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Internship Experience Connects Science and Writing
Conor: Biology and English Dual Major

Conor Gearin spent a summer in a learning environment that elicited hands-on participation studying the water chemistry of ephemeral wetlands in Maine known as vernal pools. The internship was a natural extension of his chemistry class at Truman, which featured an environmental science lab.聽Gearin, who had studied dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus in a creek as part of聽his classwork,聽found he was well-prepared for the internship at the University of Maine-Orono.

Gearin notes that crucial wildlife habitat is not always a large river delta or grassland. 鈥淭he vernal pools are small, but they have an importance disproportionate to their size,鈥� says Gearin. These pools, which fill up with snowmelt in the spring and dry up by the fall, are critical to the life cycle of several amphibian species 鈥� including frogs and salamanders 鈥� which depend on the vernal pools for breeding.

Working with his research team, Gearin explored these important wildlife habitats taking water samples at vernal pools across an urban-rural gradient, sampling at urban sites in Bangor, Maine, and relatively remote sites in Hancock County. He also made use of his dual biology-English major by becoming a writer for the project鈥檚 blog, 鈥淥f Pools and People.鈥�

Through his participation in the project, Gearin saw first-hand how important it is for researchers to build up a relationship with the public. 鈥淭he faculty and graduate students at the University of Maine have spent years cooperating with residents of Maine who own the land containing vernal pools,鈥� says Gearin. 鈥淭hey have done an excellent job of explaining the importance of vernal pools to landowners and creating practical but effective conservation strategies,鈥� says Gearin.

He also discovered that, when working the field, mosquitoes and blackflies can be vicious. 鈥淲e wore mesh bug jackets and vinyl gloves in the field to protect ourselves,鈥� says Gearin. 鈥淚f we took these precautions, we could avoid most bites.鈥�

Gearin鈥檚 internship was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Coupled Natural and Human Systems (NSF-CNH) program, and while these positions can be quite competitive, Gearin thinks they are worth pursuing. 鈥淵ou get to work outside studying wildlife or the environment, doing a small part to improve our understanding of the changing natural world,鈥� says Gearin, who also enjoyed having a chance to work with other undergraduates, including a civil engineering major. 鈥淐ompleting an internship in a field outside your major can help broaden your experience and perspective on your career,鈥� says Gearin.

Internships often nurture a student鈥檚 excitement for the field, and Gearin, who plans to pursue a career in science education and communication, hopes his internship experience will lead to more opportunities to do field work. 鈥淭he research and science writing experience I gained have reaffirmed that I want to work on science questions that directly impact people and to help in communicating scientific discoveries to the public,鈥� says Gearin.

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