Indiana University Northwest students engage in a wide range of activities during the summer, taking advantage of the break by relaxing and gaining valuable experiences.
Some students unwind at home, spending time with family and friends while catching up on much-needed rest. Others seize the opportunity through internships, gaining hands-on experiences in their field of study and building their professional network.
This year, many IU Northwest students participated in summer internships, reaping the benefits of these invaluable professional experiences. These internships provided unique opportunities – from working on cutting-edge projects to collaborating with industry experts and navigating professional environments — which all significantly contribute to students’ personal and academic development.
Along the way, the students also enjoyed the excitement of possibly exploring new places, meeting diverse groups of people and experiencing the satisfaction of contributing to meaningful projects.
IU Northwest’s STEM Center is at the heart of many student internships. Students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors can count on the center for help with internships, peer mentoring, resume building and leadership opportunities that prepare them for academic and career success in STEM fields.
Senior Alexandra Rich heard about a STEM Center-organized restoration ecology internship at The Nature Conservancy and jumped to apply.
“The main focus of restoration ecology is restoring the native ecosystems as close to their original state as possible before humans affected them,” she said. “I was also interested in this opportunity because it would be working with herbicides, which I didn’t have experience in yet.”
Rich says she loves the job because it allows her to be outside instead of in an office all day. For her, the best part of working outside in Northwest Indiana is the views.
“We see Sandhill cranes, deer and native plants,” Rich said. “It’s nice when you see the before and after when you have taken out the invasive plants.”
Emilee Eggebrecht, a geology and biology environmental sciences major, discovered her summer job working on the Front Range in Colorado with the help of Savannah Bennett, the STEM Center coordinator.
“Dr. Bennett helped me discover this opportunity,” Eggebrecht said. “She was kind enough to send me a list of people looking to hire workers in the environmental science field.”
Eggebrecht was looking for a position in fieldwork in a different state, as she wanted to broaden her experiences in the environmental science field working in forestry and more.
But the scenery was enough to make the internship enjoyable for her.
“Working on the Front Range in Colorado provides some pretty amazing views,” she said. “Part of our job is hiking to plots at a high elevation. At its highest (14,000 feet) you get to see some amazing views of the Rockies, valleys and various flora and fauna.
“Camping for a week at a time can be quite taxing, but when you get to relax in a cold mountain stream at the end of the day—it makes up for the hard hikes to the different plots.”
The STEM Center came to fruition thanks to a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and Articulation Program, which IU Northwest was able to apply as a federally designated HSI.
Because the center is new at IU Northwest, Bennett envisions continued growth in all areas it serves.
“I love working with students,” Bennett said. “I work with them and help them meet their goals from where they are.”
Rich said her internship with the Nature Conservancy has been invaluable in helping her find what type of job she wants to pursue after graduation.
“You just don’t know what you need to know until you are out in the field,” Rich said.
Thanks to her internship, Eggebrecht discovered she could accomplish even more than she thought.
“I am way more physically capable than I thought I was,” Eggebrecht said. “To be able to climb up mountains four to five times a day, five days a week is no small feat. It requires a significant amount of physical effort and at times is really taxing. But, at the end of the day, I am really proud of what I have been able to accomplish!”
Whether exploring new ecosystems, gaining hands-on fieldwork experience or collaborating with industry experts, these IU Northwest students are not only expanding their professional horizons but also discovering personal strengths and interests.
The IU Northwest STEM Center plays a pivotal role in facilitating these opportunities by supporting students through mentorship and resource provision.
