Natural Sciences Beyond the Lab

Our panel exemplifies interdisciplinary and varied internships available in the natural sciences. While none of us were wearing white coats, we were doing meaningful work, research, and outreach within the scientific world. We want to showcase that there is no one right way to have a STEM oriented internship. This summer our work ranged from archival research, planting pollinator fields, accessibility and outreach to the community, international scientific communication and much more.

Moderator: Willie Perrault, Operations Manager for Science Education and Research

Cultivating Connections
Gray Bolduc ’26, Biology & Psychology double major

Natural History at Mount Holyoke
Georgia Swanson ’26, Anthropology & Geology double major/Museums, Archives, and Public History Nexus

Bee the Change
Ireland Young ’25, Environmental Studies major/FMT minor/Developmental Studies Nexus

From Gombe to the Grid: Cataloging Goodall’s Impact
Brooke Rowland ’26, Anthropology Major & Culture, Health, and Science Certificate

Speaker name: Gray Bolduc
Title: Cultivating Connections
This summer, I interned at the Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden (MHCBG), where I gained hands-on experience in the daily maintenance of the gardens, including tasks such as watering, pruning, repotting, and mowing. In addition to these responsibilities, my team and I expanded a previous initiative aimed at making the garden’s spaces and their educational purpose more accessible to the public. We researched various plants and areas within the garden and developed QR codes that link to engaging, informative content, providing visitors with deeper insight into the garden’s design and plant choices. Through this project, I honed valuable skills in research, communication, and teamwork, and I’m proud to see the fruit of our efforts enhancing the visitor experience every time I walk through the MHCBG.

Speaker name: Georgia Swanson
Title: Natural History at Mount Holyoke
Over the summer I conducted research about paleontology at Mount Holyoke College. I worked in the archives, with data, in our drawers and cabinets full of specimens, and curated displays. The most important takeaways from this internship were learning how to work independently and how to navigate academic ‘professionalism’. As a result of this internship, I have more connections and mentors on campus that have already completely changed the trajectory of my last two years at Mount Holyoke.

Speaker name: Ireland Young
Title: Bee the Change
I interned at Bee The Change, a small nonprofit organization based in Middlebury, Vermont. Their mission is simple: Create at least one acre of pollinator habitat in each of Vermont’s 252 cities and towns to help offset carbon emissions and restore native bees. As an environmental studies major, I believed this would be a great way to exercise my academic knowledge in the workplace, and it was. Between May and August, I helped restore ten different fields, remove countless invasive plants, and create promotional videos. In that time I learned skills ranging from bumblebee identification to thistle-pulling to realizing what makes a habitat biodiverse. This last one matters because climate change, pesticides, and disease are accelerating biodiversity loss in the insect world. While Bee The Change might be small, small nonprofits offer the accessibility, practicality, and community engagement needed to make realistic, positive changes for everyone, no matter how small.

Speaker name: Brooke Rowland
Title: From Gombe to the Grid: Cataloging Goodall’s Impact
This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with the Communications & Partnerships team at the Jane Goodall Institute in Washington, D.C. During my internship, I contributed to the development of an expansive internal library cataloging all research papers produced to date because of the Gombe Stream Research Center in Tanzania. This project allowed me to demonstrate Dr. Jane Goodall’s significant contributions to the scientific community through her mentorship and passionate commitment to education—decades after her arrival in Gombe in 1960. With the guidance of my mentor, Shawn Sweeney, I am proud to have played a role in cementing the Gombe Stream Research Center as a vital site for the development of invaluable knowledge, while also helping to preserve Dr. Goodall’s legacy.