The Lives of the Let’s Talk Science Summer Students: All Good Things Must Come to an End
Hi, it’s Gray, your friendly neighbourhood Let’s Talk Science communications intern. I am sad to say on behalf of myself and all the summer students that our wonderful summer is nearing its end. It’s been a wild ride, from conferences to interviews to seeing my name on the Let’s Talk Science website—I have never had so much fun. I know my fellow interns have also had a wonderful time, so I decided to sit down and chat with them one final time to reflect on the last four months.
How do you feel about the summer coming to an end?
Carson (Marketing): I’m kind of sad; summer is the best time of the year. The internship has been really fun, and it just flew by, but it was a great experience.
Dawson (Youth and Volunteer Experience): I am both happy to move on to other things and sad that my time at Let’s Talk Science is ending. I genuinely enjoyed my time this summer and, hopefully, I will have a chance to cross paths with the organization in the future! I feel bittersweet about the whole situation.
Darrell (Digital Development): I’m feeling a bit sad but hopeful at the same time. I’ve chatted with my boss quite a bit about my future, and I hope there will be more openings that will allow me to return to Let’s Talk Science down the road. Regardless of whether or not I return, I am very appreciative of the time I’ve spent here.
Jessica (Youth and Volunteer Experience): I’m very sad that the summer is coming to an end. This summer has been amazing, and I love this job so much. We’ve had so much fun doing outreach with kids, so it’s all a little bittersweet, but I’m excited for the next chapter.
Idelin (Youth and Volunteer Experience): I wish my contract were longer! I’ve been really enjoying the opportunity to work from home, and doing what I studied has been so fulfilling and nice. I’m stoked that I had the opportunity to work for Let’s Talk Science.
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This fall, I will be returning to Western University to finish my Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing and starting a new role as the Western Student Writer-in-Residence. While this summer has been a blast, I can’t deny that I’m excited to return to school, especially with all the new knowledge and skills I’ve gained over the past four months. I asked what my fellow interns will be getting up to this September.
What are your plans for the fall?
Carson: I’m heading back to school. I have another term at Fanshawe College done in December, and after that, I’ll be starting another co-op.
Dawson: My plans for the fall are to return to university in Windsor for my fifth and final year—hopefully graduating by Christmas 2023 but if not, I'll just ride out the full two semesters.
Darrell: I think I will be going back to school at Fanshawe College to obtain a postgraduate degree in video game development. It’s only a one-year course, so it’ll give me time to flesh out where I’m going.
Jessica: This fall, I’m moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia. I got accepted into the Faculty of Education at Mount St Vincent University. I’m planning on being a primary school teacher.
Idelin: I’ll be turning 26. I’ve been thinking about going back to school and upgrading some courses so I can go into teaching because I think I’d like to be a high school English teacher.
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Over the summer, I got to interview a dozen different people for articles, and every single one taught me something new. From exploring dark matter at CERN to experimenting with slime mould to living and working in Nunavut, all the people I talked to had such interesting stories and hearing them was by far my favourite part of working at Let's Talk Science this summer. But of course, I was curious about what my fellow summer students loved the most!
What was your favourite part of working at Let’s Talk Science?
Carson: I loved learning from more experienced people. You can learn a lot in school, but learning from people in the industry who have worked in these positions for a while is super helpful.
Dawson: My favourite part of working at Let’s Talk Science was helping to spread scientific knowledge and interacting with youth. Coming from a non-scientific family, I understand that science education is extremely important. Helping to be a part of the spread of scientific knowledge has been impactful for me and is the most memorable part of Let’s Talk Science.
Darrell: The work culture and the people who make that happen. Within my first week, I was playing Among Us with some of my coworkers, and I got to get a sense of the person behind the worker. It was refreshing to see the community that Let’s Talk Science has already cultivated.
Jessica: I think my favourite part was getting to do outreach with some of my favourite people. I’ve gotten close with coworkers, and it’s been so much fun getting to go on rural trips or doing events around the city with each other. It’s just been so much fun getting to teach science with some great people.
Idelin: My team! My team was super great. And I had a good manager, and this might be the first time I’ve ever said that.
