Kaity Deaner

 We are officially halfway through the internship! At the beginning of the week, I worked with our Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Assistant, Tammy Pryor. We went to a few different camps near our office to provide education about MyPlate and the importance of eating the rainbow. Afterward, we made a trail mix with snacks related to the various pieces of MyPlate.

A MyPlate tri-fold brought by Tammy for our education session with a local camp.

This week, I made my way back to College Park along with the other interns for our Campus Residency and Research Tour. The leadership training we received from Myles Alexander and Antonio Silas was incredibly impactful. With Myles, we went through our core values and put some of those to the test with scenarios and hands-on activities. It was interesting to see how all of our values played a role in each activity. With Antonio, we discussed the various forms of leadership that exist and created our own leadership statement. 

These activities were especially helpful for my journey as a leader. It provided me with more of a base for how I want to lead in the future. Understanding my values and how I want to implement them is crucial when it comes to communication, working in teams, and getting results. 

Some of my fellow interns in Emily Woerner's WOW lab after we finished plating our samples. From left to right: Solomon, Cambria, me, Bridget, Ciera, and Shannon.

 In addition to our leadership training, we went through several different research labs that I didn’t know we had on our campus! One of the labs that inspired me most was likely Dr. Stephanie Lansing’s lab. She’s researching ways to turn food waste into energy and creating an app to combat food insecurity by helping companies connect with food banks and pantries. We also went to Emily Woerner’s Water Quality, Outreach, and Wellness (WOW) lab, which looks at different bacterial levels in waterways in the area. We were able to collect water samples from a creek near the lab and see the amount of E. coli. in the water, which was pretty eye-opening. 

A grasshopper from the Insect Zoo lab being held by fellow intern, Mia.

Overall,  I enjoyed the Campus Residency. Being able to meet all of the other interns in person and learn more about my campus was exciting and informative!