Ciera Gardner

watermelon drone experiment

My name is Ciera Gardner, I am a Senior at UMES majoring in General Agriculture. My goals for

the semester are to improve my professional skills, time management, and work ethic. I want to

reach these goals in order to provide the best help and support to my current and future

employers. I am working under both Sarah Hirsh and Haley Sater at the Somerset and

Wicomico Extension office. My internship involves doing field work with watermelon, blueberries,

blackberries and other crops. My internship also consists of organizing samples, data taking,

and video editing. Overall, this internship is a great opportunity for me to improve my skills in

agricultural research. The information that I will gain from this internship will also fuel my own

passions for gardening and I will be able to maintain a garden while sharing my knowledge to

other people in of food or a hobby. 

During this week, I worked with two other people and my mentor to map a watermelon field for

our drone study. I weighed and processed biomass samples from nearby farms. I attended my

first weekly connection and afterwards did telework for Sarah. I ended my week viewing the

start of the watermelon drone experiment.

watermelon field