In the spring of 2015, I was introduced to communications director Jill Gambill through a professor of mine. I immediately became very interested in the projects that UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant were doing, as well as Jill’s role in them.
Later in the year, Jill offered me the opportunity to become involved with the communications department of Georgia Sea Grant through an internship. This fall, I have learned from Jill and other members of the communications department the ins and outs of how to bridge the gap between Georgia Sea Grant, reporters and the public.
Even though I come from a more scientific background, I have always been interested in the public relations side of environmental work. Of course, scientists understand the basic impacts on a community from reoccurring flooding, but much of the public may not.
In my role in the communications department, I have learned how Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant work with the public to devise solutions to adapt to environmental-related issues. Our efforts at events such as town hall meetings and Community Ratings System (CRS) user groups, and even our outreach through the website, show how far we are willing to go to help people on an individual to community-wide basis.
Before this fall, I did not realize the difficulties that many coastal communities are experiencing. Being from Atlanta, I would only vacation in these areas, which meant I’ve never fully understood the climatic impacts there. By working at the communications office, I was introduced to a plethora of urgent needs to address these concerns.
Throughout this semester, I have helped develop summaries over CRS and other hazards initiatives. Another one of the duties of my internship has been assisting in the creation of a new website. I came into the project without knowing a thing about websites, but now I am trained in how to edit and create an entire web page.
“In just one day, I learned more about the needs of coastal communities and the efforts being made throughout the region than I have in several semesters’ worth of classes.”
I also had the opportunity to attend the Southeastern Climate Consortium with Jill and assist with a presentation on the work that Georgia Sea Grant has done on Tybee Island. In just one day, I learned more about the needs of coastal communities and the efforts being made throughout the region than I have in several semesters’ worth of classes.
This fall, I have gained skills that have allowed me to become more prepared for what is to come after graduation. Through this internship, I have realized that I would like to work more on the public relations side of environmental issues, and I feel as though this internship has truly prepared me for this road. Being the first undergraduate communications intern with Georgia Sea Grant has been a wonderful opportunity that I hope many other students will get to experience in years to come.