Undergraduate Summer Interns 2024

Naomi Isaac

Naomi Isaac is a senior at the University of Alberta in Canada, pursuing an honors degree in biology with a minor in philosophy. Her research interests include environmental ethics, focusing on addressing the needs of communities affected by climate crisis-induced food insecurity. Naomi aims to translate science-based knowledge into tangible solutions for communities, especially in the global south. This summer, she is contributing to the DAWN Extension team at the Institute on the Environment working under Dr. Melissa Kenney. Her role centers on engaging end-users through newsletters, infographics, and various other modes of communication. Her tasks involve refining website content, collaborating with multiple teams to foster effective communication within the project, and working to enhance public understanding and usability of technology and resources within the DAWN project. Naomi looks forward to working with the team and further developing her communication skills.

Adda Ireba

Adda Ireba, a recent graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Conservation Agriculture (specialization in Crop Production) from Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), 2023, Rwanda, East Africa. Her research interest involves the use of advanced technologies to relate soil nutrition and plant productivity. She is working on the on-farm research NRATE project, which aims to advance the N management in corn with Dr. Guillermo Balboa, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her goal for this internship is to learn new lab techniques that are used in research projects. Through the exposure to real-life research projects, she wants to learn more about new technologies that are used in improving farmers productivity which will be preparing her for graduate studies.

Reema Mohamed

Reema Mohamed is a senior at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities majoring in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, focusing on Policy, Planning, Law and Society. Her research interests are agricultural practices in drought-ridden areas and environmental justice regarding water quality and how it disproportionately affects minority communities. This summer, she is working with the DAWN Extension team at the Institute on the Environment. Her work focuses on end-user engagement and improving web usability, including creating user guides, editing web content, reviewing industry standards for web usability, and collaborating across teams to promote proactive communication within the project. This summer, she hopes to strengthen her networking and communication skills and gain more experience in the communications field.

Manuel Estevez

Manuel Estevez, a senior student of Agronomic Engineering at the National University of Rio Cuarto in Argentina. He is currently participating in the DAWN project at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, focusing on advanced nitrogen management and digital agriculture through the NRATE initiative under the supervision of Dr. Guillermo Balboa. The main task involves collecting and processing research data. Manuel hopes this experience will help him learn more and contribute to making farming better for the environment.

Laura Stocco Smaniotto

Laura Stocco Smaniotto is an undergraduate student in Agricultural Engineering at the Universidade de São Paulo, currently in her last year. Her research interests focus on production costs and market intelligence for corn and soybeans, and she plans to pursue a master's degree after graduation. Currently, she is working at the Innovation Campus under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Neale. Her research project at the Water for Food Global Institute involves running irrigation models to provide Nebraska producers with effective irrigation recommendations. Through the CONSERVE/DAWN Summer Intern Program, she aims to develop both personally and professionally, acquiring practical and theoretical knowledge to enhance her contributions to agricultural engineering and build a valuable network for herfuture career.

Jasen Yang

Jasen Yang is a rising senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, pursuing a degree in computer systems engineering, information technology, and web science. This summer, he is working with the DAWN Systems Development and Forecasting (SDF) team under the supervision of Dr. Xin-Zhong Liang and Chao Sun. His work focuses on DAWN’s machine learning project, which aims to enhance climate forecasting systems in the Corn Belt. In the future, Jasen hopes to pursue a graduate degree in quantitative finance. He enjoys staying active and playing basketball with friends in his free time.

Jalen Robinson

Jalen Robinson is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park majoring in Chemistry with a minor in sustainability studies. I am working with Dr. Rachel Goldstein on harvested rainwater quality at Terp Farm and the Water Emergency Team in Baltimore. I have a personal interest in environmental health, specifically hydrology and water quality. While working in a laboratory environment, I hope to gain valuable skills on real-world applications of what I’m learning in classes and laboratory techniques. I also look forward to networking and making connections with professionals in the field.

Rena Aggarwal

Rena Aggarwal is currently a rising senior at the University of Maryland, majoring in Environmental Science with a focus on policy and politics. Her research interests span environmental sustainability, water management, and climate change adaptation. Dr. Suhana Chattopadhyay is her supervisor for this internship. Rena will contribute to ongoing projects aimed at enhancing microbial source tracking methods for monitoring water quality, building on her experience in sample collection, molecular laboratory techniques such as DNA extraction and PCR, and proficiency in bioinformatics software. She looks forward to applying her skills to the Anacostia River watershed's environmental monitoring efforts, contributing to the development of research manuscripts, and gaining valuable research and networking skills through the CONSERVE/DAWN Summer Intern Program.

Eugene Song

Eugene Song is a rising junior at the University of Maryland majoring in Public Health Science and minoring in Disability Studies. Her personal research interests include microbiology, environmental health, and epidemiology. This summer she is working with Dr. Leena Malayil and Dr. Rianna Murray on the Maryland Safe Drinking WATER Study. Through CONSERVE, she hopes to gain experience in environmental microbiology and statistical analysis skills. She’s also excited to learn more about public drinking water systems and wastewater recycling.

Jelaiyah Thompkins

Jelaiyah Thompkins is a sophomore at the University of Delaware, majoring in environmental science with a concentration in marine science and a minor in environmental energy policy. Jelaiyah’s personal research includes areas of marine biology and sustainable water management. She is interning under Dr. Leena Malayil and Dr. Suhana Chattopadhyay on the Maryland Safe Drinking Water and Anacostia River projects. Through this internship, Jelaiyah aims to strengthen her interest in marine sustainability and gain professional laboratory experience. She hopes to improve her proficiency in microbiology techniques and equipment to support her future research endeavors.