For interns, an extension of their educations

From harness racing to horticulture, five University students taking part in a new program operated by UD Cooperative Extension spent last summer gaining firsthand experience in a variety of fields of study.

The students were the first Extension Scholars in what is planned to be a continuing program that taps into the professional expertise of Cooperative Extension staff members to enhance students’ education.

“Learning by doing has been part of Extension’s philosophy for almost 100 years, and this program follows the service learning model that is based on that concept,” according to Janice Seitz, director of UD Cooperative Extension, who initiated the Extension Scholars: Student Intern Program.

The program is a win-win opportunity, Seitz says. Students are exposed to Extension work, and professionals receive hands-on assistance in carrying out special projects to advance Extension goals.

The five students who applied and were selected for the interdisciplinary program represent various majors, with most, but not all, enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. They received stipends for their summer work, and each was paired with an Extension professional. The partners and their projects were

• Kelly Gooden, AG ’05, an agricultural education major, who assisted Extension agent Carol Scott with school-age summer programming, teaching children about agriculture, nutrition and the importance of a healthy lifestyle;
  
  
• Maria Kyvernitis, CHNS ’05, majoring in dietetics in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, who worked with Sue Snider, professor of animal and food sciences, in organizing and teaching food safety programs for children ages 8-12;
  
  
• Jaime Meleri, AG ’06, an animal science major, who worked with Extension agent Gordon Johnson on a 4-H horticultural expansion project;
  
  
• Wendy McNatt, AG ’05, an animal science and agricultural education major, who assisted Extension agent Susan Truehart Garey in the Extension Animal Science Program; and
  
  
• Sean Scanlon, AG ’06, majoring in environmental soil science, who worked with Extension agent Carl Davis and Extension specialist Richard Taylor on educational outreach projects, planning and preparing for the annual “A Day on the Farm” event and also collecting and analyzing soil samples.
  Both the Extension Scholars and the professionals give the program high marks. Scanlon calls the summer internship “a great experience” and says, “I may continue after I graduate, or I may pursue a consulting career in soil science.”

For Kyvernitis, who plans to become a dietitian after graduation, being an Extension Scholar provided valuable experience working with children and with the community. She and Snider spent the summer teaching “Don’t Bug Me,” a food safety program, at camps around Delaware. The five-day, interactive program is filled with special activities to keep children entertained while they learn about germs and how to protect food from them.
Meleri, who was involved in a project to interest and involve 4-H members in horticulture and in creating horticulture contests, worked with both leaders and members.

She made up training kits with flash cards and other tools for leaders to use to teach horticulture to 4-H members, focusing on how to identify plants and distinguish them from weeds. Also as part of the project, the participating 4-H members learned how to judge horticultural exhibits at the Delaware State Fair, including vegetables, potted plants, hanging baskets and other categories. The top four young people who competed in the horticultural judging then attended a national conference in Milwaukee in the fall.

“Being involved in training sessions with the leaders and working with 4-H members to interest them in horticulture helped me to learn how to contact people and to sell my ideas and myself to others,” Meleri says.

Meleri, who lives on a small family farm and continues to show horses and raise market lambs, says she hopes to become an Extension agent involved with livestock and agricultural education.

“We could not have done this project without Jaime,” Johnson says. “The Extension Scholars program is beneficial because with an intern’s help, we can do the extra things we would like to do. And, at the same time, it gives the students experience in Extension work.”

McNatt, who says she loves horses and has been riding since she was 13, has worked at a breeding farm in Chesapeake City, Md., for many years, helping deliver foals and carrying out other duties. Garey was a good match for her, she says, calling the internship “a fabulous experience.”

She says she learned about animal care, nutrition and pasture and forage techniques. One of her projects was a weeklong camp, centered on the state’s racing industry, at Harrington (Del.) Raceway, for 4-H members ages 11-13. McNatt learned how to harness race and taught harness racing to the children. She also participated in animal science camps, teaching about poultry and livestock and how to judge them.

McNatt says the internship gave her a behind-the-scenes look at 4-H and also was useful in making career plans. She is considering becoming an Extension agent working with horses or managing a broodmare farm.

Garey, who is headquartered in Dover but works in all three of Delaware’s counties, says having an intern was a positive experience. “It enabled me to devote more time and preparation to outreach programs and helped me with projects at the Delaware State Fair,” she says. “I found it a wonderful program, and I hope it continues.”

UD Cooperative Extension is partnered with Delaware State University, and students from both institutions are encouraged to apply for the Extension Scholars Program. The deadline to apply for summer 2005 is March 25. For applications or more information, call (302) 831-2504.

—Sue Moncure