years, working for WWF (with a staff of over 350 people!) is a new experience. The infrastructure here is solid, and the exposure to different aspects of international conservation work is inspiring. I’ve found that WWF has projects around the world ranging from creating a recycling and solid waste program in the Galapagos Islands, to working with governments on climate change policies, to initiatives in Africa where communities are given the opportunity to reduce poverty while becoming environmental stewards. My internship is with the Conservation Science department of WWF, where I’m working on a Social Science project on a team with two staff members, and two other grad-student interns where we are assessing protected areas in developing countries. As part of a global study, I’m specifically researching protected areas in Africa. All this research is really making me want to go back and explore more of the continent, and I’ve found that my previous time in Eastern and Southern Africa is helping me understand many of the cases I have been researching. I could go on about the research, but I’m trying to keep this relatively short. http://www.worldwildlife.org/
The toughest part of this summer is that Bryan is completing his own internship in Houston, TX. We were both offered positions and opportunities we couldn’t pass up, so we are making our relationship work long-distance for 12 weeks. We fly out to visit one another every 3 weeks and talk all the time, and it’s been working out pretty well so far. Bryan recently flew out to D.C. for the 4th of July (our first Independence Day in the US in years), which we spent at the Capitol
building dancing to a free concert by Aretha Franklin and watching fireworks over Washington Monument. For Bryan’s internship, he is analyzing sedimentary basins for petroleum potential in Nevada for the Hess Corporation. We’re both impressed with how Hess strives to be more environmentally and socially conscious (even though they are an oil company) – they are constructing a new office building which will be a LEED gold certified (green) building! Although
the heat in Houston is intense (109 degrees last week), Bryan is beating the heat by joining a local SCUBA diving club, and has been diving in lakes around Texas. Also this summer he’s written and submitted his research in the Andes from Bolivia into a journal for publication (he had to wait to publish until some Argon-Argon dates came back from the lab, which can take years).
Although it is an adjustment living in DC for the summer without my husband, I’ve been taking the opportunity to explore the city and surrounding landscape whenever I can. I’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring in the Smithsonian museums, walking around the monuments, biking along the verdant trails around Maryland and Virginia, and kayaking on the Potomac River. I’ve also been able to spend a couple days at the Outer Banks in Cape Hatteras National Seashore camping with friends, and gone on some hikes around D.C. The Outer Banks are a really beautiful area I would definitely recommend to visit! I’m already planning another excursion
to North Carolina when Bryan visits in August. My living situation in DC is going well, I found an apartment in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood with my friend Wendy from UCSB (she’s interning with the EPA), and I’m within walking distance of WWF (and a Trader Joe’s). A very convenient location - and not too far from the National Mall or White House either. When my mom visited in June, as we were walking home one evening we saw the Obama family on the White House porch!
After our internships end in September, Bryan and I are planning to take a trip before we return to grad school in Santa Barbara. I have one year left to finish my masters and Bryan is planning to finish his PhD in two more years. Since this is the first summer Bryan and I aren’t abroad in years, and we were both feeling the travel bug, when airline ticket prices dropped in June, we decided to buy tickets and are planning to go to Australia from September 8-22 before grad school starts up September 24. While in Australia, we’re looking forward to SCUBA diving on the Great Barrier Reef and taking in some of the unique geology and wildlife, while exploring the eastern coast of the country. I’ll try to post about OZ and share photos afterward.
