Ciera Gardner

Picture of me standing in front of a giant pile of oyster shells, taken by Abi Anderson

I am at week four of my internship which is progressing nicely! During this week I attended my weekly connection on Monday where me and a few other interns led a discussion about how great leaders inspire action. The next day, I sprayed pesticides and did some weeding with Emily Zobel. 

One major thing I focused on during this week was researching and planning for a taste panel involving blackberries. The research involved me typing survey questions and researching what materials would be needed. It was a great experience for me because I will be able to conduct a taste panel of my own for my homegrown fruits and vegetables one day. Another major thing I focused on was processing bio samples. My mentors (Haley Sater and Sarah Hirsh) and I have to place our bio samples in the dryer for 24 hours before weighing them and sending them to a testing lab. To clarify, bio samples are basically plant matter collected at a particular location at a specific point in the location owned by a farmer for the purpose of determining various outcomes such as comparing yields from no till fields and tilled fields. 

I really enjoyed the end of my week because I was able to meet with some of the interns during the MACAA Conference. On the first day of the conference, I drove to Ocean City and participated in a small breakout session which allowed UMD educators to brainstorm on efficient methods to teach people. I loved how easy it was for me to participate and contribute to my group's opinions even though I am not an educator. I plan on utilizing some of the methods I’ve learned if I ever find myself teaching to curious minds. The second day of the conference included a tour of Deal Island and around Manokin River and an aquaculture tour at MeTompkin Seafood in Crisfield, MD. After the tours we had a fun picnic in which I enjoyed dinner as well as the playground with some of my fellow interns. Some activities I did were flying my kite, going on a seesaw and swinging. My advice to everyone is to definitely let your inner child out to have fun! 

Me and other interns on the swing during the picnic, taken by Mikaela Seltzer on 6/13

When considering the career readiness theme, “communication”, I can recall various times during my week where I communicated with my Ag mentor (Haley) to ensure the biomass samples were progressing swiftly and my blackberry taste panel survey was accurate. I communicated through email, messages and in-person to complete all my tasks. I feel that my delivery methods were effective because I always received feedback and a clear answer on how I should operate moving forward. I also like to think that I at least alleviated some pressure from her by completing these simple tasks with minimal dependency. 

Thanks for Reading!

breakfast spread at the Hilton in Ocean City for MACAA conference, taken by Ciera on 6/12.