November 11, 2025
Ty Kashporenko (Frostburg State University), Sarah Heckman (Garrett College), Jason Haley (Frostburg State University), Maria Hite (Frostburg State University), Rhonda Schwinabart (Program Coordinator), and Nathaniel Poulin (Frostburg State University).
As the spring semester comes to a close in late May and UMCES Appalachian Laboratory students wrap up their classes for another year, a new group of future scientists and science communicators arrives on campus. Each summer, the Appalachian Laboratory Summer Undergraduate Internship Program hosts five to eight students from local universities and colleges for full-time, paid experiences in research and science communication. The program runs for twelve weeks, ending in mid-August, just before the start of the fall semester. Since 2021, twenty-five students from Frostburg State University, Allegany College of Maryland, and Garrett College have completed the program.
“Every scientist has an origin story, an early experience or encounter with science that inspired us to pursue it as a career,” Dr. David Nelson, UMCES Appalachian Laboratory Professor and Director, said. “It is vital for their career development and for the future of scientific inquiry that students today have the same opportunity to engage with science and explore related careers.”
This past summer, interns spent their twelve weeks at the Appalachian Laboratory under the supervision of mentors, designing virtual reality communication tools, producing social media videos, analyzing the chemistry of bird feathers with a mass spectrometer, and studying potential wildfire risk in western Maryland. In August, interns co-presented a lightning talk seminar, where they shared their project-related activities, findings and next steps. The full seminar recording is available at www.umces.edu/al/internships.
Interns also participated in a professional development series over the summer. The series included workshops on science communication and graduate school planning; field trips to conservation and research facilities like the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia and the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET); and networking activities with Laboratory staff, students and faculty.
Interns on mine reclamation field trip with MD Bureau of Mines in July 2025.
“I have really valued everything I learned through this internship, expanding my understanding of habitat management and developing research-related skills,“ said Sarah Heckman, a recent graduate of the Natural Resources and Wildlife Technology program at Garrett College.
“I am transferring to Frostburg State University this fall to pursue a bachelor of science in wildlife and fisheries and then will most likely pursue a masters in an ecology-related field, largely due to the encouragement I received from my mentor and the professional development opportunities I participated in during this internship,” she added.
UMCES Appalachian Laboratory Masters and Ph.D. students like Sarah Bomar, who worked with Heckman this summer, also develop important mentoring and teaching skills through their involvement as mentors in the program.
“Working with summer interns has been an invaluable experience, both for pushing my dissertation project forward and for growing my mentoring skills,” Bomar said.
These experiences would not have been possible without generous financial support from the Naylor Family Trust Fund of the Community Trust Foundation, the Western Maryland Consortium, and the U.S. National Science Foundation.
The summer 2026 application period opens Monday, November 24, 2025, and can be found at www.umces.edu/al/internships. Priority for placement is given to students who are attending Frostburg State University, Garrett College, Allegany College of Maryland, and Potomac State College. The number of internship positions available in summer 2026 will be contingent upon funding availability.
To learn more about the UMCES Appalachian Laboratory Summer Undergraduate Internship Program and the ways you can help support this program, please visit www.umces.edu/al/internships. Contact Rhonda Schwinabart, program coordinator, at rschwinabart@umces.edu or 301-689-7102 with any internship-related questions.
