WISE Interns Gain Work Experience in Environmental Education
This semester, two former inters with The Bio/Diversity Project are participating in paid internships at Saguaro National Park made possible by a partnership between WISE and the Park. Interns Adalee Martinez and Natalie Thompson are working as part of the national park's education team. In this role they help educate students about the conservation practices of National Parks and about the native plants and animals that live in the Sonoran Desert. The mission of the park is to expose students to the diversity of life that exists right here in the area we live and educate students on the importance of protecting these natural sites and resources.
Adalee and Natalie have the opportunity to lead visiting K-12 students through many different programs including, a Biodiversity Survey on native Sonoran plants, a Lost Carnivores program that discusses the 5 endangered species in the desert and a Hohokam Life program that brings awareness of the indigenous tribe that existed in Tucson. Programs can either be scientific or historical based; in the science-based programs, students get the chance to lead their own scientific study by going out into the field and using several different scientific tools to document data on the biodiversity in the Sonoran Desert. Younger students love this experience because they go out into the desert to gain hands on experience in the outdoors and they learn something new that’s outside of their classroom curriculum.
Adalee and Natalie's work at the Park further's the mission of The Bio/Diversity Project to diversify the environmental sciences. They both act as positive science role models for visiting K-12 students, while also gaining work experience in the environmental sciences that will help them succeed along their educational and career paths. The Bio/Diversity Project is currently made possible by the UA Green Fund. To learn more about The Bio/Diversity Project visit: http://wise.arizona.edu/the-biodiversity-project