PROMISE Internship program mentor projects 2017

PROMISE Internship Program– 2017 Mentor Projects

Welcome to the PROMISE Internship Program. Below are the approved internship sites and the project descriptions for Summer 2017. You can learn more about PROMISE program by visiting our homepage and if you have any questions, please reach out to Charlene Martinez at [email protected]. The internship application and steps to apply can be found by visiting the PROMISE intern page here. Internship applications are due April 21, 2017.

Students interested in the program will have the opportunity to meet with the mentors first-hand at the Mentor Connection Day that will take place on April 7, 2017, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM at the LaSelles Stewart Center. Mentors will present short overviews of their projects, and then you will have the opportunity to meet to better tailor the internship experience for you, attendance is strongly encouraged. Students can RSVP for the Mentor Connection day here.

OSU Student Affairs Communications & Marketing

Website Support

Student Affairs Communications & Marketing is committed to enriching the student experience at OSU. We seek to inspire students by telling the rich stories of our diverse student populations and creating a community of belonging. SACM content looks at the varied ways students engage with campus programming and provides students with resources that contribute to deeper learning, health and well-being, and personal and professional development.

This intern will help support the OSU Experience website, as we update content and make changes to better support students. Part of the intern’s responsibilities will include connecting with others on campus to discuss the site, including new students. In addition, the intern would assist with the development of the student affairs website, focusing on the user experience and content development.

About the Mentor - Carolyn Boyd is a communications and publishing specialist with extensive experience working in university communications. Here at OSU, she focuses on enhancing the student experience by connecting students to OSU resources that contribute to transformative learning opportunities.

Keywords: Communication, Marketing, Student Outreach, Web Content, Drupal


OSU Extension Service - SNAP-Education Program

Building a Volunteer Program

The Coos County SNAP-Education program is looking to expand our impact through the use of volunteers. Our hope is that by utilizing volunteers, we can reach a much wider audience at food pantries, as well as other community outreach events.

This intern project would be to design, implement, and evaluate (as time allows) a volunteer training program for the Coos County SNAP-Ed program. A PROMISE intern would also have the opportunity to assist with a variety of events and classes, attend trainings and coalition meetings and complete additional side projects such as updating the Coos County SNAP-Ed website and developing materials and surveys, based on their interests and career goals.

About the Mentor - Allison Harris is the Nutrition Program Coordinator through OSU Extension in Coos and Curry Counties. She delivers nutrition education and obesity prevention programming to limited income families on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Keywords: Public Health, Nutrition Education, Food Banks, Volunteer Program, Program Design


OSU Ecampus Marketing & Communications

Telling the stories of OSU Ecampus Students

The focus of this project is telling the unique and diverse stories of OSU Ecampus online students. OSU Ecampus students live in all 50 states and over 40 countries, and are often considered “nontraditional” due to their age, working status and family priorities. Telling their stories helps to create a connection between them and the larger OSU community.

With that focus in mind, this project will include a variety of elements, such as research, campaign planning, content development and delivery (writing/editing stories), project management, presentation and professional development. The intern will have the option to work with OSU Ecampus graphic design and videography staff to create a photo slideshow, video, graphic element, etc. In addition to traditional storytelling styles, the intern will recommend new ways to engage this audience through content delivery.

About the Mentor - Heather Doherty is a marketing communications manager for OSU Ecampus. She is responsible for researching and writing content for marketing materials, advertising for various media outlets, designing web content and event promotion.

Keywords: Communications, Storytelling, Project Management, Research, Social media, Marketing, Multimedia


OSU Undergraduate Studies

Student Success Data Website and Training

OSU is going through a data revolution, especially as it relates to using data to inform efforts around student success, reducing opportunity gaps, and improving the student experience. One of the challenges and opportunities we have is that there are many sources of data and information across campus that in some ways make using data very complicated and challenging.

The focus of this project will be helping to create a web experience that promotes clarity and transparency about student success data and helps people navigate and reflect on the data about students through a social justice lens. The intern will help build community around the responsible use of student data through development of educational training materials, videos, social media, canvas, etc. The intern will also contribute to designing trainings and modules about accessing and using data, research best practices around data security and student data privacy, learn about data practices in higher education in general, and help develop a plan or materials for training sessions.

About the Mentor - Chrysanthemum Hayes is an OSU alum currently working with data and analytics that relate to student success through an equity and social justice lens. Her work supports people from all across campus who are dedicated to student success - she supports them so they can support students lense. 

Keywords: Student success, data, website development, social media, training and development, leadership


Oregon Sea Grant

Photography and Reporting Internship

Photograph and report on events at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport every Friday in July and on July 10, 24, and 31. Develop interview questions; conduct online research about the events; write 1-2 stories each week; make revisions based on editing feedback; edit photos in Photoshop; and upload and caption images on Flickr. Must have drivers license. Panasonic LUMIX GH4 camera will be available.

