STILLWATERS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Meet our interns!
Maddie Rutter, University of Washington
I have lived in North Seattle my whole life! I am very much a Seattleite as I love the rain. I am currently a senior at the University of Washington with an intended major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Environmental Science and Resource Management. While I did not grow up as a very outdoorsy person, I have grown up surrounded by people who really loved the environment. So, there was always a love for it since I was a kid. I was also lucky enough to take an environmental science course in high school where I learned about environmental issues and the ways in which we as people can help solve them. That led me to pick my major! My internship at Stillwaters is mostly fieldwork-based. I will be helping out with several projects like monitoring Sitka Spruce mortality in the salt marsh and beach profiling! My main goal in my career is to be doing something that is actively connecting people to nature and utilizing science communication! This comes in a lot of forms I would like to try. Just to name a few would be environmental consulting, fieldwork, or community outreach. In my spare time I enjoy reading, going out to the movies, and attempting to bird-watch.
My advice to future interns is.....Make sure you wear a good pair of boots when you're out in the field!
I have lived in North Seattle my whole life! I am very much a Seattleite as I love the rain. I am currently a senior at the University of Washington with an intended major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Environmental Science and Resource Management. While I did not grow up as a very outdoorsy person, I have grown up surrounded by people who really loved the environment. So, there was always a love for it since I was a kid. I was also lucky enough to take an environmental science course in high school where I learned about environmental issues and the ways in which we as people can help solve them. That led me to pick my major! My internship at Stillwaters is mostly fieldwork-based. I will be helping out with several projects like monitoring Sitka Spruce mortality in the salt marsh and beach profiling! My main goal in my career is to be doing something that is actively connecting people to nature and utilizing science communication! This comes in a lot of forms I would like to try. Just to name a few would be environmental consulting, fieldwork, or community outreach. In my spare time I enjoy reading, going out to the movies, and attempting to bird-watch.
My advice to future interns is.....Make sure you wear a good pair of boots when you're out in the field!
Sara Mahmud, Western Washington University
My name is Sara Mahmud I’m in my last year of working on an Environmental Science degree from Western Washington University. I moved to Bremerton, WA about 3 years ago when I got out of the Navy and that’s when I started my college career. This degree path has allowed me to learn a lot about the local environment. I hope that whatever paths I’ll make in the future I can make a positive impact.
My name is Sara Mahmud I’m in my last year of working on an Environmental Science degree from Western Washington University. I moved to Bremerton, WA about 3 years ago when I got out of the Navy and that’s when I started my college career. This degree path has allowed me to learn a lot about the local environment. I hope that whatever paths I’ll make in the future I can make a positive impact.
Brittany Murphy, Seattle Central College
Hello Fellow Explorers! My name is Brittany Murphy. I am a Poulsbo native, growing thick in partial shade. I am a North Kitsap graduate working toward a Bachelor's of Applied Behavioral Sciences at Seattle Central College. I first heard about Stillwaters in the newspaper and discovered the importance of community involvement through my three young scientists. Their adventurous nature and inquisition about their developing world make me want to learn the "why" behind every bewilderment.
I aim to never stop asking questions. I hope to keep my environment our playground and our classroom. Teaching the next generation how to further their understanding of how to live inter-connectedly with the planet is one of my most fruitful passions. I am so grateful to be with Stillwaters Environmental Center learning new ways to spread education and information.
Hello Fellow Explorers! My name is Brittany Murphy. I am a Poulsbo native, growing thick in partial shade. I am a North Kitsap graduate working toward a Bachelor's of Applied Behavioral Sciences at Seattle Central College. I first heard about Stillwaters in the newspaper and discovered the importance of community involvement through my three young scientists. Their adventurous nature and inquisition about their developing world make me want to learn the "why" behind every bewilderment.
I aim to never stop asking questions. I hope to keep my environment our playground and our classroom. Teaching the next generation how to further their understanding of how to live inter-connectedly with the planet is one of my most fruitful passions. I am so grateful to be with Stillwaters Environmental Center learning new ways to spread education and information.
