UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ten Penn State students have been selected as College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society 2015 Internship Award winners. The award, which includes a $1,000 stipend, was established to encourage students to participate in a credit or noncredit educational internship program that relates to their field of study.
"Internships provide important on-the-job learning and networking opportunities that give students a leg up in today's competitive job market," said Naomi Knaub, the college's director of alumni relations. "The Alumni Society is pleased to provide support and encouragement to students seeking these real-world experiences as we recognize the award winners for their excellent internship performance."
Internship Award winners are chosen on the basis of an internship plan, a final report, an employer evaluation, and a letter of recommendation from their academic advisor. Following are the 2015 recipients:
— Devon Carrol, a turfgrass science major from Thornhurst. A graduate of North Pocono High School, Carrol was a grounds-crew intern for the New York Yankees' Triple A affiliate team, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. She was a game-day groundskeeper, performing tasks such as cleaning dugouts, maintaining the infield and setting up equipment for the team's practices and games. She worked under the head groundskeeper, who taught her baseball field groundskeeping management skills and how to achieve an aesthetically pleasing field.
— Olivia Murphy-Sweet, an agricultural and extension education major from Mechanicsburg. As a research intern for the Center for Engaged Learning Abroad, Murphy-Sweet traveled to Belize, where she conducted research on existing local agricultural youth programs. A graduate of Cumberland Valley High School, she focused on how the 4-H youth development organization can be adapted to fit the Belizean cultural context in order to preserve the indigenous agricultural knowledge of the community.
— Caitlyn Pool, an animal science major from Robesonia. A graduate of Conrad Weiser Area High School, Pool was a member relations intern for Land O'Lakes in Carlisle. She visited dairy farms across the Eastern milkshed to learn about milk inspection protocols and quality controls while inspecting dairy equipment on farms. She used that information to develop a summer-long project in which she compiled standard operating procedures for conducting milk inspections.
— Michelle Hartzell, an animal science major from Slippery Rock. A graduate of Slippery Rock High School, Hartzell was a Division of Neonatology intern at the Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. During her time there, she shadowed attending physicians, observed clinical cases, and read manuscripts from pediatric research journals. She also conducted an individual research project that developed an animal model for apnea of prematurity, a common respiratory disorder seen in 85 percent of premature infants.
— Hannah Lux, an animal science major from Langhorne. A graduate of Neshaminy High School, Lux was a barn technician at Country View Family Farms' New Hope Farm, a sow farm in Franklin County. There, she gained hands-on farming experience in the breeding and farrowing department. She also conducted a formal research project with a fellow intern.
— Miranda Kane, an agricultural and extension education major from Elverson. A graduate of Twin Valley High School, Kane was a summer assistant with Penn State Extension's 4-H program in Chester County. She traveled to 10 sites in Chester County to deliver agricultural education programs for children ages 5 to 15. The programs were designed to be fun and to make the children more connected to the natural world around them.
— Amelia Rogus, an animal science major from Jamison. A graduate of Central Bucks High School East, Rogus, who hopes to become a large-animal veterinarian, interned at the Vista Grande Farms dairy farm in Fleetwood. She gained hands-on experience in all areas of farm maintenance, such as milking twice daily, cleaning out the stalls and monitoring the breeding heifers.
— Carly King, an animal science major from Chagrin Falls, Ohio. A graduate of Gilmour Academy, King was a dairy analysis intern at Witmer's Feed and Grain in Columbiana, Ohio. Over the course of the summer, she traveled to 38 farms in three states to gather data on 4,000 heifers. She then used the data to prepare financial and grain reports on how much a heifer costs a producer throughout the various stages of its life.
— Arianna De Reus, a community, environment, and development major from Hollidaysburg. A graduate of Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School, De Reus interned in the International Student Management Office at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. She provided logistical, educational and administrative support for senior military officers new to the United States. Among other tasks, she organized field-studies trips for the officers and their families to major U.S. cities.
— Elizabeth Palmer, an animal science major from Bernville. A graduate of Tulpehocken High School, Palmer was a laboratory technician at the United States Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. She conducted various research projects and presented her findings with fellow interns from around the country. The research sought to identify and solve various problems prevalent in agriculture.