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Beyond Hayden Interns
A Program for and about the Interns!
Under Beyond Hayden, YERC and collaborating partners are bringing together teams of interns three times each year--winter, summer, and fall. Most of the interns come from Montana State University. Many are from Upper Missouri River Basin tribes, with Scott Frazier of Project WET leading the recruitment efforts. All of our interns have special experiences, skills, and enthusiasm to bring to the program, and unique goals they desire to achieve from Beyond Hayden.
Below we highlight the students that have worked under the Beyond Hayden program. We've asked them to present a short bio describing themselves, their background, interests, and goals.
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Ashlee Peery (YERC/MSU Paleoecology Lab). I am a sophomore at Montana State University majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Fish and Wildlife Biology. Thanks to YERC I have successfully been learning about paleoecology and everything that comes along with it. Paleoecology uses data from fossils and subfossils to reconstruct the ecosystems of the past. Much of our data has a big focus on the Holocene and some Pleistocene time periods. As an intern my responsibilities were to help graduate students and Ph.D's with their projects in many ways. I worked specifically with lake core samples for testing of all sorts. I would like to thank YERC for making it possible for me to take part in these critical studies and I can't begin to explain what an eye-opening experience this has been.
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Brandie Buckless (Native Waters/Project Wet). I am a graduating senior student at Montana State University, majoring in Community Health. I grew up on the Flathead Reservation in northwestern Montana and learned about this internship opportunity through a Project Wet workshop done by Scott Frazier at Salish Kootenai College. As an intern my responsibilities included helping to develop culturally sensitive curriculum for teachers, teaching Project Wet lessons to Native American students on my home reservation, and giving feedback on my experiences. Through my internship, I was given the opportunity to not only further my own endeavors of becoming a public educator, but also to give back to my community by educating our younger generations on water quality and health. Overall, I had a very positive experience and would like to thank NASA for this opportunity.
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Hollee Schwingel (YERC). Hollee Schwingel is a senior at the State University of New York College at Brockport, studying Environmental Science & Biology and Recreation & Leisure Studies. She grew up on a small dairy farm in western New York. Hollee is interning with the Expedition: Yellowstone! Program through the Education Office at Yellowstone National Park with funding through a NASA grant in partnership with the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center. She assists with the leading of a residential education program for students in grades 4-8, teaching ecology, geology, and history programs. Upon completion of her internship and degree, she plans to attend graduate school studying outdoor recreation or environmental education.
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Jeanine Moy (YERC summer 2007) has been interested in all things living and ecology since she was a child. She recently completed a BS in Natural Resources, Applied Ecology at Cornell University in Ithaca NY where her endeavors in the realm of environmental studies were varied and widespread. The field crew job with YERC has been an opportunity to further experience ecological research and will serve as a platform for unknown studies/careers down the road. Though the future is undecided, her interests in conservation and ecology will guide her path
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Chris Farmer (YERC summer of 2007). I am a senior Environmental Studies major at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. I visited a friend working for YERC last summer (Sarah Uhl) and I fell in love with the research that YERC does. I have always loved the western mountains and I am very excited to spend a summer in Yellowstone. I am very interested in GIS and remote sensing and I am looking forward to writing a remote sensing based senior thesis with YERC. I enjoy mountaineering, skiing and spending time in the woods. Eventually I hope to attend graduate school for GIS and remote sensing but first I would like to spend some time adventuring.
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Amelia Hagen-Dillon (YERC summer 2007). I am a student at Bates College in Maine Studying Environmental Science. I am currently working on one of the LISN crews. I came to work for YERC to learn more about ways that ecosystems are studied and to experience a new type of ecosystem. In my free time I enjoy exploring mountains, laughing and eating chocolate.
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Allison Giguere (YERC summer 2007). I'm Alli Giguere, a senior Environmental Science student at the University of Maine at Farmington. I was on the LISN crew this summer, gaining experience in the field and exploring new places. I'm unsure of what is next upon graduation, but interning with YERC confirmed my love for working outdoors doing field research. When not working or studying, I enjoy being on a river, mountain or the coast enjoying being outside.
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Sha Brady (YERC & Project Wet). Sha is a junior student at Montana State University, majoring in computer sciences. She is married and a mother of three. Sha attended a prestigious one-week institute course on interdisciplinary approaches to understanding Native American health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, Md two years in a row. Sha grew up on the Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona. She hopes to return to the Navajo reservation and work either for the Indian Health Service or the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the field of health statistics.