About the Mentor - Tiffany Woods serves as the Communications Manager for the Oregon Sea Grant. Communications produces videos, writes and edits print and online content, shoots photos, manages OSG's website, and posts content on social media. We also oversee the design of exhibits for the Visitor Center at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Keywords: communications, photography, writing, reporting, multimedia, journalism


College of Agricultural Sciences/ Academic Programs Office

An Inventory of Experiential Learning Opportunities

Understanding current experiential learning practices is crucial to guiding recommendations for future actions. Based on the PROMISE intern's interest and passion, the intern will work with the Experiential Learning Program Coordinator in the College of Agricultural Sciences to design data collection tools and collect data from departments on current experiential learning practices. These collection methods could be interviews, focus groups, surveys, or a combination of methods. The PROMISE intern will work with their mentor to analyze and deliver findings on a variety of platforms. This project engages the PROMISE intern in a two-fold transformational educational experience - first, by working on the design, delivery, and reporting of experiential learning, and second by furthering transformational education for all students in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

About the Mentor - Katie Gaebel is the Experiential Learning Program Coordinator for the College of Agricultural Sciences.  Katie works in the Academic Programs office to design, implement, and assess experiential learning opportunities. Their liberal arts education and international educational policy background help inform the work they do, and in their free time they love taking in the beauty of Oregon with hiking!

Keywords: experiential learning, student success, research, data collection, data analysis


Division of Outreach & Engagement - OSU Extension Service

Community Innovation & Economic Development

OSU Extension is a statewide network of experts and trained volunteers who work side by side with community, state, and national partners to address local needs.  This project will focus on building communication tools (print, digital, social media, video, etc) to share positive impacts that the Extension Service has on communities across Oregon.  This project will include the following:  planning and preparations for meetings with stakeholders, developing communication tools, and exploration of themes related to outdoor recreation, tourism, entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development.

About the Mentor - Lindsey Shirley serves as the Associate Provost for the Division of Outreach & Engagement. At OSU they have the opportunity and pleasure of overseeing the day-to-day operations of the OSU Extension Services a statewide network that addresses emerging issues important to communities, families, and industries in both rural and urban areas of Oregon.  Their areas of expertise include leadership, program development and evaluation, community development and innovation and design.

Keywords: public relations, communications, innovation, creativity, community development


OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center

Hatfield Marine Science Center Academic Programs

The PROMISE intern would join the marine science education and research teams in coordination and facilitation of research experiences and education programs for undergraduate and graduate students in the marine sciences on site at the Hatfield Marine Science Center and periodically off site in the field. The intern will focus on coordinating college level marine science courses and research/education internships at HMSC and assist in the development of marketing material and plan for highlighting the marine science center. In addition, the intern will assist in the program components of the research/education internship programs and event organization. This position may require working on some evenings and weekends. The PROMISE intern will assist in planning and some participation of several field trips off site including a kayak/canoe trip, visits to marine science field sites along the Oregon coast, Oregon Coast Aquarium, HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, a hike in the Cascade Mountains, and the OSU O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Lab.HMSC and assist in the development of marketing material and plan for highlighting the marine science center. In addition, the intern will assist in the program components of the research/education internship programs and event organization. This position may require working on some evenings and weekends. The PROMISE intern will assist in planning and some participation of several field trips off site including a kayak/canoe trip, visits to marine science field sites along the Oregon coast, Oregon Coast Aquarium, HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, a hike in the Cascade Mountains, and the OSU O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Lab.

About the Mentor - Itchung Cheung is the Academic Program Manager for the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Keywords: marine science, education programs, undergraduate


OSU Division of University Outreach & Engagement

OSU Roads Scholar Tour

This internship would focus primarily on supporting the planning for the 2017 Roads Scholar Tour. The goal of the tour is to have new faculty and/or employees experience OSU’s footprint through Oregon and explore opportunities for increased engagement. This year the tour will focus on the metropolitan Portland area. The intern would take part in all aspects of the planning team, from meeting work, marketing, and communications with tour riders, and engagement with partners through campus and Oregon.The intern would also have additional opportunities to support Outreach and Engagement special projects.

About the Mentor - Charles Robinson works as a special projects faculty member in both the Division of University Outreach & Engagement and the College of Liberal Arts, their role is to identify, support, and build new partnerships and programs that transcend traditional campus boundaries and facilitate campus-community collaborations.

Keywords: Engagement, Portland outreach, extension, culture, community, 4H planning, organization


College of Public Health and Human Sciences

What could it mean to be a peer advisor in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences?

