Researching Restoration and Researching Research: What My Summer Internship Taught Me
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2019-04-22
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Understanding the impacts of wetland restoration is an important part of informing this practice. In order to figure out which methods will best improve the ecosystem functions of wetlands, different restoration efforts need to be examined. This summer I helped contribute to this effort as a research assistant for the MHC Restoration Ecology Program. In my internship I worked both in the field and in the lab, learning a myriad of new skills from establishing experimental plots to measuring gas emissions in soil samples. I also assisted with the Restoration Ecology Summer Scholars Program, a summer program that introduces high school girls to the field of environmental science. Working with the students, and doing research, helped me gain a better understanding of what a career in environmental research would be like: one that requires a great deal of energy and devotion, but which also proves challenging and rewarding at the same time.