The nature of my work as a Sustainability Intern for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC) employed my creative thinking and my desire to work hands on with my interest in public perception about the environment. I designed numerous visual media for park informational signs, collaborating with the PPC’s marketing and communications team as well as BirdSafe Pittsburgh. My work also involved monitoring and maintaining sustainable building operations at the Frick Environmental Center (FEC) in compliance with the Living Building Challenge (LBC) and LEED Certification, and helping organize the PPC’s annual Earth Day event.
My internship was largely focused on the creating activities, educational programs, and visual media for the public. In my coursework through my major, there were very few courses that touched on the interaction of science and the public, focusing mainly on the hard science of climate or water resources. As such, I believe that my internship filled this gap where I practiced how to convey scientific information, such as statistics and sustainability concepts, to the public who may not have the same academic background that I or the staff at FEC does. The courses that I did take for my major that I drew knowledge from were primarily Environmental Ethics, Science and Public Policy, and Society and the Environment, where both factored in aspects of public perception and cooperation. Somewhat profoundly, I realized that I’m just as passionate, if not more, about understanding public behavior and attitudes towards the environment as I am in learning the science behind climate and geology. I have my internship to thank for this self-realization and new perspective on environmental science.