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While I loved every single project I got to focus on and every article I got to write, the most fun project had to be my summer student stories. I loved meeting my fellow interns from all across the country working in all different areas of Let’s Talk Science.
What was the most exciting project/event that you worked on this summer?
Carson: I did an SEO audit of our website. It was a 15-page report, but it was fun. I went into the website and reviewed everything that is on there: the content, how the website works, how it performs, and how users interact with it. I then wrote the report with my conclusions on how well the website was built and some recommendations for improvement.
Dawson: Probably the most exciting things I contributed to were running the Let’s Talk Science booth at the Science Rendezvous at Western University and the London Hyde Park Pond Fest. For Western, I helped introduce the concept of non-Newtonian fluids at our booth, and at Pond Fest, I demonstrated microscopy skills and showed different biological specimens ranging from butterfly wings to hairs. I enjoyed seeing the interest and excitement on the children's faces as they saw these science concepts for themselves.
Darrell: I liked working in the back end and seeing how my work changed the web pages and made them more accessible.
Jessica: We had so many good events. It is really hard to pick my favourite, but I think the regatta has to be my choice. The Royal St. John’s Regatta was the first Wednesday in August, and it was a huge event, with around 20-30 thousand people around the event. We had a booth set up there where we did booth activities with kids and anyone who wanted to stop in and do some science.
Idelin: Definitely the Daily Discovery series. It was pretty much what I was working on every week. Making content for kids is fun because you have to make it fun, which means the videos are fun to edit, so that was a great time!
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I know we all feel very fortunate to have spent the summer working at Let’s Talk Science, and I believe anyone would have an amazing time with this organization. If you’re interested in science, education, or even just helping out an amazing organization, Let’s Talk Science is the place for you. Don’t be afraid to volunteer at your school or in your community, and keep an eye out on the job boards for some awesome opportunities!
Do you have any advice for students who want to work at Let’s Talk Science in the future?
Carson: There are a lot of jobs and internships that people do because they have to, but at Let’s Talk Science, it’s a little bit more fun, the people are very friendly, and it’s a welcoming environment. So, I would say go for it if you can, and enjoy it because it’s a great place to work.
Dawson: My advice for future students is to reach out and see where help is needed within the company. Let’s Talk Science has a very welcoming staff and needs as much help as it can get—in all disciplines. Let’s Talk Science loves working with students, and if you show passion for the company and an overall interest in science education, you'll be a perfect fit, regardless of your discipline!
Darrell: If you’re a perpetual learner, then this organization is right for you. Anyone who wants education to be more accessible would enjoy working here. You get to see the impact of the knowledge you share. So come into it with an open mind and be ready to learn.
Jessica: I cannot recommend it enough if you are looking for something fun and challenging. I think this is a great volunteer and/or job opportunity to help familiarize yourself with different science concepts. The people involved are amazing and helpful, and it’s definitely worth it to get involved with Let’s Talk Science.
Idelin: Advocate for yourself, ask for what your time is worth, be honest about your abilities and your time, and participate in organization events—they’re nice because you get to meet people and make connections.
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I just couldn't help myself from throwing in one silly question just for the fun of it!
What is your favourite planet and why?
Carson: Probably Mars. It’s close by, and maybe we could live there.
Dawson: I'll go with Jupiter due to its name’s mythology and its overall meaning in literature. Also, Gustav Holst's "Jupiter" from his Planets Suite is an amazing piece of music that I feel anyone interested in studying or making music should listen to!
Darrell: Earth—it’s a pretty boring answer, but we're here. In our immediate solar system, there’s nothing else like us, so we’re pretty special and unique.
Jessica: I think my favourite planet is Jupiter because I love the colours. I think it’s a very beautiful planet.
Idelin: Oh, this is an easy one—I like Neptune. I just like how blue it is. Also! Neptune has rings, which we just got pictures of recently, and I think that is so cool. We didn’t know that when I was growing up, but lo and behold, it has five rings!
And my favourite planet is Venus, named after the Roman goddess of love. So there it is: Summer at Let’s Talk Science is complete! It’s been a wonderful journey. I’ve met so many insightful people, worked with some incredible leaders, and learned so much. I hope you have had fun learning about the lives of the Let’s Talk Science Summer Students!