Quinn Habedank, University of Washington
Hello everyone. My name is Quinn Habedank, and I am interning with Stillwaters this summer. I was born in Tacoma and raised in Kent. I now live in Seattle where I study at the University of Washington. I am a junior within the Environmental Studies major, with significant focuses in data science and archaeology. I ultimately intend on going into paleoclimatology, with my time at UW serving as a springboard for more advanced studies. My fascination with the environment started at a young age, where I would spend most of my time in the woods identifying plants from my library books. My internship at Stillwaters leans into both of my degree focuses. My work primarily pertains to the stream sediment project at Stillwaters, where I plan on using my skills in the R programming language to visualize and analyze the sediment data from Carpenter Creek. In my spare time I enjoy studying urban design, exploring the city of Seattle, and hoarding botany books. If anyone is interested in interning at Stillwaters, I would recommend focusing on developing a specific skill, such as knowing how to use R or GIS software. It is great to be back at work in person again and I look forward to my work with Stillwaters this summer.
Hello everyone. My name is Quinn Habedank, and I am interning with Stillwaters this summer. I was born in Tacoma and raised in Kent. I now live in Seattle where I study at the University of Washington. I am a junior within the Environmental Studies major, with significant focuses in data science and archaeology. I ultimately intend on going into paleoclimatology, with my time at UW serving as a springboard for more advanced studies. My fascination with the environment started at a young age, where I would spend most of my time in the woods identifying plants from my library books. My internship at Stillwaters leans into both of my degree focuses. My work primarily pertains to the stream sediment project at Stillwaters, where I plan on using my skills in the R programming language to visualize and analyze the sediment data from Carpenter Creek. In my spare time I enjoy studying urban design, exploring the city of Seattle, and hoarding botany books. If anyone is interested in interning at Stillwaters, I would recommend focusing on developing a specific skill, such as knowing how to use R or GIS software. It is great to be back at work in person again and I look forward to my work with Stillwaters this summer.
Celina De Jong, Western Washington University
I am native to Washington; I grew up between West Seattle and Bremerton. I currently attend Western Washington University, completing my junior year in Environmental Policy. I have always been exposed to and curious about the environment, however, I was quite sure about studying computer science or engineering until I took AP Environmental Science in my junior year of high school. I learned that there is such a large scope of study in the environmental field and that I wanted to explore more about how I could teach other people to be more sustainable and understand how their actions can affect the environment. I will be helping with ideas and implementations of educational/community outreach. I will also be helping wherever I may be needed, for volunteering and more. My career goals include environmental education in a non-traditional classroom setting. Although I don’t know exactly how this will look yet, I would like to help with community-wide projects designing curriculum or implementing more educational events for the community to attend. Although my spare time has been limited between school and work, I love music (usually just listening and singing) as well as taking pictures of the environment. My advice to future interns is to don’t be afraid to take a step out of your comfort zone!
I am native to Washington; I grew up between West Seattle and Bremerton. I currently attend Western Washington University, completing my junior year in Environmental Policy. I have always been exposed to and curious about the environment, however, I was quite sure about studying computer science or engineering until I took AP Environmental Science in my junior year of high school. I learned that there is such a large scope of study in the environmental field and that I wanted to explore more about how I could teach other people to be more sustainable and understand how their actions can affect the environment. I will be helping with ideas and implementations of educational/community outreach. I will also be helping wherever I may be needed, for volunteering and more. My career goals include environmental education in a non-traditional classroom setting. Although I don’t know exactly how this will look yet, I would like to help with community-wide projects designing curriculum or implementing more educational events for the community to attend. Although my spare time has been limited between school and work, I love music (usually just listening and singing) as well as taking pictures of the environment. My advice to future interns is to don’t be afraid to take a step out of your comfort zone!
