Internship Accomplishments

Area 1: Assess Individual and Community Needs for Health Education

Competency A: Access existing health-related data

Sub-competency 4: Select valid sources of information about health needs and interests

Researched sustainable lab practices and energy use/cost of various lab equipment.


Area 2: Plan Health Education Strategies, Interventions, and Programs

Competency A: Involve people and organizations in program planning

Sub-competency 3: Obtain commitments from individuals who will be involved

Sub-competency 4: Develop plans for promoting collaborative efforts among health agencies and organizations with mutual interests

Attended a planning and organizational meeting regarding the development of UMD campus gardens.

Researched various forums and wikis to analyze how they could be used, including an in-depth study of Moodle.

Revised letter to ask for vendor participation in the Bike-To-School Fest. Contacted local businesses and organizations, inviting them to be part of the Bike-To-School Fest at UMD. Arranged for bike locker as drawing prize at Bike-To-School Fest.

Competency C: Formulate appropriate and measurable program objectives

Sub-competency 1: Design developmentally appropriate interventions

Developed an energy pledge for UMD students and made appropriate changes to pledge according to feedback.

Competency E: Design strategies, interventions, and programs consistent with specified objectives

Conducted research and brainstormed ideas regarding possible student energy pledges.


Area 4: Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health Education

Competency C: Design data collection instruments

Sub-competency 2: Develop appropriate data-gathering instruments

Brainstormed questions for upcoming interview with Duane Long, Laboratory Services Coordinator in the UMD Department of Chemical Engineering.


Area 5: Administer Health Education Strategies, Interventions, and Programs

Competency A: Exercise organizational leadership

Sub-competency 1: Conduct strategic planning

Discussed current projects within the UMD Office of Sustainability with site supervisor, Mindy Granley.

Emailed Duane Long about featuring him on the “Adding up to Zero” blog.

Met with Mahjoub Labyad in the UMD Office of Environmental Health and Safety to discuss needs for research and education regarding energy use and safety in campus laboratories.

Researched energy pledges used on college and university campuses and brainstormed own ideas.

Participated in conference call with the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus regarding their energy pledge campaign.

Participated in a meeting regarding the UMD edible campus gardens and composed follow-up emails to other meeting participants.

Composed emails regarding Bike-To-School Fest, researched previous event, and researched current event sponsors.

Attended meeting for Bike-To-School Fest.

Planned Bike-to-School Fest with multiple individuals. Various duties included communicating via email and phone, calling local businesses for donations, securing a food permit, contacting various individuals to get supplies, reserving tables and speakers, and preparing print resources.

Communicated and planned via email regarding UMD Energy Pledge, Bike Fest, and Edible Landscapes.

Competency C: Manage human resources

Assisted with organization and instruction of volunteers constructing planters for edible gardens. Also facilitated volunteer sign-up, took pictures, and aided in construction.


Area 6: Serve as a Health Education Resource Person

Competency B: Respond to requests for health information

Sub-competency 1: Identify information sources needed to satisfy a request

Calculated calories burned based on number of reported flights of stairs taken by UMD employees during the March StairWELL challenge.

Competency C: Select resource materials for dissemination

Sub-competency 3: Assemble educational material of value to the health of individuals and community groups

Conducted research on strategies that universities have taken to reduce energy consumption in their labs.

Created PowerPoint slides about sustainable labs, mainly focusing on reducing energy consumption. These slides were incorporated into an existing “Green Your Office” presentation.






Competency D: Establish consultative relationships

Sub-competency 4: Apply networking skills to develop and maintain consultative relationships

Interviewed Duane Long, Lab Services Coordinator of UMD’s Chemical Engineering Department, in order to feature him on the Adding up to Zero blog on the UMD Sustainability web site.

Gained insight into energy use and energy-saving practices in the chemical engineering labs.

Talked to Bruce Reeves in ITSS to develop energy pledge survey.

Contacted businesses for light switch decal quotes.

Various oral and written communication and logistics pertaining to Earth Hour display board.


Area 7: Communicate and Advocate for Health and Health Education

Competency B: Apply a variety of communication methods and techniques

Sub-competency 5: Use appropriate techniques for communicating health education information

Sub-competency 6: Use oral, electronic and written techniques for communicating health education information

Brainstormed, researched, and created designs for light switch stickers using Adobe Illustrator. As a component to the energy pledge campaign, the stickers will serve as a reminder to turn off lights.


Conducted online research of various products such as light switch decals and sidewalk clings to promote energy pledge to UMD students.

Wrote an article about the energy-saving practices of Duane Long for the Adding up to Zero blog on the UMD Sustainability web site. Took a picture to accompany the article I wrote and composed an email to request that it be posted on the Adding up to Zero blog on the UMD Sustainability web site.

Familiarized self with UM Survey.

Assembled data and created a display board using PowerPoint with information regarding Earth Hour.



Designed flier using Adobe Illustrator to promote upcoming bike events. Had posters for April biking events printed and approved, then hung them up around the UMD campus.

Wrote blog post about recycling batteries on the UMD campus and took an accompanying photograph.

Wrote blog posts about UMD energy pledge and edible gardens.

Assembled data and used PowerPoint to create a display panel with information regarding the UMD Energy Pledge.


Represented UMD Sustainability at Spring Sustainability Fair. Provided information to students about UMD Energy Pledge and carbon-equivalent emissions representation. Assisted with set-up and take-down.

Represented UMD Sustainability at UMD Bike to School Fest.

Created blog to document accomplishments for internship final project.


