Internship Classes

"Another moment that was great was when I was doing research for a project. I found a book online that was housed in the Smithsonian library at the African Art Museum. Ashley told me I should go check it out and so I went. The feeling of walking through a museum and trying to find the hidden administration offices to find the library was great. It felt like an adventure going to the deep depths of the museum to search for a book that would aid my research. This is a moment that I won’t soon forget!" -Julian Januszka

"Having spent weeks helping to plan and prep for the Strategic Planning Institute, getting to actually attend the Institute itself was incredibly memorable, as I could see all the pieces come together and be put to use. I loved being in a room surrounded by educators with a huge range of backgrounds. I got to stand back and watch all these professionals at work, then also have the opportunity to get to know them all and talk with them, all while seeing marks around the room of the work I'd helped with - whether that was my handwriting on posters, kits on tables I'd helped organize, or slides on the big screen I'd helped design. It was an exciting mix of fulfilling, fascinating, and exciting. I already was strongly committed to pursuing work in STEM education before this summer, but I'm leaving this internship with so much more knowledge, passion, and a sense of readiness than I'd had before." -Maggie Bader

"One of the most memorable parts of my internship (there were a lot, so it's hard to choose) was when I got to go with Hyunju, Claire, and Sonya to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture to do S4 (Smithsonian Science Summer School) activities with kids. We got to work closely with large groups of 4th graders and 1st graders and teach them science activities about electricity and sound. I really loved that I was able to work closely with kids, especially seeing the expressions of awe on their faces when they were doing the lessons. Being able to help kids understand and appreciate science while they were also having tons of fun was just an unforgettable opportunity. Earlier in the summer, I also was able to help Kat train teachers on implementing these very activities in their classrooms, so being able to see kids use those activities that we trained on was incredible." -Sharath Narayan

"In preparation for the Biodiversity SSEAT, I was given the task of gathering articles and doing research about climate change to be used during the UN Climate Change Negotiation Simulation activity. Getting this task was so cool because not only did I feel like I was making a meaningful contribution to the workshop, but I also got to learn SO MUCH about the science behind climate change, even to the point where I'm now considering focusing my chemical engineering degree on environmental engineering. I really enjoyed getting to see teachers during the SSEAT read the climate change articles I had researched and realize how important it is that we do something to slow down climate change. It was so rewarding to see participants get so fired up about empowering students on how we can work together to make a positive impact on the environment." -Sonya Pfitzenmaier