The program I have been working with during my AmeriCorps VISTA term, Mentors in the Making, was recognized as “Most Innovative Maker-Centered Learning Program of the Year” by US2020, a program of Citizen Schools.

I am excited to share my first publication in a scientific journal, “Georeferencing for Research Use (GRU): An integrated geospatial training paradigm for biocollections researchers and data providers.” This article came from an idea at an iDigBio workshop on georeferencing collection materials, and describes best practices and topics covered by the workshop so everyone will be able to learn about it.

The National Climate Assessment is a collaborative effort by over a dozen government agencies in coordination with the White House to identify and describe the impact of climate change to the nation. I worked in the USGCRP office this past summer through the Truman Scholarship program and was able to be a contributor as the report was finalized for publication. It was a great experience to see how multiple agencies work together on large, comprehensive reports and gave me an appreciation for that process. The report is available as a large PDF, but interestingly it was primarly written as bite sized chapters made available as interactive websites and the authors expect most people to read the report in this format instead of more traditional paper copies.

The Center for Scholar Development encourages and supports students who seek to expand their horizons and reach for something bigger. We also hope students will reflect on why they do the things they do, about the choices that they make and the things that matter to them. The Fellowships Graduation Award recognizes a graduating Honors Program student who has contributed to this way of thinking and the broader fellowships culture at Drexel.

I was highlighted in the Drexel Magazine for their recurring piece about student co-op experiences. I brought my computer and notebook for “show and tell” to talk about my time as an intern for the National Oceanic and Air Administration last summer. You can read the whole interview at the source below.

This Valentines Day I was again honored to be invited to the annual mixer by the Center for Scholar Development at Drexel University. It was a great opportunity to meet other students that had applied to fellowships and to speak with the Provost about the importance of these scholarships for my education so far.