The aim of the proposed project is for a PROMISE intern to identify recommendations for how peer advisors, who are employed by the Office of Student Success (OSS) in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences, could be best utilized. A primary function of the peer advisors is to work at the front desk of the OSS to schedule future appointments with academic advisors and log students who arrive for their appointments. In the near future, however, students will schedule their own appointments online, which creates the opportunity to consider new and innovative ideas for how peers advisors could contribute to the success of students in the College. It is expected that any recommendations would be realistic based on consideration of the parameters that exist such as the number of hours peers advisors work each week and the number of peer advisors employed, training that would be required to ensure peers are qualified for new duties, etc. Ideas for recommendations would likely result from a review of the pertinent literature, conversations with the appropriate representatives from other colleges on campus that also utilize peers advisors, an online exploration for peer advising models that exist at campuses other than OSU, insights gathered from current peers advisors as well as faculty/staff associated with the OSS, and feedback from students in the College who would be the beneficiaries of the services offered.

About the Mentor - Vicki Ebbeck serves as the Associate Dean for Student Success for the College of Public Health and Human Services. She is excited to work with students, faculty, staff, and administrators to optimize student engagement, learning, and career preparation.

Keywords: needs assessment; peer academic advisors; student success


Career Development Center

Student / Alumni Mentor Coordinator

This project will assist in the implementation and design of a new student/alumni mentoring program designed to assist with OSU's Ecampus and on-campus traditionally underserved students. The initial population will focus on the career development needs that can be assisted through mentoring for first-generation and low-income students.  This project will focus connecting students and alumni through virtual platforms instead of in-person methods, building developmental networks as opposed to traditional one-to-one pairings.  In addition, this project will support marketing strategies targeted for undergraduate students.  Finally, the PROMISE intern will assist with the training curriculum for mentors and mentees.  

About the Mentor- Jennifer Edwards serves as the Student/Alumni Mentor Coordinator for the Career Development Center.  As an Arizonan, their crooked career path has taken them from teaching high school theatre for 10 years to academic advising for 6 years.  As an Oregonian, they took on career development for almost 4 years.  They’re now designing and implementing a student/alumni mentoring program to help students on their career paths.

Keywords: mentoring, marketing, curriculum development, program development, web platforms


Fisheries and Wildlife - Genesis of Networks

Organizing Principles of Groups

A key area in complex systems is understanding how living systems become organized. Much has been learned about the organization of living systems by modeling the interactions of identical independent agents using similar behavioral rules. We also know, however, that individuals within social groups are often strikingly different, engaging in different social roles (e.g., leaders, followers). Individual phenotypes (e.g. aggression, sensory sensitivity) may serve as the basis for structuring social relationships. We will use an empirical techniques to understand the social organization of groups, how they develop, and remain resilient against environmental challenges. We will examine the organizing principles of networks, by empirically testing whether groups organize by homophily (similarity; do birds of a feather flock together?), heterophily (differences; do opposites attract?), or random assortment. Understanding how networks become organized will permit me to build successful groups ones that are resistant to environmental challenges. By studying how networks develop, we can learn more about successful and disastrous group organizations. This information can lead us to predict which groups are resilient (or not) to environmental challenges.

  • Film groups of fish at specific time points.
  • Construction skills would be required for creating apparatuses (e.g., plumbing, welding). There is onsite training.
  • Meticulously score videos of fish in order construct networks; this process is tedious and boring.
  • Mark fish for individual identification. I hope you like animals and handling wet slimy creatures.
  • Behavioral trials for phenotyping fish,  this will initially be exciting but will get boring over time because you will do this process a lot. You will have to pay careful attention to detail.
  • There won’t be a typical day, but mentees should goal oriented and work hard to meet timelines.
  • Students may commute from Corvallis to Oregon Research Hatchery or have extended visits at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center.

About the Mentor - Delia Shelton is an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, and splits time between Oregon State University, Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, and University Windsor. In 2016, she received her PhD from Indiana University in Evolution Ecology and Behavior, and Psychological and Brain Sciences.

Keywords: Animal Behavior, Social Networks, Physiology, Fish, Salmon, Anthropogenic Change


Human Services Resource Center

Textbook Lending Program Development

The HSRC has a still-developing Textbook Lending Program so that low-income college student can borrow their course materials (for free) the entirety of the term. The intern will help us develop and execute a robust promotion strategy for this program, while also helping us get prepared for the Fall Lending period.

About the Mentor - Nicole Hindes oversees the Human Services Resource Center under the Office of Student Life.  Nicole is a first-generation college student - and now they work with low-income college students at OSU.

Keywords: marketing, public relations, outreach, promotion