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Colby Crouse (TEI summer 2007). I am starting my senior year getting a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries science and a minor in Forestry at Texas A&M University. I was raised in Garland, Texas. For my internship, I am working on Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch doing amphibian distributions and west slope cutthroat trout restoration.
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Caleb Carter (TEI summer 2007). I was born and raised in the growing city of Longview, Texas. I have always grown up hunting and fishing therefore I felt that this career was the way to go and I have not been disappointed yet. With that said, I go to school at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. I am majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Studies which I will graduate with my bachelors and masters degrees in May 2011.
I am using this opportunity in order to gain more experience in the field with a different type of animal. I have been hired to work with finding amphibians and seeing what species can be found in the area. I have never worked with Amphibians before, but the opportunity is at hand and I am looking to learning about the species and trying to find a link between where the amphibians are present and the quality of the water. Every day should be a new adventure as I am in new country with new landscapes and new wildlife. God bless.
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Adam Kumm (TEI summer 2007). Currently attends the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. This small liberal arts school nurtured my appreciation for wildlife. It is there where I am currently working on a bachelor of arts in human ecology. In recent years, I have begun to combine my knowledge of plants and animals with my skills in the visual arts. Using photography in particular I feel that I can explore wildlife conservation with all peoples, without excluding those that are not involved in the academic world.
The Yellowstone Ecological Research Center has helped me along my career path by allowing me to further explore research in the field and learn, in a hands on fashion, about certain amphibian species found in Montana and the pacific-northwest. For me, more time in the field means more time with my subjects. The more I learn about the life sciences, the more I can teach to the public.
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Ashley Mearig (MOSS). Ashley Mearig joins MOSS this fall as a NASA Education Intern, funded through a NASA grant, in partnership with the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center (YERC). Ashely is a freshman at MSU, majoring in Ecology. She grew up in Vicotorville, a small town in Southern California desert. For her internship, Ashley will assist with all aspects of MOSS and will complete a curriculum project that makes good use of her passions in ecology.
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Matt Erickson (YERC). Matt Erickson is a junior engineering major at Washington State University. Matt grew up in Spokane, Washington. He came to YERC hoping to gain a diverse understanding of science and technology. He will have worked on two different projects by the end of his internship. He is currently housed at the YERC field station in Cooke City, Montana and participating on the Canid Ecology project. Matt will begin work in July on a Riparian mapping project.
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Michael Gadsden (YERC). I am a fourth year Environmental Studies major at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. I applied for the Beyond Hayden internship position because I wished to learn more about GPS/GIS technology and to conduct fieldwork in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. I've grown to love this incredible area and it is very important to me that its lands are protected and managed properly. I think that good science is the foundation of good management. I enjoy climbing mountains, catching fish and working as a volunteer ski patroller in the winter. Eventually I hope to attend graduate school for GIS or Earth Sciences, but right now I'm just trying to make the best of my final year of college before my next adventure in life.
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Shawn Gray (YERC).  I am currently attending Montana State University pursuing a degree in Biology, an extended major in Education, and a minor in Chemistry. Growing up in the state of Michigan and spending much of my time with my father in the Upper Peninsula and our occasional trips to Isle Royale I gained a true love and respect for the natural world. When I am not busy with school, work, and my family I enjoy Long distance trekking, and anything that will get me out into the wilderness. After working as a carpenter/woodworker for 10 years I decided it was time for me to change paths. I have always enjoyed working with youth and realize the importance of sharing what I have learned from those who took the time to share their knowledge and experience with me. I originally planned to teach high school biology when I started down this path, but have found that many time trails do not always lead me to my expected destination. Over the past year I have had the privilege to work with the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center. My time spent with YERC has really increased my interest in a greater understanding of the natural world around me and has me eager to learn more.
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Jacyln Hatala (YERC). I am a Senior at Harvard College in Cambridge, MA studying Environmental Science and Public Policy. This past summer I enjoyed having the opportunity to advance my GIS and remote sensing skills through working with remote sensing scientists at YERC. I am currently using hyperspectral data, as well as field data collected this summer with the LISN crew, in my Senior Thesis study of Canada thistle, an invasive plant species in Yellowstone Park. I think that remote sensing and GIS are valuable tools for the study of macroscopic ecological processes, and have exciting futures the fields of biological conservation and land management. I will be studying ecology in graduate school in the near future, and plan to continue my study of remote sensing and GIS. When I’m not reminiscing about the wonderful summer I had in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, I enjoy hiking, kayaking, mentoring and tutoring, cooking, and engaging in environmental activism.
