Authors

Madison Zambo

Faculty Advisor

Dr Froylan Sifuentes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2022

Keywords

Internship Report

Abstract

I participated in a summer internship with the State of California, Department of Transportation from June 2022 to August 2022. My student assistant position was under Jennifer Moonjian, Senior Environmental Scientist Supervisor, with the District 5, Biology department in San Luis Obispo, California. During this time, I conducted field work such as habitat surveys, bat emergence surveys, and pre-construction activity surveys. Additionally, my role consisted of training several departments within the Environmental division in ArcGIS Pro. To do so, I created PowerPoint trainings, how-to guides, and permit layout templates. Additionally, I often met one-on-one with biologists to address specific project mapping needs. This internship allowed me to meet my goal of applying what I’ve learned throughout my academic career at Western Washington University to a hands-on professional work experience. I learned proper field techniques for field data collection and sensitive species surveys, while also developing my skills in training staff in GIS applications, public speaking during meetings and trainings, and receiving real-time feedback on my work. As a result of this internship with Caltrans, I’ve developed my career interests in fish and wildlife biology and built long-lasting professional connections within the field.

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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