SciComm Internship

Science Communication Internship

About the Program

The ASLO Science Communication Internship program was launched in 2015 to provide current or recent graduate students in the aquatic sciences with the opportunity to learn more about science communication and the operation of non-profit science associations. ASLO Science Communication interns are mentored by Communications and Program Manager Brittany Schieler. The upcoming internship will be virtual for a 6-month period and comes with a stipend and support so the intern may attend an ASLO conference (virtually or in-person).

ASLO Science Communication Interns work on a wide variety of communication projects in the areas of Policy, Education, and Public Outreach to get a first-hand look at how science is communicated to a variety of audiences.

Education and Outreach. Gain experience in aquatic science education and outreach by working with ASLO’s Education Committees and the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS), as well as assist with the NSF-funded LOREX program.
Policy. Get a first-hand look at how policy is formulated in the U.S. by attending virtual briefings and hearings, as well as working alongside our partner organizations on policy issues and events.
 
Scientific Writing and Publishing. Hone science writing skills by preparing material for ASLO’s social media channels and the L&O Bulletin. Learn about the publishing and editorial process as articles for L&O Bulletin prepared by the Communications Office are compiled and sent to press, as well as by interfacing with the ASLO Editors and Raelyn Cole Editorial Fellows.

Each Science Communication Intern also completes a personal learning plan and a signature project within their specific area of interest.

Most interns have been funded directly by ASLO, with two interns receiving external support for their internships. If your organization is interested in sponsoring or co-sponsoring a Science Communication Internship at ASLO, please contact Brittany Schieler ([email protected]).

Eligibility and Application for the ASLO Science Communication Internship

The ASLO Science Communication internship is available to current graduate students or individuals who have received a graduate degree in the aquatic sciences within 2 years of application. Applicants from outside the US are eligible to apply.

Current Intern

Rachel Weisend
Rachel Weisend - Spring and Summer 2023

Rachel Weisend is a marine geomicrobiologist currently finishing her PhD at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. Her research focuses on how microbial communities drive methane production and consumption. During her Ph.D., Rachel has pursued international collaborations from being in the inaugural Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) cohort in New South Wales, Australia, and most recently sailing on expedition NBP-2301 to the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

As the ASLO Sci Comm intern, Rachel plans to expand her love for international collaborative research by working with the third LOREX Cohort and Global Outreach Initiative. Rachel is looking forward to gaining experience in project management, science communication, and publishing during her internship.

You can contact her at [email protected]

Former Interns

Jessica Bellworthy
Jessica Bellworthy - Fall 2022/Spring 2023

Jessica just completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Haifa in Israel. As a coral biologist, she worked at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat for seven years during PhD and postdoctoral studies. Her research focused upon the influence of the environment on coral physiology, reproduction, and early life history. Jess is keen on developing the use of technical and closed-circuit rebreather diving as a tool for scientific work. These skills allowed her to study mesophotic coral reefs, reefs between 30 - 150 meters depth.

During her Ph.D., Jess also worked as a teaching assistant for the university and gained a passion for science education. Starting in November 2022, she hopes the ASLO sci comm internship will leverage this experience into developing outreach and graduate student opportunities. Jess also hopes to learn how ASLO contributes to policy in order to understand how scientists can themselves contribute to policy decisions. Jess will also spend a significant proportion of the internship assisting with the implementation of the third round of the LOREX program. You can contact her at [email protected].

Carolina Barbosa tn
Carolina Barbosa - Fall 2021/Spring 2022

Carolina is an environmental engineer currently finishing her PhD at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Her research focuses on quantifying the future impacts of climate change and land use and land cover changes on the water quality of a multipurpose subtropical reservoir using process-based modelling. During her PhD, Carolina started to collaborate in international projects, working in diverse and interdisciplinary teams and also gained experience in organizing events. During the internship, Carolina plans to acquire science communication and project management skills, learning more about education and science outreach programs, broadening the impact of her research, and developing writing skills by preparing material for ASLO’s social media channels and L&O Bulletin. She is confident that her experience will also contribute to the formulation and coordination of new and long-standing programs and activities for ASLO members. She also aims to represent South America and increase Latino participation in the community.

KatieHarazinportrait
Katie Harazin - Fall 2020 and Spring 2021

Katie is a paleoceanographer and chemical oceanographer currently finishing her Ph.D. at the Australian National University. Her research focuses on changes in deep North Atlantic circulation and chemistry over the past half-million years. Specifically, she seeks to understand the relationship between deep North Atlantic carbon sequestration on atmospheric CO2 changes during past ice ages. To do this, she analyzes the trace element composition of old, microscopic shells formed by zooplankton called foraminifera—the historians of the ocean!

