LSC undergraduate students participate in a wide variety of internships each summer and this year was no exception. Students throughout the department enhanced their science communication skills in professional settings near and far. In this story we highlight a small selection of students who demonstrated their knowledge and excellence in diverse fields.
Across the world in Kampala, Uganda, Sophomore Ella Ruixuan Guo worked with Health Access Connect as their Media and Communication intern. Guo spent the summer visiting remote villages and documenting the health care services for villagers using her photography and videography skills. She also was able to build some social media skills throughout the internship that will help her in her future career. This internship was a great opportunity to further develop her communication skills and build her resume as a photojournalist.
“Through my internship, I have learned how to better communicate with different people and to be more mindful of the subject’s emotion in front of the camera. I get a better sense of what is the right timing to capture the subject, and when I should not take photos,” said Guo.
Many LSC students pursue double majors or certificates to complement their LSC coursework and their internship often reflect the intersection of their studies. Senior Amber Dammen is a Life Sciences Communication and Dairy Science major with a certificate in Agriculture Business Management. This summer, Dammen worked as a Content Services and Editorial intern at Farm Journal Media in Kansas City, Missouri. The internship, supported by the LSC Andy Weber/Explore Ag Media Scholarship, immersed Dammen in many aspects of the Agriculture Media industry. She updated media kits, created promotional materials for clients & collaborate with teammates.
Junior Diego Vega Rivera returned to his internship with the Medical College of Wisconsin in the Clinical & Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin division as the Communications Coordinator. Rivera was tasked with networking with other Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) programs in the US. He also helped out by finding new and engaging ways to share information about science to the public.
Senior Tyler Fox spent his summer in Madison working as a Science Writer for University Communications. University Communications produces a variety of print and online publications to tell the university’s story to the campus community and public. During his internship, Fox wrote many stories including ones about a new smartphone app that was developed by the entomology department to study ticks in WI, zebra mussels in Lake Mendota, and gene fertility studies.
“I learned how to best communicate science in an informative and interesting fashion for people with a broad range of science knowledge,” said Fox, “It can be difficult initially to translate technical subjects into language that everyone can understand, but the challenge is something I find very interesting!”
Senior Taylor Matrisch spent the summer with Case IH as their Agronomy & Commercial Sales Training Intern. It was Matrisch’s responsibility to first become familiar with the Agronomy departments trials, and then create marketing and sales training materials from an agronomy stand point.
“The materials I created are used by salesmen at Case IH dealerships, so I needed to make sure the vocabulary and language I used were appropriate for that audience,” said Matrisch, “As an LSC student I gained the skills I needed to write for an audience that was new to me. I also used my experience to layout these material in a style that was both interesting and appealing.”
Senior Caroline Gasao spent her summer interning with the PATCH Program which works to promote and advocate for adolescent health by empowering youth to use their voice. Gasao assisted with training selected high school students to be Teen Educators. These teens then go out into the community and share about adolescent health with healthcare providers and other teens. “LSC taught me how to create a clear message, which is important when we talk about health. In conversations and workshops, it is necessary to ensure that our message is clear and factual so the audience can receive it well,” said Gasao.
It is great seeing our students applying what they learned in the classroom outside our walls. We are looking forward to seeing all our students become successful professionals.