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Nicole Luberda (MOSS). Nicole is currently working on a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies from the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota. She has worked at a Girl Scout camp for the past three summers and has worked at Saint John’s Arboretum, a non-profit environmental education organization, for the past two years. The Montana Outdoor Science School (MOSS) attracted Nicole for the outdoor teaching experiences and the new community of children. During her internship with MOSS Nicole will assist with the development of summer programs including lesson plans and instructional materials. She will also maintain the library inventory and the specimen and teaching material inventories. The lessons and opportunities are parts of the summer she looks forward to experiencing. Nicole was born and raised in central Minnesota. Bozeman and MOSS called her name and proclaimed “adventure, opportunity and change”. She looks forward to hiking the ridges and mountains, cycling, rock climbing and camping around the area.
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James Robertson (YERC). James Robertson is a senior attending The University of Montana and majoring in Geography/GIS. He is currently working on the LISN invasive weed crew. He hopes to learn more about field techniques and data analysis with a GIS while employed with YERC. His career goal is to have a GIS position that allows him to use his computer skills and conduct field research as well. Coming soon--see Jamie's website report on the crew's LISN project from the summer of 2006.
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Amber Bullshoe (PWET). My name is Amber Bullshoe and I am from the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana. I am currently attending Montana State University majoring in Veterinary Medicine with a minor in Wildlife Biology. My goal is to gain as much knowledge as possible at Project Wet so that I may pass it on to educate Native American people and educators around the world. Recently we presented our program to a group of Russian Delegates and it was interesting to experience another culture that believes in keeping our natural resources sacred.
My plans are to graduate from Montana State University and attend graduate studies at Colorado State University. I am a very traditional person and hope to inspire the younger generation into experiencing education of all types. Project WET and Native Waters is my second intern my first intern was with the bio-chemistry department at Montana State University summer of 2005. In the future we plan to introduce Project Wet to reservations around Montana I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experience that I have gained through the Beyond Hayden internship.
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Ronnette Burns (YERC). My name is Ronnette Burns, I am a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe located in Lame Deer, MT. I grew up in both Lame Deer, and Helena, Montana; ultimately graduating high school from St. Labre Catholic School in Ashland, Montana. I transferred to MSU-Bozeman after one year at MSU-Billings. I am currently seeking a degree in engineering, and am hoping to either get into the construction, or chemical aspect of engineering. I am very interested in learning more about the research projects going on at the YERC and I know whatever knowledge gained would be very beneficial to me.
I am currently a GS-3 seasonal with the BIA Fire and Aviation program in Lame Deer. This summer will be my third summer with the program. I spent the past two summers on the fire engine crew, mostly spent patrolling the reservation for fires, and initial attacking wildland fires. I have a little experience with the GPS and GIS systems used, but I would like to learn more, and become more familiar with these.
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Crescentia Cummins (PWET thru 2006 [YERC summer of 2005]). My name is Crescentia Cummins. My hometown is Lodge Grass, MT though I presently live in Bozeman and attend MSU. My interests are in Land Management and GPS/GIS (I am majoring in Land Resources Analysis and Management). Professionally, I would like to start a non-profit organization in the areas of Land Resources and Water quality at Crow Agency, MT. With that organization I hopefully will be able to map the Crow Reservation using GPS/GIS and remote sensing. My fluency in the Crow language will help talk with the elders on what else they would like/dislike about the mapping. I am also member of the Crow Tribe.
What makes me who I am? My three children and my husband are my major influences; the two older kids ask me daily what I have learned from work/school. I have to explain in their level what I have done for the day. My grandmother was a great influence to me--she always encouraged me to go as far as I can with my education.
My goals for Beyond Hayden include working in both research and educators path. The research will help in teaching GPS/GIS to people on reservations in the Missouri River Basin.
