cristina said. “The Yucatan government is very supportive of this program.”

After completing the internship, the students plan to take the GRE and graduate school application process. They hope to begin working on the next degree by the fall of 2017.