Other

Read through existing files – electronic and hard copy – relating to both sustainability in general and efforts specific to the UMD campus in order to understand the purpose and function of the UMD Office of Sustainability and become familiar with current projects.

Viewed the websites of other universities who are leaders in sustainability.

Attended the showing of Dirt on the UMD campus and assisted in providing information about the edible gardens project.

Final Timesheet

Area 1: Assess Individual and Community Needs for Health Education

Competency A: Access existing health-related data

Sub-competency 4: Select valid sources of information about health needs and interests

Total Hours: 4.5


Area 2: Plan Health Education Strategies, Interventions, and Programs

Competency A: Involve people and organizations in program planning

Sub-competency 3: Obtain commitments from individuals who will be involved

Sub-competency 4: Develop plans for promoting collaborative efforts among health agencies and organizations with mutual interests

Hours: 8

Competency C: Formulate appropriate and measurable program objectives

Sub-competency 1: Design developmentally appropriate interventions

Hours: 1.5 hours

Competency E: Design strategies, interventions, and programs consistent with specified objectives

Hours: 1 hour

Total Hours: 10.5


Area 4: Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health Education

Competency C: Design data collection instruments

Sub-competency 2: Develop appropriate data-gathering instruments

Total Hours: 0.5


Area 5: Administer Health Education Strategies, Interventions, and Programs

Competency A: Exercise organizational leadership

Sub-competency 1: Conduct strategic planning

Hours: 21.25

Competency C: Manage human resources

Hours: 6.5

Total Hours: 27.75


Area 6: Serve as a Health Education Resource Person

Competency B: Respond to requests for health information

Sub-competency 1: Identify information sources needed to satisfy a request

Hours: 0.25

Competency C: Select resource materials for dissemination

Sub-competency 3: Assemble educational material of value to the health of individuals and community groups

Hours: 10.25

Competency D: Establish consultative relationships

Sub-competency 4: Apply networking skills to develop and maintain consultative relationships

Hours: 6.5

Total Hours: 17


Area 7: Communicate and Advocate for Health and Health Education

Competency B: Apply a variety of communication methods and techniques

Sub-competency 5: Use appropriate techniques for communicating health education information

Sub-competency 6: Use oral, electronic and written techniques for communicating health education information

Total Hours: 56.75


Other

Total Hours: 6



Total Hours Completed: 123

Experience at UMD Office of Sustainability

Mission Statement:

The Office of Sustainability and the UMD Campus are committed to communicating, educating, and inspiring action to integrate sustainability into all aspects of campus life.

Sustainability is often defined as “development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Put simply, sustainability is about being responsible with our resources. It is about not using more than our share. It is making sure there is enough, for all, forever.

At UMD, we aim to lower our greenhouse gas emissions through improving operations and empowering individuals to lower their share of the campus carbon footprint. Working together we can Add Up To Zero!

(Mission taken from http://www.d.umn.edu/sustain/)



Internship Objectives:

• Educate UMD community about campus gardens through at least two forms of media (Objective not met: I wrote a blog post, only using one form of media.)
  
• Write at least two blog posts for the "Adding Up to Zero" blog (Objective met: I wrote blog posts about sustainable energy practices of UMD faculty, the UMD energy pledge, recycling batteries on the UMD campus, the campus edible gardens.)
• Develop educational materials regarding energy-saving practices in campus laboratories (Objective met: I conducted research on strategies that universities have taken to reduce energy consumption in their labs. Then I created PowerPoint slides about sustainable labs, mainly focusing on reducing energy consumption. These slides were incorporated into an existing "Green Your Office" presentation.)
  
• Develop promotional and/or educational materials to market the energy pledge campaign to UMD students (Objective met: Wrote a blog post about the UMD energy pledge; assembled data and used PowerPoint to create a display panel with information regarding the UMD Energy Pledge.)
  
• Collect 1,000 online energy pledges from UMD students (Objective not met: As of the end of April, less than 1,000 pledges were collected.)
  

My Biggest Challenge:

The first half of the internship was definitely the hardest part for me. I felt intimidated because it is a small office and I was the newcomer - everyone seemed to know each other well and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fit up to their high standards. Having a low level of supervision was a challenge for me. I wasn't really sure what to do, it was hard to bounce ideas off of others, and I just felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything and I was frustrated with myself. Also, not having a set schedule and knowing what to expect was an adjustment I had to make. This was a good experience for me because it helped me be more flexible and deal with ambiguity in a more positive manner.



If I Could Have Changed One Thing:

The one thing I probably would go back and change if I could is my attitude! I was really lacking in self-confidence for the first half of this semester and I think that if I had had more confidence in my abilities I could have dealt better with the ambiguity and been more proactive. Perhaps I could have created a project that I wanted to work on or been able to jump into other projects more easily. Also, I wish that I would have gotten to know the student worker in the office sooner because she is great and I know I could have learned a lot more from her.



How This Experience Has Impacted My Career:

Overall, this experience has made me more confident that I can survive in the work world. Although I do not know exactly what I want to do for a career, I learned more about the type of environment I like to work in. For example, I loved the people I worked with during my internship and I know having good relationships with co-workers is important to me. I want to work with people who are able to work well in teams, but also pull their own weight. As much as I like to have a set schedule and be able to plan, I now know that I can be flexible, and a variety of duties makes any job more interesting and enjoyable. Also, I increased my communication skills and lowered my level of nervousness that goes along with having to call or email people I have not yet met. Hopefully I will be able to incorporate aspects of environmental health and sustainability into my daily life no matter what sort of career I end up in!