Article by: Jen Young, NGRREC/L&C Marketing and PR, jenryoung@lc.edu
EAST ALTON – The National Great Rivers Research and
Education Center (NGRREC) will highlight the work of its interns
and staff during a special July Neighbor Nights event on Tuesday, July 19,
2022.
Rather than
viewing a presentation, guests will make their way through the Jerry F.
Costello Confluence Field Station to view exhibits and table presentations at
their own pace.
“Our interns
have been working hard this summer to gain knowledge and hands-on experiences
in research, science and ecology,” Director of Environmental Education Sarah
Fisher said. “This Neighbor Nights event is a wonderful way for them to show
off their hard work.”
The event will
run from 6-8 p.m., with a free guided public tour of the Field Station
beginning at 7:15 p.m.
This year’s
intern class has 14 members – six traditional summer interns and eight Research
Experience for Undergraduates (REU) interns. They include local students, as
well as students from across the country. This summer, five Lewis and Clark
Community College (L&C) students are participating in one of the internship
programs.
“This month’s
Neighbor Nights will be particularly fascinating as our interns will present
detailed research that provides data relevant to our community as well as our
daily lives,” Administrative Assistant and REU Program Manger Amy Monroe said.
“Neighbor Nights aims to educate and enrich participants on different topics
about the ecosystem around the Mississippi River by showcasing the valuable
work we do at NGRREC.”
NGRREC interns
represent a number of different colleges and universities, including Lewis and
Clark Community College, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Macalester
College, Florida Southern College, Vassar and more, studying a variety of
fields including environmental science, biology, chemistry, geographical
information systems and more.
NGRREC’s
traditional program is a 9-week paid internship managed by an advisor who is
responsible for the instruction, supervision, and mentoring of the intern, as
well as the design of the summer project. REU interns are supported by the
National Science Foundation (NSF), and their projects focus on a modern
integrative approach to studying wetlands using recent technological and
theoretical developments with a goal of unifying wetland science across scales.
More information is available at www.ngrrec.org/REU .
Visit www.ngrrec.org/Internship/ to find out more about the internship
programs.
For more
information about this event contact Fisher at saafisher@lc.edu or (618) 468-2783.
National
Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC ℠ )
Founded
in 2002 as a collaborative partnership between the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and Lewis and Clark Community College, NGRREC is dedicated to
the study of great river systems and the communities that use them. The center
aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education, and outreach related
to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds, and
their associated communities.