The council has three interns, two college and one high school, hard at work on projects this spring.
Ashana Armstrong began taking the Alaska Oil Spill Curriculum on the road, with two days of programs at the Whittier School in January. She plans to head next to Port Graham and Homer, followed by Cordova and Kodiak later this spring. Armstrong is a senior at Alaska Pacific University studying marine biology. Ashana Armstrong is working with Lisa Matlock, the council’s outreach coordinator, and the Information and Education Committee.
Seth Suydam began his research into the current and historical properties of Alaska North Slope crude oil. Suydam is from Seldovia, and is curently a junior studying petroleum engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Suydam will report on his findings at the board meeting in May. Seth Suydam is working with Austin Love, project manager for terminal operations, and the Terminal Operations and Environmental Monitoring Committee.
Cadi Moffitt, senior at Cordova High School is sharing her green crab and tunicate invasive species monitoring work with fellow Cordova students this spring. She will begin monitoring the Cordova area for aquatic invasive species soon after. Cadi Moffitt is working with Joe Banta, the council’s science project manager and the Scientific Advisory Committee.
“These internships allow Ashana, Seth, and Cadi to gain experiences that will benefit them in their future career, while helping us do work related to our mission,” said Lisa Matlock, outreach coordinator for the council.