During her stint as an ASLO Science Communication intern, she plans to gain experience in the management of science organizations and their social media presence. She also hopes to learn about the inner machinations of the scientific editing and publishing process.

Eilea Ruth Knotts
Eilea Knotts - Spring/Fall 2020

Eilea is a marine phytoplankton ecologist who completed her Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina. She studied carbon acquisition strategies as a mechanism for microalgal community structuring processes. Eilea also enhanced her studies by participating as a member of the first Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) cohort.

During her graduate studies, Eilea gained experience in communication across multiple platforms. She was the social media coordinator for the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, the Biological Sciences Department at the University of SC, and her department’s graduate association. These opportunities provided insight into what was necessary to engage the public as well as the hitches commonly experienced. During the internship, Eilea plans to gain insights into the management of science organizations by assisting with the LOREX program as well as develop pathways that engage the scientific community to utilize communication tools. She also hopes to provide higher awareness on scientific issues and incentive to participate in the discussion. You can contact her at [email protected]

Schieler
Brittany Schieler - Spring/Fall 2019

Brittany is a marine microbiologist and phytoplankton ecologist who recently graduated with a Ph.D. in oceanography from Rutgers University. Her research focused on an important species of phytoplankton called Emiliania huxleyi that produces beautiful and intricate shells of calcium carbonate (the same stuff coral reefs are made of!). Brittany studied how the production of free radicals impacts the susceptibility of E. huxleyi to infection by viruses.

During her Ph.D., Brittany participated in several field campaigns that took her all over the world and involved collaborators from various international institutions. As an ASLO Science Communication Intern, Brittany plans to foster her interests in collaboration by assisting with ASLO’s inaugural Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) program. During the internship, Brittany gained insight into the management of science non-profits as well as develop tools to engage the public and policy-makers on the importance of the hidden microbial world to the health of our oceans. Brittany is currently working in the U.S. Senate as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow.

Cziesielski
Maha Cziesielski – Fall 2019

Maha Cziesielski is a PhD student at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, where she studies the impacts of climate change on coral’s molecular machinery. Her thesis focuses on multiple layers of cell functions, namely transcriptomics, proteomics and epigenomics, to understand coral-algae symbiosis and factors that determine thermotolerance. Besides conducting research she is also passionate about science communication, outreach and education. Since starting to write in 2017, she has contributed to numerous blogs and is currently one of the editors in chief at Reefbites. Maha will be serving as a Science Communication Fellow for the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography in Washington D.C. starting in September 2019.

Fernandez-Figueroa
Edna Fernandez-Figueroa - Winter 2018

Edna is a Ph.D. student at Auburn University’s School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences studying the effects of environmental triggers on harmful algal blooms (HABs), with a focus on drinking water quality and phenotypic plasticity. As an ASLO Science Communications Intern, she gained experience in the inner workings of the publishing process, create tools to bridge the gap between researchers and the public, and assisted with the coordination of ASLO’s recently funded Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) program.

Mette
Madelyn Mette – Spring 2018

Maddie is currently a Research Geologist with the United States Geological Survey - St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in Florida, USA. Her research investigates late Holocene North Atlantic marine climate and ecosystem variability, with a specialization in using proxy records from the shells of the long-lived marine bivalve Arctica islandica. Maddie earned a B.A. in Geology with a minor in Environmental Studies from Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) in 2010. She completed her PhD in Geology with a co-major in Environmental Science from Iowa State University (Ames, IA) in 2017, followed by a postdoctoral appointment at NORCE research in Bergen, Norway.

As an ASLO science communication intern, Maddie gained access to a wide array of ASLO operations. She coordinated and/or participated in several activities for the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) in Portland, Oregon including the “Ocean Science: Informing Policy, Management, and the Public” Session, COACh’s Strategic Persuasion Workshop, and ASLO’s Science Storytelling Workshop. Following the OSM conference, Maddie worked on projects including managing activities and volunteers for the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies’ booth at the 2018 USA Science and Engineering Festival in DC, contributing to an NSF grant proposal, and maintaining ASLO’s Instagram presence following the guidelines of previous interns, Sean and Dervla. She also helped with the ASLO member survey and various Bulletin editorial tasks. During the internship, Maddie was exposed to national and international policy and science programs through attendance at the Center for Ocean Leadership 2018 Public Policy Forum and the NSF 2018 Long-Term Ecological Research symposium.

