Welcome to Gustavus Adolphus College’s Student Stories Series!
Field Assistant at Tarfala Research Station
Major: Geography / Environmental Studies
Minor: Philosophy / Biology
1. Tell us more about your accomplishment.
I got to have an incredible experiential learning opportunity in northern Sweden this summer! I was a field assistant at Tarfala Research Station. There, I worked on a project taking the mass- balance of the glacier by programming and flying a drone that takes aerial photos. Those photos will be post-processed and used to create a digital elevation model (DEM) of the glacier that can be compared to past years to see how the glacier is changing.
2. How have the Faculty and Staff helped you become career-ready?
I had weekly meetings with my project advisor. We went through workflows, practiced programming the drone, and talked about being a field assistant.
3. What was your most meaningful experience at Gustavus, and why?
All the opportunities for hands-on learning. Whenever the world is my classroom, I always learn the best. This experiential learning opportunity was certainly incredibly impactful and helped me to envision what I want to do in the future.
4. Which college course(s) prepared you for your career and why?
Both courses in GIS, Drones Mapping and Analysis, Environment and Society, Human Geography
5. Tell us about where your journey with your accomplishment began.
I have taken 2 GIS courses and expressed much interest in continuing projects that used GIS even after the classes were over. That is when I started looking into opportunities outside the classroom, and my professor told me about being a field assistant at Tarfala, so I applied!
6. Which individual, student organization, or mentor has influenced you most and in what way?
Jeff La Frenierre has had a huge impact on me and the opportunities that have opened up for me. I have gotten to use the skills I learned inside the classroom on projects that are conducted outside the classroom. I feel like I have found the most direction for my future career from working on these projects and seeing the ways I can use my degree.
7. What advice would you give to other students or prospective students?
Take the opportunities that come. Apply to things you are interested in, connect with people who can help you reach your goals. There is a lot of work that goes on in the front end to have a successful college experience and a career after.
8. Why do you think a prospective student should consider Gustavus?
The connections between student-professor can span well beyond your days here.
