Intern reflection, Amanda Wager
Amanda Wager (Williams College, Class of 2023) interned at SSC during the Spring and Summer of 2021.
After deciding to take a leave of absence for the spring semester, I began my internship with the Smart Surfaces Coalition in January, 2021 as a spring Research Analyst Intern and finished up this July. During my time with SSC I learned to navigate and use the EPA’s BenMAP program. BenMAP is used to calculate the monetary health costs of morbidities and mortalities associated with PM 2.5 and ozone pollution. My work initially focused on the economic health costs due to PM 2.5 in Baltimore, but later expanded to include ozone as well. Some of the additional research I conducted alongside other interns included calculating the albedo of cities and ambient air temperatures, and the effects of summer heat on tourism in cities. The tourism research was included in the Tourism chapter of SSC’s recently released Baltimore Report. I spent much of my time with SSC working on the Baltimore Report that we released in July, 2021. In addition to my tourism research noted above, I organized and finalized formatting, references, and graphics for the report. I can officially say I am now a pro at using all the formatting functions of Microsoft Word and OneDrive! In addition, I conducted outreach to promote and gain insights on the Baltimore Report. This involved meeting and working with various local Baltimore NGOs that focus on water, climate change mitigation, conservation, and tourism in the Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay region. Many of the NGOs are quoted in the final Baltimore Report.
Following the report’s release, I continued my outreach and communications with local NGOs as a part of the Baltimore Report social media team. What drew me into Smart Surfaces and made me excited to intern for them is their forwardness about environmental justice and accessibility to climate change data and solutions. Climate change is a looming issue facing my generation, and aiding in the efforts to mitigate its effects and search for solutions is something I see myself pursuing as a career. Smart Surfaces are not an obscure or overly ambitious climate change mitigation tool, but rather simple, straight-forward technologies cities already use. We just simply present the data to back-up cities in their decisions to implement more Smart Surfaces in a cost-effective and equitable manner.
Interning for SSC was a beneficial and enjoyable experience for me. I was able to pursue research in Smart Surface-related areas that fit my personal interests as well as develop valuable workplace skills I will use throughout my career. It was especially exciting to see the Baltimore Report and its release all the way through. SSC worked tirelessly on the cost-benefit analysis and report, and seeing the media attention it has received since its release has been very fulfilling. The SSC team was great at communicating about projects and was incredibly supportive and adaptable with the challenges that come with remote work. Leaving this internship, I feel prepared to enter the environmental-field of work and am more confident in my communication skills, analytical writing, and overall practical working skills.