Mallory R. - School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS)

Name: Mallory R.
Major: Environmental Studies
Class: Alumni Internship
Title: Research Assistant Internship
Site: School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS)

What was your role?
2 Credits worth research Seattle's Waste Management procedures through websites and contact with Seattle employees. This information will be applied to Suffolk County's Recycling Commission. 1 credit worth researching Suffolk County past laws and regulations to find the reasons behind Suffolk County's ability to be on the forefront of environmental legislation.

What was the most rewarding aspect of your internship/research experience?
Meeting with professors at Stony Brook for information about my research projects was rewarding. I also was able to learn how to conduct thorough research, not just using the internet and a few books. I visited a few libraries in Suffolk County, as well as met with some very influential people in the formation of what Suffolk County is today.

What is/was one example of a challenge you faced? Why?
The most challenging about this internship was time management. I really think that I almost bit off more than I could chew, but in the end I was able to manage and learned a lot.

How has this experience affected your future plan?
From this internship I realized that effective time management is a must if you are ever really going to accomplish anything worthwhile.

Did you utilize any of the skills you learned from your classes for this experience?
Two classes that I took, ENS 301, ENS312 and ENS333 really came in handy. ENS333 which is environmental law was very helpful to me when I was reading the laws of Suffolk County. I was able to better understand them and find what I was looking for much easier. ENS301 and ENS312 helped me with the waste management side of my research.

What else did you learn? Additional comments?
I cannot stress enough that the most valuable life lesson I learned was time management. I also did learn more about what my interests center around in the environmental field. The internship opened my eyes up to look for particular things of interest in up and coming job searches.