Valerie Mansfield, Western Washington University
I grew up in Bremerton, Washington, where I live today. I’m currently a junior at Western Washington University, where I’m pursuing a BS in Environmental Science, and I’m also interested in the GIS minor. I noticed humankind tends to take advantage and exploit natural resources and I wanted to give back in a positive way. Ever since my freshman year of high school I knew this is what I wanted to be doing, now I'm on track to be doing something I love.
At Stillwaters my tasks are to assist Melissa and Jenna in any projects and monitoring activities that need to be done, which so far has included vegetation surveys and pore water sampling to assess salinity of the soil water in the salt marsh. After college I plan to get an entry-level job in public works or water resources. In my spare time I love to garden! Right now, the garden has several herbs and vegetables which are doing great. Advice for future interns: If you're feeling stressed, don't worry! Stillwaters is filled with amazing, helpful, and friendly people, and if you need help with something don't hesitate to ask!
I grew up in Bremerton, Washington, where I live today. I’m currently a junior at Western Washington University, where I’m pursuing a BS in Environmental Science, and I’m also interested in the GIS minor. I noticed humankind tends to take advantage and exploit natural resources and I wanted to give back in a positive way. Ever since my freshman year of high school I knew this is what I wanted to be doing, now I'm on track to be doing something I love.
At Stillwaters my tasks are to assist Melissa and Jenna in any projects and monitoring activities that need to be done, which so far has included vegetation surveys and pore water sampling to assess salinity of the soil water in the salt marsh. After college I plan to get an entry-level job in public works or water resources. In my spare time I love to garden! Right now, the garden has several herbs and vegetables which are doing great. Advice for future interns: If you're feeling stressed, don't worry! Stillwaters is filled with amazing, helpful, and friendly people, and if you need help with something don't hesitate to ask!
Tiger Prasad, University of Washington
Hello! I am Tiger, a fourth-year student at the University of Washington Seattle majoring in environmental studies and minoring in environmental science and resource management, and gender studies. I was born and raised near New Delhi, India and I moved to the US for college. I have been interested in the environment since a very young age and chose to pursue environmental studies as it takes a very interdisciplinary approach to analyzing environmental problems. I am excited to be working with Stillwaters for my capstone project by helping input rainfall and tide height data for Carpenter Creek. Through this work, I hope to study the trends in salinity and fecal coliform bacteria in the creek.
Hello! I am Tiger, a fourth-year student at the University of Washington Seattle majoring in environmental studies and minoring in environmental science and resource management, and gender studies. I was born and raised near New Delhi, India and I moved to the US for college. I have been interested in the environment since a very young age and chose to pursue environmental studies as it takes a very interdisciplinary approach to analyzing environmental problems. I am excited to be working with Stillwaters for my capstone project by helping input rainfall and tide height data for Carpenter Creek. Through this work, I hope to study the trends in salinity and fecal coliform bacteria in the creek.
Isabel Wilson, University of Washington
I am originally from Southern California but moved up to Seattle in 2017 to attend the University of Washington (UW) as an undergraduate student. I am currently completing my fourth-year majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Environmental Science and Resource Management. While I have always been interested in the environment, I was first introduced to Environmental Science my senior year of high school. I started at UW under the Environmental Science major, but sophomore year I took a class on Environmental Pedagogy and quickly became enthralled by the opportunities available through the Environmental Studies major to bridge the gap between humans and the environment. During my internship with Stillwaters, I will be assisting in analyzing bird data collected over the years in order to discover potential trends in how birds have been impacted by the removal of culverts in the area. I will also explore ways to communicate the findings with the community. After college, I hope to begin working either in environmental education or restoration. I also hope to have the opportunity to travel around, once it is safe, and continue learning from people around the world.
