Summer Internship Program: Prince Edward County

Primary Program Area Focus: ANR

1. Describe your plans for this internship.  (i.e. What specifically will the intern be doing?)

This internship will provide hands-on experience in Extension education, horticulture programming, and community outreach, with the primary focus on supporting the Cut Flower Discussion Group programs and the annual Flower Field Day.  The intern will asssist with program planning, setup and takedown, photographing activities, supporting instruction, and processing flowers for floral design programming.  Additional horticulture-focused responsibilities include supporting Master Gardener Lunch and Learn programs, collaborating with the VSU horticulture specialist in aquaponics, and assisting with the horticulture youth summer program.  Creative and design-oriented projects will include supporting the Bloom-Off monthly floral design competition through flyer creating and theme development, assisting with the design and revitalization of the bayscape garden around the Extension office and contributing to the develoment and maintenance of the Extension education garden.  The intern may also have the opportunity to be invovled in assisting with collecting data for seed trials.

In addition to horticulture programming, the intern may occasionally assist with non-horticulture Extension programs such as livestock, crop, and hay production activities to gain a broader understanding of Extension services.  The intern will also work directly with the Extension agent to assist with hay sampling, soil sampling, and plant disease sample collection and submission.  Through these diverse experiences, the intern will develop practical skills in horticulture, event coordination applied agriculture, and Extension outreach while supporting a wide range of educational programs.

2. Describe the knowledge / skills you expect the intern to gain from this experience.

3. How will the intern learn about the breadth of VCE and our various program areas?