From the Classroom to the Industry: LSC Students and their Summer Internships

LSC undergraduate and graduate students had very exciting summers, interning everywhere from UW-Madison Center for Limnology field station to the World Health Organization in Washington D.C.. The LSC curriculum provides students with the theoretical foundations and knowledge they need to cultivate their interests into skillsets that can be integrated into a variety of professional settings.

In this story, we highlight a small selection of students who demonstrated their knowledge and excellence in diverse fields over the summer.

Brooks
LSC senior Sydney Brooks interned at Lely, an innovative robotic dairy company headquartered in the Netherlands.

Many LSC students pursue double majors or certificates to complement their LSC coursework, and their internships often reflect the intersection of their studies. This summer, LSC senior Sydney Brooks jumped on a plane to Europe to intern with Lely, an innovative robotic dairy company headquartered in the Netherlands. There, Brooks served in the Barn and Feeding department as an Automatic Feeding Project Specialist. During her internship, Brooks created a marketing strategy for one of Lely’s automatic feeding robots, the Vector. Creating this marketing plan combined pieces from each of her LSC classes, especially LSC 477: Agri-Marketing Strategy and Implementation.

Brod Farber
LSC junior Rachel Brod Farber interned with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

LSC junior Rachel Brod Farber combined her interests in legal studies with science communication at her internship with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. There, Brod Farber worked in the Division of Public Health on policy relating to dementia.

“My background in LSC enables me to effectively communicate about dementia and explain how the disease is a public health issue that will affect more people every year,” said Brod Farber. “My [LSC] skills also allowed me to interpret policy documents and pick out the important information.”

We also were able to catch up with LSC senior Bethany Prochnow and ask about her summer as an intern with the UW Center for Limnology. Her position involved a variety of tasks. Prochnow was in the field with scientists and their research teams taking pictures, writing articles about the science and work the Trout Lake Station was doing, and even helping with event planning.

Prochnow
LSC senior Bethany Prochnow interned with the UW Center for Limnology.

“The most important thing I learned this summer was to get your hands dirty and your feet wet!” said Prochnow. “When interviewing scientists, I’d go with them into the field and help with their research. It gave me a better idea of what they are doing and made it easier to write about.” She frequently found herself putting on waders to set predation traps in a stream, covering her face with mosquito netting to catch fish, or donning a snorkel to help research invasive species.

Matzke
LSC senior Emily Matzke expanded her radio skills while working with the Midwest Farm Report as a team member of the Fabulous Farm Babe radio show.

LSC senior Emily Matzke expanded her radio skills while working with the Midwest Farm Report as a team member of the Fabulous Farm Babe radio show this summer. When asked about the most rewarding part of her internship, Matzke responded, “being able to share the story of Wisconsin Agriculturalists with our network of listeners. I was able to meet many fascinating people and help share their stories on our social media, radio networks, and more!”

Clifford
LSC MS student Sarah Clifford spent her summer interning with the World Health Organization in Washington D.C.

Last but not least, LSC MS student Sarah Clifford spent her summer with the World Health Organization in Washington D.C. at the regional office. There, she worked with the Emergency Operations Center to improve the translation of risk communication guidelines to practice. Her work relied on interviews with colleagues and case studies involving recent emergencies like the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Clifford is also pursuing a Master’s in Public Health along with LSC.

It is great seeing our students applying what they learn in the classroom outside our walls. We look forward to seeing all our students become successful, young professionals.

Have an opportunity for an LSC student to gain valuable science communication experience? Reach out to us here.