I am originally from Southern California but moved up to Seattle in 2017 to attend the University of Washington (UW) as an undergraduate student. I am currently completing my fourth-year majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Environmental Science and Resource Management. While I have always been interested in the environment, I was first introduced to Environmental Science my senior year of high school. I started at UW under the Environmental Science major, but sophomore year I took a class on Environmental Pedagogy and quickly became enthralled by the opportunities available through the Environmental Studies major to bridge the gap between humans and the environment. During my internship with Stillwaters, I will be assisting in analyzing bird data collected over the years in order to discover potential trends in how birds have been impacted by the removal of culverts in the area. I will also explore ways to communicate the findings with the community. After college, I hope to begin working either in environmental education or restoration. I also hope to have the opportunity to travel around, once it is safe, and continue learning from people around the world.
Jenna Wright, Western Washington University
Jenna Wright, is looking at how plant distributions and communities in the salt marsh have changed since surveys in 2006 and 2016. After helping with the third year of our random plot survey, she will be walking more than a mile of established transect line from the edges to interior of the salt marsh, and using a point-intercept method to document the occurrence of various plant species every meter along the way. She hopes to also generate a more accurate GIS map of plant community boundaries that will allow us to better document future changes.
Jenna Wright, is looking at how plant distributions and communities in the salt marsh have changed since surveys in 2006 and 2016. After helping with the third year of our random plot survey, she will be walking more than a mile of established transect line from the edges to interior of the salt marsh, and using a point-intercept method to document the occurrence of various plant species every meter along the way. She hopes to also generate a more accurate GIS map of plant community boundaries that will allow us to better document future changes.
Pranav Bhardwaj, University of Washington
Hi! My name is Pranav Bhardwaj and I'm a senior at the University of Washington studying Earth Science & Environmental Studies. I'm originally from Singapore, but I've loved living in Seattle for the last 3 years. My internship with the Stillwaters Environmental Center will primarily be concerned with data management and geochemical analysis. I will be graduating from the University of Washington this June, and hope to apply to graduate school in the near future in either Environmental Science and Policy or Environmental Data Science. If you see me around, come say hi! I love speaking about my academic interest, my upbringing in Asia, sports, amongst many other things!
Pranav Bhardwaj, University of Washington
Hi! My name is Pranav Bhardwaj and I'm a senior at the University of Washington studying Earth Science & Environmental Studies. I'm originally from Singapore, but I've loved living in Seattle for the last 3 years. My internship with the Stillwaters Environmental Center will primarily be concerned with data management and geochemical analysis. I will be graduating from the University of Washington this June, and hope to apply to graduate school in the near future in either Environmental Science and Policy or Environmental Data Science. If you see me around, come say hi! I love speaking about my academic interest, my upbringing in Asia, sports, amongst many other things!
Robert Cassis, University of Washington
My name is Robert Cassis and I am twenty-seven years old and a student at UW Seattle. I was born and raised in the Tacoma area, and am one of nine children. I have been happily married for seven and a half years to my beautiful wife Savannah, and we own a house in Tacoma. We also share our house with my mother in law and our wonderful Golden Retriever, Dexter. My love for the environment began just a few years ago, after taking a few environmental courses to satisfy some science requirements for my Associates. I especially love marine environmental issues, probably because the professor that brought me into the environmental field was a marine biologist. After I graduate, I hope to begin working in the environmental field while continuing my education. I am extremely excited to begin working with Stillwaters this winter, and I hope my relationship with them continues long after my internship concludes.
My name is Robert Cassis and I am twenty-seven years old and a student at UW Seattle. I was born and raised in the Tacoma area, and am one of nine children. I have been happily married for seven and a half years to my beautiful wife Savannah, and we own a house in Tacoma. We also share our house with my mother in law and our wonderful Golden Retriever, Dexter. My love for the environment began just a few years ago, after taking a few environmental courses to satisfy some science requirements for my Associates. I especially love marine environmental issues, probably because the professor that brought me into the environmental field was a marine biologist. After I graduate, I hope to begin working in the environmental field while continuing my education. I am extremely excited to begin working with Stillwaters this winter, and I hope my relationship with them continues long after my internship concludes.
