Throughout the summer months, many Life Sciences Communications students participated in invaluable internship opportunities with a variety of organizations, ranging from Milwaukee Tool to the UW-Madison Geology Museum here on campus. Armed with knowledge from LSC courses, students applied their skills to gain hands-on experience across a range of job areas. Below we highlight a handful of these exciting summer experiences:
Peyton Mueller (she/her) is a senior studying Life Sciences Communication and Community & Environmental Sociology, with a certificate in Global Health. Peyton spent her summer interning for Wisconsin Land + Water, a conservation association, as a Communications and Outreach Intern. As part of her role, she engaged in public outreach tasks, handled internal communications via newsletters and short stories, and managed external communications through social media planning and website management. Peyton highlights that her LSC courses have equipped her with valuable skills and knowledge that she actively applied in her internship, such as proficiency in Adobe InDesign and the ability to effectively communicate scientific concepts to the public.
“LSC provided me with the necessary tools to effectively communicate with the public and be a skilled employee. Whether it’s condensing complex messages for better comprehension or honing my graphic design skills, LSC empowers me in both aspects.”
Matilde Acosta (she/they) is a junior in Life Sciences Communication and Environmental Studies. Matilde returned to Wyoming with the UW-Madison Geology Museum Fossil Prep Lab this summer to extend a quarry. Along with her fossil work, Matilde explained that in recent years, they’ve established a strong partnership with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho communities on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. This partnership has involved organizing field trips and collaborating closely with tribal elders.
“Taking LSC courses has refreshed my video production skills and provided a solid foundation for sharing a compelling narrative bridging Western Science and traditional ecological knowledge.”
Colton Jordan (he/him) is a rising senior studying Life Sciences Communication and Environmental Studies. This summer, Colton worked as a Communications Management intern for the Foundation for Improving Outcomes of Needy Students (FIEN Foundation), a nonprofit raising money to help students in Tanzania to achieve better education outcomes. As part of his role, Colton ran the foundation’s LinkedIn and Instagram pages and handled communication tasks related to fundraising, such as video creation, website management, and donor engagement. When asked how LSC has prepared him for his internship, he emphasized how LSC courses have laid the foundation for the work he did in his internship such as how to communicate to different audiences, website management, graphic design, and more.
“While LSC has undoubtedly set me up to be a successful communications professional, being an LSC student has taught me more than that. Through my courses at LSC, I’ve learned about a variety of different resources and how to find more to learn on my own. This knowledge has equipped me to leverage resources to my advantage and confidently navigate unfamiliar tasks.”
Alegra Waverley is a junior studying Life Sciences Communication and Economics, with a certificate in Theatre Performance. This summer, Alegra worked as a Brand Marketing Intern with Milwaukee Tool on the Trade Show and Events team. As part of her role, she helped facilitate PIPELINE, an event in which media attendees gather in person and virtually to learn about Milwaukee Tool’s new products. She also completed various individual projects for company improvement where she presented to VP-level executives. Alegra highlights that her time in LSC has prepared her for this internship by teaching her how to problem-solve and think critically.
“The written communication skills I’ve gained within my LSC courses have been hugely impactful in my role at Milwaukee Tool. Concise, clear, powerful communication is exceedingly important in marketing, and I have mastery over this due to my LSC education.”
Regardless of the differences in their internships, students discovered that LSC had positioned them to succeed in their various roles. Professor and Chair Dominique Brossard expressed her pride, stating, “Observing our students apply the skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom to excel in their diverse internships is truly gratifying.”
In addition to our students participating in summer internships, read more about LSC students who studied abroad: https://blog.studyabroad.wisc.edu/archives/tag/life-sciences-communication
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Written by: Jocelyn Cao, LSC M.S. ’23
Published: September 2023