Manchester College biology and environmental studies majors get real world experience in a variety of settings, serving internships on and off campus. On campus, students research issues such as environmental impact on wildlife habitats and recycling for the solid waste district. Off campus, students participate in active roles for the U.S. Forest Service and The Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Recent internships have placed students in positions at private consulting firms, Purdue University, and the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

Jami Schrader spent last summer working at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

"This summer at the aquarium I got many experiences. While I was there, I learned how to manage an aquarium, saw a sting ray get bit by blacktip reef sharks,had a stingray die, got to do a necropsy on a stingray, had two baby sharks hatch and got one baby shark named after me. Those were only a few of the major things I experienced."

"On a typical day, we would first clean the gallery and get it ready for the public. We would then hatch out brine shrimp to feed the jellyfish and get the next batch ready for the next day. After that we would measure the salenity and temperatures of all 12 tanks. Then we would prepare the food for the sharks and fish. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday we fed the sharks so we would clean fish, shrimp, squid, clams and mussels for them to eat. The reef fish ate every day, so we would have to cut up their food into small pieces. Then, after all that, we would have bigger jobs/projects to do the rest of the day. Some of the projects were, cleaning all the tanks, mixing artificial seawater, doing backwashes on the larger exibit tanks, or doing a dive show."

Casey Jones and Torryn Heffelfinger spent the summer of 2006 surveying bird populations and vegetation in Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood State Forests in southern Indiana. "We collected data for the Hardwood Ecosystem Evaluation (HEE) project, which was conducted by Purdue University's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. Other projects included within the HEE research were; amphibian cover boards, insect traps, and mast traps." Casey also worked in the Hoosier National Forest collecting data for the Breeding Bird Survey. Casey (left) and Torryn (right) are pictured here with Black Rat Snakes.

Bruce Bainbridge worked as a fisheries technician for the US forestry service under the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the Shawnee National Forest located in Southern Illinois.

"I was part of a four-person crew that concentrated on sampling three watersheds. Sampling involved first, water quality data (pH, TDS, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature) then, shocking (backpack shocker) or seigning nearly 100 meters of a stream and collecting as many fish as we could and recording the species and length. Next, habitat work was completed that involved dividing the stream into three sections; run, riffle, or pool. Each section was then divided into three equal transects and the width was taken and the depth at three locations along transects. It was a good experience and i would recommend it as a good entry level position leading to other governmental careers."