A benefit of working in a small firm, such as SMG, is that you are able to work on a variety of projects that require different focuses and analysis rather than only working within one specialized area. This week made me nostalgic of my liberal arts education, because it ranged from phone interviews, to nitrogen cycle research, to going to the library to research Sanborn fire insurance maps, to preparing water sampling bottles; each pulling from my different skills sets!
This week I also sat in on an Environmental Data Resources (EDR) meeting and learned more about the programs available to the company. Scott Smith and Shri Vani Sripada also invited me to sit in on their meeting concerning an impaired watershed and the different processes involved in remediating the stream. Walking out of that meeting I had a better awareness of what kind of questions arise when looking at the water sampling procedures, and a “to-do list” that consisted of research and creating a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
I really enjoyed the variety of projects I worked on this week; they kept me on my toes and really got the wheels turning in my head!