By Emily Brown and Amy Zvonar
Earlier this summer, you met AWW’s 2025 Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) intern, Emily Brown (read Meet Emily Brown here). Emily accomplished numerous projects for Alabama Water Watch this summer, from gathering workshop supplies to helping design educational materials. She also captured many of the beautiful photos we shared on social media and through our blogs! We are extremely grateful for Emily’s dedication to our mission and her willingness to support our outreach programs.
Read on to find out what Emily had to say about her internship experience with Alabama Water Watch and the impact it had on her educational and career path:
Spending my 10-week internship with Alabama Water Watch (AWW) provided me with invaluable hands-on experience in environmental education, program development, and outreach/community engagement. My internship also shifted my understanding of what it means to serve communities through science and outreach and possibly changed my original career goal from marine animal research to one about educational outreach.
During my internship, I worked closely with my mentor, Mona Dominguez, and the rest of the dedicated AWW team. With their guidance I gained practical, creative, and networking/ communication skills that I will carry with me throughout my career. From getting certified in water quality monitoring to designing educational materials, each task gave me a deeper understanding of the real-world applications of watershed stewardship and environmental science.
One of my primary goals going into this internship was to build my skills in water quality monitoring and public outreach, and I accomplished this through participation in AWW trainings and events. I earned certifications in Water Chemistry, Bacteriological, and Stream Biomonitoring.
I was able to quickly apply those skills in real-world settings, by helping teach the campers at Auburn’s Fish Camp and the educators that attended the FARM Professional Development program sessions for water chemistry and stream biomonitoring. These experiences not only improved my scientific communication abilities but also gave me confidence in public speaking and educational leadership.
My main project was to create a new in-class activity to be used by the 4-H AWW Program and future educators who want to teach water chemistry and stream biomonitoring. I chose to make a detective case-themed worksheet where students would investigate why the caddisfly, Casey Netterson, suddenly disappeared from her home after a bad storm, using clues and background knowledge to conclude who is behind the crime. This activity was developed entirely from scratch to be both educational and entertaining and aligns with AWW’s goal of fostering an interest in environmental management among the younger generations. I also filmed, scripted, directed, and edited demonstration videos for two AWW educational activities, Create-A-Critter and Why Test Water. These videos will make it easier for educators to understand and implement AWW’s activities in their classrooms, increasing the reach and effectiveness of the AWW program. Completing these videos was very rewarding for me, especially since I had never edited videos or done voiceover work before!
I engaged in various other activities throughout my internship, from creating an ice-breaker activity for AWW’s Annual Meeting to digitizing Water Watch data, and I am proud of all that I was able to accomplish.
This summer, I was consistently reminded of how important and rewarding it is to be part of a mission-driven team. I am grateful to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Alabama Water Watch for investing in my growth and helping me become a more skilled, informed, and inspired student and future professional.
