PMMC Interns |
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2010 PMMC Internship Program If you are interested in becoming an intern, please look at our internship pages. If you are interested in our Internship program as either participating in or becoming a partner with your internship program, please contact us. The PMMC internship program is sponsored by a generous grant from Cruise West. 2010 Interns Nicole Goldsmith
Hello! My name is Nicole Goldsmith and I am from Williamstown, New Jersey. Right now I am attending Delaware Valley College in Pennsylvania for Zoo Science. My future goal is a career that involves working with wildlife, whether it is a zookeeper, wildlife researcher, or veterinarian. Hopefully, interning at PMMC will help me figure out which path I want to follow. I have always had a love for animals, especially marine mammals. In middle school and high school I volunteered at the Philadelphia Zoo, interpreting the animal exhibits, and teaching the importance of conservation to visitors. Last year I also volunteered at a wildlife refuge near my home, caring for injured or abandoned wildlife. I loved both of these things, teaching people about the importance of wild animals, and doing hands-on animal care. I also have been involved with the Wildlife Society club at my college. During summers in New Jersey I spent a lot of time down the shore, looking out at the water for dolphins. I am always trying to gain more knowledge about marine animals. A few years ago I vacationed with my family in South-East Alaska. I fell in love with the state. I made a resolution to one day to do some kind of work in Alaska. During my first year of college I applied for the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center, and when I found out that I had received the internship I was ecstatic. It is my first time to Petersburg, and it has been great so far. Everyone is so nice, and the scenery is amazing. I can’t wait to explore all the beautiful places here, and to learn more about the native marine mammals. Ellen Bamberger
I grew up and currently live in Spokane, Washington. I am a Junior at Gonzaga University in Spokane, majoring in Environmental Science. I have always loved marine wildlife and mammals especially Seals and Sea Lions. I would like to pursue a career in wildlife conservation and specifically focus on marine wildlife habitats. I have previously interned and worked for a conservation center in Spokane, Washington, researching the impacts of climate change in the Pacific Northwest, and creating information posters and pamphlets for local ski resorts and local sustainability campaigns. I was also able to do some research into the effects of climate change on Arctic wildlife. For fun I love to do just about anything outdoors. Specifically, I love rock climbing, hiking, camping, kayaking, and skiing. I also enjoy working with children. I think that education is the most important tool in wildlife conservation because it can help people learn to care about the environment around them and teach them what they can do to have a positive impact. This is my first trip to Alaska, and I am really enjoying it! Petersburg is a beautiful and friendly town. 2009 Intern Carolyn Lenhart
My name is Carolyn Lenhart. I am currently a student at SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island, NY. For the past three years I have called Juneau, Alaska home. After working for a whale watching company for two years in Juneau, I decided to see more of Southeast Alaska. In the fall I will be going back to New York to finish my last year of my degree in Biology with a focus in Ecology and Evolution. I consider myself one of the few people who decided early in life their field. As early as the age of seven, I knew I wanted to be a biologist. At the time I thought I wanted to use it to work at Sea World. Some things have changed since then. However, my love for biology has not. In grade six I attended the Young Women’s Science Institute camp at Ohio State University. Attending this camp made me sure that biology was what I wanted to do forever. I decided to join the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center after learning that they focused in education. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity in grade school to learn more about science outside of the classroom and I would like to pass on that opportunity to others. The Petersburg Marine Mammal center has given me that opportunity. Throughout school I have continued to get involved in the field of biology. One way has been to get involved in local community environmental programs. Recently I worked with a local park on Long Island to protect the praying mantis population by removing the egg cases before the meadows were mowed and then placing them back into the wild. Some past projects I have worked on with my university have included a research project in Jamaica, which studied the marine ecology with regards to the feeding habits of the green spiny sea urchin. One of my current projects is being completed in Southeast Alaska. I am currently working with Dr. Bell at SUNY Stony Brook to genetically compare Sticklebacks out of Auke Lake in Juneau, Alaska to the same species in lakes found near Anchorage and Wasilla. This summer I have been spending some time back in Juneau to trap the Sticklebacks in order to take them back to New York. I have had the opportunity to learn about the ecology of the Midwest, the Atlantic and the Pacific, both through school and living. I have now lived on the Great Lakes and the two different ocean coasts. Southeast Alaska is certainly one of the most interesting places that I have lived and I am proud to call it home. 2008 Interns