Kumar
Dervla Meegan Kumar – Fall 2017

Dervla is currently a Geosciences PhD student at the University of Arizona. As an organic geochemist and paleoclimatologist, she uses the structure and chemical composition of molecular fossils preserved in lacustrine and marine sediments to reconstruct paleoenvironmental change. Her current research focuses on reconstructing variability in the strength of the North American monsoon during past warm periods in Earth's history to better understand how the system will be affected by modern, human-caused climate change. She is continuing her science communication training as a part of the Carson Scholars program at the University of Arizona, which fosters engagement between graduate students and the local Tucson community to enhance the broader impacts of their research.

Along with her fellow intern, Sean McNally, Dervla worked on expanding ASLO’s online presence to attract a broader audience into learning about aquatic sciences. Some of her contributions include writing for the ASLO blog, launching an official Instagram page, editing content for the website, and establishing an official strategy for ASLO’s social media. During her internship, Dervla was also trained in the role of professional societies in advocating for the interests of their members in Washington D.C. by participating in several events on science policy and funding, including the American Geoscience Institute’s (AGI) Geosciences Congressional Visits Day, the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) workshop on the Nagaoya Protocol, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) definition of “Waters of the United States” listening session, in addition to multiple visits to Capitol Hill to attend various science policy briefings.

McNally
Sean McNally – Fall 2017

Sean is a PhD student in the Marine Science and Technology, Intercampus Marine Science (IMS) Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Within Sean’s PhD framework he is studying science policy as it relates to shellfish aquaculture in Massachusetts specifically, working with both the shellfish industry and the state in support of a Statewide Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative (MSI). Sean is currently working in the U.S. Congress as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow.

As a science communication intern, Sean produced a series of videos for ASLO tilted “ASLO: Science Exchange Series”. The purpose of the series is to serve as a public outreach tool that highlights what ASLO member scientists do and can be found on our YouTube page. In addition to working on the Science Exchange Series Sean worked with Dervla on a variety of other social media projects during their time as the Fall 2017 SciComm interns. This included establishing and building a social following on ASLO’s Instagram page (@asloorg), and drafting ASLO’s social media guidelines for future interns.

Nanayakkara
Lushani Nanayakkara – Spring 2017

Lushani grew up in Colombo, Sri Lanka and migrated to the United States for college. She completed her undergraduate degree in Zoology at Ohio Wesleyan University and master’s in Environmental Sciences and Policy at Johns Hopkins University. She completed her PhD at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, where she studied both the food-web dynamics and human dimensions of prairie lakes in southern Saskatchewan, with the ultimate goal of helping manage prairie lakes in a more comprehensive manner. In Fall 2018 she began a Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (aka DFO, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada) in Ottawa, and has recently accepted a full-time position at DFO.

Lushani’s primary project during the internship was to develop policy tool-kits for the United States, Canada and the European Union. As part of the internship, she received training on meeting and communicating with decision makers at the Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) Congressional Visits Day (CVD) event in April 2017. She also attended the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Forum and several other policy-relevant events in the Washington DC area. A highlight of the internship for her was participating in the Science Communication Lab conducted by Brian Palermo at the Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Honolulu, which included several improv exercises to help enhance communication effectiveness. She also wrote articles for the ASLO journal L&O Bulletin. (view Lushani’s internship interview).

 

Benes
Kylla Benes – Fall 2016

Kylla Benes is postdoctoral fellow at the University of Montana. Her research addresses how populations respond to environmental variation and the context dependency of biological processes. Most of her work has focused on ecologically important primary producers such as rockweeds and periphyton. Her curiosity and passion for nature drove her to pursue graduate degrees in science. However, Kylla’s teaching and public outreach experience fostered a passion for communicating science beyond the ivory tower.

While a Science Communication Intern, Kylla used her passion and knowledge of outreach to create public-facing content for the new ASLO website, write a Bulletin article on science communication, and run the first ever ASLO photo contest. She also took the opportunity to receive training in association management and planning. She used her training to develop and lead a workshop on “Demystifying the Teaching Philosophy Statement for Academic Job Applications” for student and early career members at the Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Honolulu. (view Kylla’s internship interview). Kylla has continued to work on special projects with ASLO past her fellowship, including creating several promotional videos for the society and its award winners.

