FINAL BLOG
The science internship this year at Ecovative
was such a great experience. I know that at first I was worried about having to
go every week, making enough time for it, and them having enough for me to do.
I did, however, have plenty to do over the seven month time span. I started out
by just observing my mentor, Amanda, and reading from my mushroom book. By the
end, though, I was working in the lab, sometimes even without her. I really
felt like a part of the Ecovative team. By the end I was so used to bringing up
new techniques and ideas with Amanda, and even some of her coworkers, who were
also open to hear anything that I was thinking. I loved how encouraged I was to
converse with everyone. Though this was challenging to get used to in the beginning
(they are so smart there, and I was a little intimidated), I have learned to
see myself as an important part of the team. One of my favorite experiments
from the internship was actually my last one, when I made a free-form flower
pot, which is completely compostable. I will be taking it home this summer and
I can not wait to test it out! I think that the whole idea of going off campus
to do an internship with a real company is such a unique and exciting
experience and privilege. I have learned so much about the inner workings of a
company like Ecovative, and how people think and create in an environment like
that. A little advice to anyone who wants to do an internship next year,
especially at Ecovative is to be totally open to new ideas. Use your creativity
to think of new products and be willing to work with others easily. It is ok to
be a little intimidated at first because they are so smart, but don’t let that
get in the way of your experience there. Converse, innovate, and immerse
yourself in everything that is science! Good Luck!
