Thank you to our interns and fellows for all their hard work with PEWS this past year! Our sustainability fellows, and web and social media coordinator each reflect on their experiences working with PEWS below. We look forward to seeing what is next for everyone!
Sustainability Fellows
By Hans Naake
My experience as a graduate sustainability intern with PEWS over the past year has been rewarding and engaging. I first became involved with PEWS by participating in a science outreach initiative called Science Harvest that brings hands on science activities to public events. As a PEWS fellow, I not only continued to participate in Science Harvest, but also took on responsibilities such as planning and leading activities. Moreover, with the support of PEWS, I helped contribute to the longevity of Science Harvest by archiving directions for activities, ensuring future organizers could replicate or improve successful demonstrations.
One of the primary duties of my role was writing PEWS news articles and communications for the mailing list. Such tasks challenged me to improve my writing and communication skills where I had to research and communicate a broad range of scientific topics from semiconductors to abandoned oil wells. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to conduct interviews with PEWS affiliates and community partners, witnessing firsthand the diverse perspectives that contribute to the sustainability discourse. It was also fulfilling to see the turn out to events that I was a part of organizing and promoting.
My involvement with PEWS inspired me to participate in the two-day PEWS Sharing Science workshop and the semester long PEWS Engaging Science seminar, both of which I found to be invaluable experiences. While the hands-on experience I gained during my fellowship helped to develop my public engagement skills, the courses helped me hone those skills and understand the philosophy and science behind them. Together these learning opportunities combined to build something greater than the sum of their parts.
I successfully defended my thesis for my Master of Science degree in Geoscience during the course of my involvement with PEWS. I am currently seeking employment in the Environmental Science and Geology fields and hope to find a role where I can continue to use and build upon the public engagement and communication skills I have gained while working with UC PEWS.
Sustainability Fellows continued
By Emily Pietrantone
I came to the University of Cincinnati in 2017 to complete a degree in Civil Engineering. I quickly realized I was in the wrong degree and fell into Urban Planning. I took a leap of faith and have loved it ever since. I completed my Bachelor’s of Urban Planning through the combined Bachelor’s and Master’s program last year. The University of Cincinnati’s co-op program drew me, like many others, in. Additionally, the programs that allowed for accelerated Masters degrees appealed to me, as I wanted to be the first in my family to get a Masters degree. I had a sneaky suspicion that I might change my major and knowing that I could change majors or even colleges without changing universities was very appealing. As a Cleveland native, I also came to the University of Cincinnati to maintain in-state tuition while still getting the new experiences that come from moving four hours away from home.
The past year with University of Cincinnati’s Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) has been amazing. I found PEWS by accident while searching for graduate assistantships and am sad to have not found it sooner. As a graduate assistant/fellow, I worked on various projects from flyer design to sustainability-related research. As a DAAP student, I was happy to provide support with flyer design. This challenged me to use my graphic skills in new ways and made me much more comfortable with the professional communication style of graphics. Additionally, I got to work with a variety of faculty members to help further research and publish their successes in PEWS News. I loved the opportunity to learn about real world issues and projects related to public engagement with science.
At the end of my time with PEWS I finished my capstone and graduated with my Master’s of Community Planning with a focus on Community and Economic Development. Additionally, I completed my graduate certificate in Geographic Information Science. Post-graduation, I moved to Columbus to join Kimley-Horn as a Transportation Planning Analyst. I am excited to further my public engagement skills I developed while with PEWS and look forward to what the future has to offer.
Web & Social Media Coordinator
By Sushma Vangaveeti
I joined the University of Cincinnati in January 2023 for my master’s in Information Technology at the School of IT (SoIT) in CECH. During the summer of 2023, I worked as a Graduate Assistant for Engagement in SoIT. Following that internship, I looked for similar positions on campus and found an exciting opportunity at PEWS. I immediately applied and became a Graduate Assistant – Web & Social Media Coordinator for PEWS.
In my role as Web & Social Media Coordinator at PEWS, I primarily published PEWS News posts and managed PEWS’s social media accounts. This year, I continued to produce a monthly news post called the Cincinnati Science Roundup, curating events and news related to Sustainability, Science Communication, and various PEWS-related information from our collaborators and community partners in Greater Cincinnati. I gather the information about the events and news, and then edit, and publish them. I was also involved in editing a Q&A video featuring PEWS leaders, in which they provide a glimpse into the world of PEWS and encourage people to get involved.
Through these tasks, I was able to understand- how social media can be used as a platform to communicate science with the masses, how PEWS helps the public engage in research and learn scientific knowledge at various levels, and the unique approach to research in the US, which is quite different from what I studied in my home country. I’m excited to graduate from UC this semester and share some of these experiences with my fellow students in India.
