“You get paid to have fun—what more could you want?” said Amelia Tappler, a current high school senior from Douglasville, Ga., who attended the program this summer.
Some of the activities the program’s attendees participated in this summer were exploring wetlands science, a field trip to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, and catching and tagging turtles.
“Environmental science is so unique in that we have so many disciplines that whether you are gravitating towards chemistry or you are gravitating towards ecology, there’s a place for you in environmental science,” Byl said.
Tappler, who has been president of her high school’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) club, said her interest in environmental science piqued during COIVDCOVID-19 lockdowns when she got into gardening.
“I just really fell in love with growing things and creating life in your own backyard,” said Tappler.
She learned about TSU’s Summer Apprenticeship Program through her uncle, who saw her knack for the sciences and encouraged her to apply.
“I really want a job that has me in the field, and not inside too often,” explained Tappler of her career aspirations.
This United States Geological Survey news article "USGS scientist fosters the future of STEM at Tennessee State University" was originally found on https://www.usgs.gov/news
