I spent the spring of 2006 living and studying at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Those six months were full of new learning, which included courses in hydrology, climatology, field work and GIS, but was certainly not limited to university studies. I also discovered that living in an urban environment could be very rewarding and exciting; quite the opposite of what I had expected!

My explorations of the country during course field trips and semester breaks were easily some of the most memorable experiences. As an avid hiker, I fell in love with the varied countryside and enjoyed the remote landscape. I very much hope to return to New Zealand and once more climb glaciers, survey tropical forests, and explore endless miles of beaches.

Learn more about my time abroad in the Geography Newsletter, as well as my photograph that won 2nd place in the EMS Photo Contest.  Read about my experiences in my travel Blog.

I was accepted into the geography internship program with The National Geographic Society and worked at Headquarters in Washington D.C. in the fall of 2007.

I worked under the Director of Education and Mission Programs Online, a department of the Society which deals with spreading geographic education through lesson-plans, school involvement, online media and campaigns. During the semester I assisted with the My Wonderful World geographic literacy initiative, updated Society websites, and worked on a few mash-up projects with Google Earth.  These projects can be found here, and downloaded to view in Google Earth.

I was thrilled to have many opportunities to participate in Society programs and events. This included certification in the Society Research Training at both the Society Library and the Library of Congress. These research skills have helped me to script more effective information searches; Talents I know will come in handy as I wander deeper into academia. 

I also had the pleasure of meeting with many society figures through organized luncheons which helped myself and fellow interns understand the many facets of the society. Some of my favorite lunches included, filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert; Patrick Noonan, founder of the Conservation Fund, a gathering at the Association of American Geographers headquarters; and the opportunity to meet with one of my favorite authors, Dr. Jared Diamond.

This internship proved to be a critical experience for me, as I learned how my geographic skills could assist others; both in the Society and at the receiving end of their educational message.

Hurricane Katrina Research

While I became well versed in IRB research standards from this experience, the true take-home lesson remained in what I saw and did not see in both Biloxi and New Orleans. Over a year had passed since the storm rolled through, but from the amount of debris, FEMA trailers, and lack of structures...you could have told me the event was last week.  The challenges of rebuilding were dolefully apparent.

We met with many members of the Biloxi community, non-profits, citizens, church groups, and city officials alike. All of their stories were emotional and their predicaments were real.  Issues abounded on population flight, land speculation, casino development, affordable housing, and building code minimum elevation heights.  I am truly thankful for this opportunity which allowed me to experience the struggle between human and environment in such an immersive way.

Pat Noonan of the Conservation Fund, urged the interns at National Geographic to get involved in conservation locally. I took this advice to heart and spent a summer as the GIS intern for the non-profit conservation group The ClearWater Conservancy of Central Pennsylvania.

As a local resident, I was completely invested in the Conservancy's mission to preserve open land in the county through conservation easements. I helped to identify key areas for preservation, as well as mapped locations of invasive plant species in riparian zones.  I constantly gathered, interpreted, modified and organized a plethora of spatial data from county, state, and national sources.

Wilderness Literature Field Institute

A week of backpacking through the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia was ripe with discussion of the works of Emerson, Thoreau, and many others. Roderick Nash's Wilderness and the American Mind reinforced my interest in Human/Environment issues with its description of America's dynamic relationship with nature. I was thrilled to be accepted into this program and source many of my interests in land use change and conservation from these travels and lessons.