Edith Carson Hello! My name is Edith, and I am from Chelsea, Massachusetts. When I was in the sixth grade, I fell in love with marine mammals, and knew that I wanted to become a marine biologist. I started by volunteering at the New England Aquarium in Boston. I later received my Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Connecticut in 2006. While at UCONN, I became co-president of the Native American Cultural Society and organized my very first powwow! I also did an internship studying sulfide oxidizing bacteria in the marine microbiology lab. During the past few summers, I have recently worked for Project Oceanology in Groton, Connecticut and a whale watching company called Massachusetts Bay Lines in Boston, Massachusetts. Right now I am working on receiving my Professional Master of Science degree in marine biology from Northeastern University’s Three Seas Program. This past year I have had the wonderful opportunity of studying ocean processes and organisms in Massachusetts, French Polynesia and in California with amazing fellow researchers. While in Tahiti I did an independent research project looking at the differences in mantle coloration of the small giant clams in Moorea. I am still not entirely sure what I want to do for a future career, but I know that I definitely want to work towards conservation and management. On my spare time I enjoy SCUBA diving, snorkeling, swimming, reading fiction novels, kayaking, hiking, camping and doing arts and crafts such as making dream catchers. I absolutely love to travel. So far I have been to Italy, Spain, Morocco, Canada, the Bahamas, Tahiti and New Zealand. This is my first time in Alaska, and I am really enjoying living in the small town of Petersburg. Everyone is very friendly and the scenery and wildlife are absolutely beautiful. So far I have enjoyed kayaking among the Steller sea lions and spotting a black bear while Hilary and I were hiking one of the trails! It has already been an incredible summer, and I will look forward to meeting new people and learning more about the marine mammals in Southeast Alaska.
Hilary Shoop I grew up in north Texas in a suburb of Fort Worth. I don’t know how I lived so far from the ocean for so long! I am now a senior at Texas A & M University in Galveston. I plan to get my Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology in December 2008. After I get my Bachelor’s, I plan on taking a year off to gain more experience before I go to grad school. I would really like to end up researching marine mammals in the field someday. I love animals, reading, sailing, exploring nature, traveling, watching movies, cooking vegetarian food, and spending time with my friends, family, and boyfriend. When I’m in school, I am a member of the Varsity Sailing Team and the vice president of the biological honors society on campus known as Tri-Beta. This is my third summer internship, and 4th overall. In 2006, I was an intern with another nonprofit organization called the Blue Ocean Society, located in New Hampshire, where I worked on whale watch boats collecting data and educating passengers. Last summer I was the Senior Research Intern at the Dallas Zoo, studying bird perching in an interactive aviary. Last semester at my university, I worked for my professor, the renowned Dr. Wursig, digitizing his photo library (focusing on Spinner Dolphin photos). This is my first trip to Alaska and so far the people and the scenery are wonderful! (I wouldn’t mind if it was a little warmer and drier though). 2006 Interns
Lindsay Mathis Lindsay has loved the ocean and water activities for as long as she can remember. She began swimming competitively at the age of 7 and continued to swim year-round for 14 years. She also goes snorkeling, kayaking, and surfing when given the opportunity. She loves to travel, especially to places near the ocean, where she can go swimming and explore the marine life. Lindsay also enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and horse-back riding. She loves to have fun and try new things. This is Lindsay’s third trip to Petersburg, AK. Her favorite things to do here are boating and fishing. She also likes to go hiking, camping, and biking. She is excited to have a fun-filled summer here in Petersburg and to meet a lot of new people. Ricky Duene Davis I enjoy hiking, fishing, camping and generally anything that has to do with the outdoors. I love nature photography. I am also involved with the Milpitas Camera Club and the Historical Society of Milpitas. I have made personal appearances as the “Milpitas Monster” in parades and special events. The Milpitas Monster is a 1970’s sci-fi movie produced by the Milpitas High photography class. I've been interested in marine mammals since the arrival of Humphrey the humpback whale to the Delta and San Francisco bay area in 1992. Interestingly enough the arrival of the humpback whales Delta and Dawn, to the delta and the San Francisco bay area was two weeks or so before I left for my summer internship at the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center, and they returned to the ocean the day after we left the bay area for Alaska. I have always lived in the San Francisco bay area and always wanted to live in a small community, that is one of the reasons I was so excited about this internship. The population of Petersburg is smaller than the population of my High School in Milpitas. My life has been filled with many people and experiences