<scp>MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR</scp>

In April 2015, ASLO launched a new science communication internship (http://aslo.org/news/2015-aslo-science-communication-internship/). This initiative was led by ASLO Director of Communications and Science, Adrienne Sponberg. The selected interns work with Adrienne on a variety of communication, social media, policy, education, and public outreach projects designed to provide direct experience in how science is communicated to a variety of audiences. Eilea Knotts was selected as the Spring/Fall 2020 ASLO Science Communication Intern. Eilea worked with Adrienne last year and is continuing to assist with the LOREX grant as well. I sat down with Eilea to talk about her experience. ED: WELCOME, EILEA. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO APPLY FOR THE INTERNSHIP. EK: I graduated from the University of South Carolina in December 2019. During my time in graduate school, I gained international collaboration experience through the Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) program, educated both my scientific community and the public, and used what I learned to communicate that information both on social media and journal publications. My heavy involvement in societal and departmental communications inspired me to apply for the ASLO Science Communication Internship. I wanted to gain insights into the management of science organizations by assisting with the LOREX program as well as develop pathways that engage the scientific community to utilize communication tools. ED: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT ASLO DURING YOUR INTERNSHIP? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT SURPRISED YOU? EK: Most of my experience with societal organizations came from my regional society, the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society (SEERS). I was a student representative for SEERS and got to learn some of the behind-the-scenes management. Working for ASLO showed me that, as a society increases in size to include national and international members, management of multiple programs, business operations, and advertising (both internally to members and externally to the public) it takes a huge amount of effort that needs to be divided amongst an entire team. I knew that running social media was an entire job in itself when I ran that form of communication for my department. I was surprised to find that ASLO's Communications team was so small to handle the amount of work that came through the office. ED: WHAT WERE SOME OF THE PROJECTS YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ON DURING YOUR INTERNSHIP? HOW HAVE THOSE IMPACTED YOUR OWN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT? EK: The main projects that my internship revolved around included the LOREX program, general ASLO social media coverage, helping to create the Career Corner Virtual Issue, running the 2nd ASLO photo contest, and developing the Dissertation Registry. I think the greatest project that I had the pleasure of working on was LOREX's formal mentoring program. This mentoring initiative facilitates communication between the students and their hosts, enhances the participants' ability to network, and increases opportunities for peer-to-peer mentoring between cohorts. This project was my first opportunity to develop my own proposal, vet a variety of software companies, and manage the software's platform. I have learned that I love it! ED: BEFORE YOUR INTERNSHIP, YOU WERE A PARTICIPANT IN THE LIMNOLOGY & OCEANOGRAPHY RESEARCH EXCHANGE (LOREX) PROGRAM. TELL US ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE. EK: I was a member of the first LOREX cohort in 2019. I had the opportunity to go to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and work with Dr. Zoe Finkel. It was an incredible experience, and I became very close to several postdocs in the lab I worked in as well as to my fellow Canada LOREX cohort that traveled with me. Although my six-week fellowship ended, I continued to remain active with the LOREX community. I attended the 2020 OSM Conference in San Diego where I was given the opportunity to pass on my knowledge to the 2nd LOREX cohort. My intention is to remain connected with this program and its members. The network I have developed here has been incredible! ED: THE IN-PERSON COMPONENT OF YOUR INTERNSHIP WAS SADLY CUT SHORT DUE TO COVID. HOW DID THAT IMPACT YOUR EXPERIENCE? EK: COVID definitely changed my experience but not in an undesirable way. My internship's path was just altered. There were plans to network and attend professional development workshops in the DC area. I thought I would have more time to see the inner workings of ASLO and touch into the policy realm. While policy projects were not likely once the country shut down, I am thankful to have the opportunity to focus on the education and outreach side of the internship. In all honesty, education and outreach have been my passions and now I have obtained more skills and experience to address that realm of communication. ED: EILEA, YOUR WORK WITH ASLO HAS BEEN VITAL TO THE ASLO COMMUNICATIONS AND SCIENCE OFFICE. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS EXPERIENCE TO YOUR PEERS? EK: Of course, I would recommend this experience! Working with Dr. Adrienne Sponberg has been the highlight of my internship. Her dedication and hard work to scientific communication has been awe-inspiring. I am grateful to have her as a mentor in my life. Her constant encouragement and guidance truly made my internship one of the greatest experiences of my career. This internship allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. Thank you for this amazing opportunity. ED: THANK YOU, EILEA.

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