 

Voss
Britta Voss – Fall 2016

Britta Voss is an aquatic biogeochemist, and served as an ASLO Science Communication Intern in Fall 2016. As an intern, Britta organized and promoted science communication workshops for the 2017 Aquatic Sciences Meeting and expanded ASLO’s efforts at addressing sexual misconduct in the aquatic sciences. Her science communication work included drafting workshop session descriptions, creating webpages and social media posts, producing short video advertisements, and publishing meeting highlights and articles for the L&O Bulletin. She also organized a workshop on bystander intervention for addressing sexual misconduct in field research and publicized ASLO’s gender equity efforts in the L&O Bulletin.

Britta’s experience with the ASLO Science Communication Internship inspired her to delve further into science communication and policy. Working with Adrienne Sponberg and fellow intern Kylla Benes, as well as experiencing the Washington, DC, policy atmosphere, reinforced her desire to transition her career towards science policy and communication. Her interest in science policy is motivated by a passion for sharing the value of science with the public and ensuring scientific research provides a service to society. In 2017 and 2018, Britta completed a AAAS Science & Technology Policy fellowship, working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Britta is now the National Estuary Program Quality Coordinator at Washington State Department of Ecology.

Growing up between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, Britta’s love for all things water began early. She has relished her opportunities to conduct field research, from an undergraduate research cruise to Hawaii to her graduate studies on the Fraser River in Canada, and most recently in the headwaters of the Mississippi River as a U.S. Geological Survey Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow. Britta earned her Ph.D. in chemical oceanography from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joint Program in Oceanography in 2014 and her B.S. in oceanography from the University of Washington in 2009. (view Britta’s internship interview).

Aarons
Zoe Aarons – Summer 2016

Hailing from Washington DC, Zoe Aarons is a junior at Bowdoin College in Maine. She is studying Earth and Oceanographic Science and Computer Science. Zoe interned for ASLO during the summer of 2016. During her internship, she compiled an educational children’s booklist on topics of oceanography and limnology. The selected books range from picture books for toddlers to short chapter books for young teens. This compilation aims to spark a passion for science in children and provide books that are both engaging and informative.

Tyner
Emily Tyner - Spring 2016

Emily Tyner is a PhD student in the Bootsma lab at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) School of Freshwater Sciences. Following a master’s degree at UWM researching the impacts of invasive quagga mussels in Lake Michigan, Emily received a fellowship through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to conduct research on Lake Malawi, Africa. In Malawi, she collaborated with Senga Bay Fisheries Research Station scientists to study fecal contamination in nearshore waters and in the drinking water supplies of fishing villages along the lakeshore. Emily returned to the Bootsma lab to pursue a PhD focused on science communication, policy, and management. With the advisement of faculty in English and Geography, her research looks at the unquantified scientific and social impacts of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects at National Park Service sites around Lakes Michigan and Superior. In addition to research, Emily enjoys teaching a science communication course for undergraduate Engineering majors.

Emily’s internship with ASLO got off to a snowy start when the January 2016 United States blizzard hit during her drive to D.C. Following the thaw out, Emily learned about ASLO’s science communication pursuits, and those of the wider D.C. science community, through attendance at congressional hearings, budget roll out events, the AAAS Annual Meeting and public lectures, and as a participant with the Michigan delegation during Great Lakes Day on Capitol Hill. Her major focus during the internship was organizing the CASS (Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies) booth at the USA Science and Engineering Festival. The booth attracted over 3,000 families, students, and teachers across three days of hands-on water themed demonstrations and experiments. The ASLO Science Communication Internship was invaluable in guiding Emily’s dissertation topic and research approach. (view Emily’s internship interview).

Ellis
Kelsey Ellis – Fall 2015

Kelsey Ellis was ASLO’s first Science Communication Intern, starting in the fall of 2015 and working with ASLO through the spring of 2016. While working at ASLO, Kelsey helped write and edit articles for ASLO’s Bulletin, wrote content for the outreach section of ASLO’s new website, planned and led a “Careers Beyond Academia” panel discussion at the 2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting, and assisted with social media content.

Prior to her internship, Kelsey graduated with an M.S. in Marine Sciences (2015) and B.S in Environmental Science with Highest Honors (2013) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since working at ASLO, Kelsey has pursued opportunities in science communication, education, and research, including as a Research Scientist in the Marchetti Lab at UNC-Chapel Hill, Marine Biology Instructor for the Duke Talent Identification Program, and Environmental Educator with the Triangle Land Conservancy. Kelsey is currently the Communications and Outreach Specialist for the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership in Raleigh, North Carolina. (view Kelsey’s internship interview).

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