that have made me who I am today. I hope to expand these experiences during my summer in Petersburg. Eric Brewer Eric’s interest of the marine environment came from a scuba diving class he took at West Valley College. This class exposed him to the various species that can be found underwater in California’s Monterey Bay. Fascinated by the underwater life, his passion led him to Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, California where he completed his first successful internship. Needing to complete a second internship, Eric was very excited to have the opportunity to travel to Alaska and work at the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center. Here he is looking to expand his knowledge of marine habitats in Southeast Alaska and its inhabitants. In his spare time Eric enjoys fishing, hunting, prospecting, and being with family and friends. He plans on returning to West Valley College as a part time student to study Arc GIS, GPS, map making, and advanced scuba diving. Eric will be celebrating his birthday here in Petersburg on July 7th. When asked what he would like to do that day he simply replied, “Fish!” 2006 Interns
Janelle Taggart I am a student at West Valley College in Saratoga, California, majoring in Park Management. After graduating in Spring 2007, my dream job will be becoming a Park Ranger anywhere throughout the northern West Coast of the U.S. I also plan on furthering my education by going on to get my bachelor’s degree in Enviromental Science and master’s in Forestry. When the opportunity arose for me to come up to Southeast Alaska and spend the summer at the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center, I jumped. I left family and friends for 9 weeks and came up here for an experience of a lifetime, and it had been exactly that. I have a passion for nature, whether it be the forest, moutains, beach, desert or ocean, and enjoy being able to teach others about these areas. Since I was a child I remember heading out into the woods and hiking around with my family. This sparked an interest in nature that later would result in my interest in not only teaching about nature but protecting and conserving nature for future generations to enjoy. I feel at peace when surrounded by the natural beauty we have here on earth and I want to share that with anyone who is interested.
Kathleen Jones Kathleen, who prefers to be addressed as “Your Majesty,” is in the middle of yet another career change, this time from high tech to park management. She earned an A.S. in Park Management from West Valley College in Saratoga, California in May of 2006. A weeklong tour through Southeast Alaska in 2005 (not on one of those big cruise ships) gave her an abiding appreciation for the area. When the chance to spend the summer as an intern in Petersburg arose, she couldn’t pass it up even though it meant more school work. Her humble demeanor was developed during her formative years spent in New York. After receiving a B.A. in philosophy from Bucknell University about a hundred years ago, she started working life as a ski bum in Vermont. Other experiences included receptionist / sports reporter / paste-up artist / circulation manager for a weekly newspaper, typesetter, graphic artist, production manager, purchasing agent, software manager, office temp, improv comedian and technical writer. In the middle of all that Kathleen retired twice: once to travel for 18 months through Europe and Africa, and again to sit down and write. Somehow all of that experience, while not obviously related to marine mammals, taught her transferrable skills that stood her in good stead while working at the Center. She lives with her partner BJ in Mountain View, California and works for Palo Alto Open Space as something called an Open Space Technician. She is in the process of applying for ranger positions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kathleen expects that for the rest of her life she will manage to work in references to marine mammals, Petersburg, and the PMMC in all her ranger talks, no matter the topic, because her time in Petersburg was such a wonderful experience. Summer 2005 Interns
Erin Schwartz A graduate of Petersburg High School, Erin has lived in the Petersburg area all of her life. It was in high school that the teachers and beautiful surrounding area perked her interest in biology. After fulfilling her undergraduate degree in Biology/Chemistry at the University of Redlands, she finds herself back in her home town of Petersburg for the summer interning at the PMMC before heading back down to continue her education in biochemistry at the University of California Davis. “Growing up in Petersburg has given me a unique opportunity to observe marine mammal activity in Frederick Sound. Ever since I was very young I have enjoyed their presence here and wished to learn more about the marine mammals that inhabit the surrounding waters. After graduating from the University of Redlands I decided to apply as an intern at the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center to see if I could get more involved in the study of these amazing creatures. It has been a wonderful experience to get to know the researchers, their research, learn more about marine mammals (as my known facts on the area before my internship was not very in depth), and to actually go out there on the boats and see the surface activity for myself. The people I have come in contact with and what they do for the local wildlife is amazing. I intend to support their efforts in the future in any way that I can.
Kiana Kegel |
