Welcome Spring Semester Interns!

Hi! I'm Jenna Mackley. I am a senior from Hummelstown, PA majoring in Environmental Resource Management and pursuing two minors: Watersheds and Water Resources and Geographic Information Science. I have spent the past three summers working for an environmental and cultural consulting firm, ASC Group, Inc., outside Harrisburg, PA. During my time at the AEC, I have been providing GIS support for the Chiques Creek Reinvisioned project in Lancaster County, PA as well as facilitating community meetings for the Lost Creek watershed restoration project in Juniata County, PA.
Last May, I traveled to Sweden as part of the ERM program's "The Baltic Sea and the Chesapeake Bay: Lessons Learned for Water Quality Restoration" course. From this experience, I learned that cleaning up large bodies of water--like the Baltic Sea and Chesapeake Bay--is all about communicating how small efforts positively impact water quality improvements, even though it may take a long time to see changes. Through this AEC internship, I hope to further develop better communication techniques from what I learned in Sweden, so that upon graduation I am equipped with the skills necessary to effectively encourage involvement in watershed restoration initiatives on a localized level.

I'm Dylan Sundy, I'm a senior in the Community, Environment, and Development major within the College of Agricultural Sciences. I am very interested in natural resource economics, and I am passionate about community development initiatives. Through working as an intern at the Agriculture & Environment Center, I hope to learn more about the relationship between farming and water quality, Best Management Practices (BMP) implementation, and the overall regulatory framework guiding the Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. I am interested in a career related to environmental law/environmental mediation. I think that working with Matt Royer and Professor Jim Shortle will prove to be an incredible learning experience and I look forward to what the semester holds.

Hi! I'm Sarah Xenophon. As a senior in Environmental Resource Management focusing in Water science, I've studied several complex environmental issues that have led me to search for innovative, large-scale solutions. It's clear to me now, that science is absolutely necessary, but it is only the first step on the long road to environmental protection and improvement. The majority of the process involves communicating that sound science to policy makers and the public so that they may make educated and more effective decisions, improving our natural world. I believe that working with the inspiring team of the Agriculture and Environment Center at Penn State will give me the opportunity to learn how communities receive important scientific information and how local policies can affect real and positive environmental change. I hope to support the center's goal of outreach and collaboration across the state of Pennsylvania, improving not only local communities, but also their vital ecosystems.

We here at the AEC are happy to have you all on board. We look forward to working with you and to see the results of all of your hard work! It will be for the benefit of many, as well as being an opportunity for you to gain real world experience.