Nicholas Olson

My name is Nicholas Olson and I am a rising senior at the University of Maryland - College Park. I am majoring in Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in Wildlife Ecology and Management. I have always been an outdoorsy person which helped me choose my major; so future generations can appreciate the same resources that I have. I have always loved science and working with my hands, so I thought that environmental science was the perfect way to combine the two. The research project I will be working on this summer is the alternative urban food provisioning networks (AUFPNs) project. We will be looking at ways of food self-provisioning in underserved communities. Urban agriculture has always been a topic that interested me because it shows the evolution of how humans interact with their environment. Along with agriculture, the project includes fishing as a way of acquiring food. Fishing has also been a hobby of mine ever since I was a little kid. These two research topics caught my attention which is one of the reasons I applied.

The first urban farm that we visited in Baltimore City. They grow many different crops such as tomatoes, kale, and white onions. They will soon also be growing peaches, pears, almonds, and elderberries which we helped plant

.

The Inner Harbor where we looked for fishermen to inform about our research project. We also mapped out several other spots to check out for possible participants in our study.

Coming into this internship I did not have a great understanding of what UMD Extension actually was. With the help of my mentor Neith Little, and my other supervisors I have learned that the extension program is very important to local communities. Extension helps people who have little to no experience all the way to professionals with any kind of knowledge that may be required in your career or hobbies even. I feel that by interning with UMD Extension I am helping the community of Baltimore City to provide them with the resources to help them grow foods that create a healthy diet. Certain parts of Baltimore City have been described as a food desert or healthy food priority area which is why our research is necessary. By not having access to healthy foods, people lack a balanced diet which is necessary mainly for developing youth, but also adults. 

The Workforce Development Program run by UMD Extension is shaping me to be an effective member in any professional setting. This will help me as I am graduating soon and will be entering the workforce. I plan to utilize the help of my mentor Neith who is a good resource when it comes to working on research projects, or any other sort of office work. Working as a team on our project helps me understand how to be efficient in communication and working with others. I hope that this internship leaves me with a useful network of connections and teaches me how to carry out successful research.