Melinda Martinez
Hello, my name is Melinda Martinez. I am affiliated with college nine. I am currently in my second year going into my third! My major is Earth Science with a concentration in Ocean Sciences.
This summer I will be working with the Sustainable System Research Foundation. I will mainly be focused on utilizing GIS throughout my internship and learning more about sustainability practices.
I am not certain about careers but I am interested in careers involving: environmental geology consulting, coastal geology, and climate change research.
My goals for the summer include improving my technical writing skills and ability to communicate and collaborate with others. I also want to expand my knowledge of careers in different settings such as non profits and within government.
What have you learned in your internship so far? (week 3 update)
I’ve greatly enjoyed my experience so far at sustainable systems research foundation. There’s been events for interns to attend such as farm visits, a movie night, and our whole intern weekly meeting with advice about project management. The work environment is very inviting especially since I am still learning how to present myself in a professional setting. I’ve been able to present my updates during our weekly meetings and provide my own input on the Accessory dwelling unit project. While working on this project I have strengthened my analysis skills working through data on excel. With over 160,000 rows of data on excel it is vital to filter through the data and pinpoint the optimal residences for the project. Eventually the final stage will have a completely filtered data set converted into a useful map utilizing ArcGIS. I have also worked on my communication skills by reaching out to Santa Cruz’ planning and assessor’s offices. Most prominent is the continued practice of research skills. Prior to this internship I was not aware of ADU’s and had no personal exposure to homeownership. A large part of my first few days included reading and researching about ADU’s and property taxes. Now my tasks will be to continue working on the data and learning how to assist the GIS manager of the project. Another interaction we have just begun delving into is the added contribution of another person to our weekly meetings who hopes to also expand ADU’s in San Mateo County.
How will attending AGU advance your academic and career goals?
Hearing about the AGU meeting was very surprising, it was delightful to hear we would be able to participate in such an amazing opportunity. Attending AGU would be such an awe-inspiring opportunity unlike anything I’ve ever been exposed to. Pertaining to my career goals, by attending AGU I hope to further my exposure to the earth sciences beyond the academic realm. I would like to take advantage of is being able to speak to others one on one about their careers. While I remain broad in my career aspirations within earth science I would enjoy speaking to and learning just how niche earth science can be. I’d also appreciate learning about various projects, professions, and see what research is being done currently. and being exposed to new perspectives and ideas.
In addition, being able to witness people who have more experience in presenting and public speaking will be a great way to gain confidence in something I find quite daunting. I respect public speaking is an important skill and being able to encounter it through earth scientists would be inspiring. The prospect of presenting about my own experience is very practical for an academic career. With the introduction of online classes, it’s been less and less feasible. With this opportunity through AGU I will learn through experience which is most beneficial when honing desirable skills.