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Maria Warnick (YERC [also summer 2006]). I am currently a student at Montana State University, scheduled to graduate May 2006. My degree will be in Geology with an emphasis in Remote Sensing and GIS. On a professional level I would like to work as a field geologist, as I greatly enjoy geologic mapping, incorporating my remote sensing and GIS background into the work. As an intern with YERC I am hoping to gain GIS and GPS experience at a professional level while working in a field that interests me.
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Rodney Williamson (YERC [also summer 2006; PWET Fall 2006]). My name is Rodney J. Williamson Sr. I am Blackfeet from Browning (Two Medicine) Montana. This is my first year at a university. I completed one year of schooling at each Salish Koontenai College and Blackfeet Community College, majoring in Computer Science. I plan to develop a strong language program for the people of my tribe. I want to work very closely with my tribe and contribute to my people in any way that I can. My goal for this internship is to contribute to the well being of our natural resources while developing my computing skills.
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Jason Yale (Dr. Whitlock, MSU [also fall 2006]). My name is Jason Yale. I am currently a first year student at Montana State University. I am working on a Liberal Arts degree with an emphasis on environmental policy. I am from Denver, Colorado and I enjoy participating in many outdoor activities in my spare time. Through this internship my goal is to learn as much as I can about research science and the greater Yellowstone area. After completing my undergraduate studies at MSU I plan seek out a graduate school opportunity.
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Josh Harmsen (YERC). Currently a full time research scientist at zwork included the use advanced of GPS and photo boom techniques to capture highly accurate ground truth of willow cover. This ground truth, in turn, was used to determine % willow cover, and--following several GIS steps--to correlate that data to 15m ASTER imagery (multispectral, remotely sensed, NASA data). With this correlation, ASTER imagery was employed to create a map of willow coverage for the entire Northern Range of the Yellowstone National Park.
Growing up in rural New York, Josh went on to complete a B.A. in Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College with academic concentrations in the geospatial sciences, sustainable development, and Native American Studies. As a research scientist he primarily works with remotely sensed imagery and Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) to study invasive and riparian plant species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
In the fall of 2006, Josh will begin his doctoral candidacy in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management at the University of California-Berkeley with the fellowship support of YERC. In the future he hopes to found his own non-profit research center to study climate change and resource sustainability in developing nations. In his free time Josh enjoys playing outside with boats, fly rods, hiking boots, bikes, skis, and when near the ocean, snorkeling gear.
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Todd Lushin (YERC). My name is Todd Lushin. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center since February of 2005; first as a work-study student, and now as an intern with the Beyond Hayden project. I have spent most of my life in the Midwest. After graduating High School in Cleveland, I achieved a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Miami University with a Minor in Spanish. I have lived in Bozeman, Montana for nearly four years now. It seemed impossible to be surrounded by such natural beauty and not pursue a better understanding of it. I am currently wrapping up the necessary undergraduate courses before applying to Montana State University’s graduate school in the spring of 2006 where I hope to complete a Master’s degree in Ecology with a focus on computational applications. With that degree, I hope to continue ecology research throughout the western United States.
When I’m not studying, I spend as much time possible rock climbing, ice climbing, skiing, and trail running (but I’ll gladly take part in any activity which allows me to be outdoors). Having lived in such close proximity to Yellowstone National Park, I have spent a great deal of time enjoying the seemingly unending diversity of flora and fauna within the park boundary. To have the opportunity to involve myself in any project that aims to expand the public’s understanding of watersheds in America’s first national park is a tremendous honor.
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Scott Abrams (MOSS). Scott has served as the NASA Intern at Montana Outdoor Science School for the winter of 2005/06. As a NASA/MOSS intern, Scott works at a variety of levels throughout the organization and on several programs. A goal of the internship is to provide an overview of the complete workings of an educational non-profit, in addition to developing an in-depth understanding of science education outreach through the MOSS Ways of the West Program.
Scott began the internship with a dozen years of experience in wilderness travel and navigation, seeking to supplement his background with formal training in environmental and science education. Though lacking a formal science education, the themes and elements pertaining to natural science learning run concurrently to his own wilderness preservation and sustainable backcountry use practices. As part of Scott’s internship training and experience, he is studying classroom resources prior to the two after school programs he is involved in to augment his knowledge of science education and specifically the MOSS curriculum. He has discovered that he needs to allow adequate time from his other duties, which include supporting on going programs by working in the office, shadowing current field programs, Leave No Trace curriculum development, and training for the Ways of the West School Outreach Program.
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