Sustainability and Climate Applied Learning (SCALe) Graduate Assistant Internship

Timeline

2025

This internship ran from August 2025 to May 2026.

Description

Affiliated programs: Green Devils Intern Program, Sustainability and Climate Applied Learning Program, Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows

Summary

This position supported the Sustainability and Climate Applied Learning (SCALe) program through communications, program coordination, and stakeholder engagement. The SCALe Graduate Assistant wrote stories, created promotional content, helped plan events, and evaluated program impact. Also, this student supported development of the Climate & Sustainability Teaching (CAST) Fellows Workshop for May 2026.

Goals

Lead the coordination of an instructor training focused on C&S teaching through experiential learning / place-based learning using Duke Forest, Farm, Gardens, and Campus (a collaboration between OCS units)
Storytelling of Duke as a living lab for climate and sustainability education (through SCALe spotlights, project library profiles, social media, maps, etc.)

Experience and Learning Outcomes

This project was part of the year-long, paid Green Devils internship program managed by the Office of Climate and Sustainability. The student intern worked to develop and execute the Climate and Sustainability Teaching (CAST) Fellows Program. In developing the CAST Program, they researched and selected relevant climate and sustainability pedagogies and competencies, wrote a Call for Proposals and application, marketed the program to relevant stakeholders across Duke, reviewed and selected applications, and developed workshop materials for Fellows. This intern also wrote a SCALe spotlight highlighting experiential teaching and learning on campus. Lastly, they visited sites across campus that facilitate experiential learning in order to highlight their role, including Forest, Gardens, and geothermal drilling at Chiller Plant II

The main skills the student reported strengthening through the internship are project management and programming skills. "I have had the opportunity to make key decisions about the CAST program, engage stakeholders, adhere to a timeline, make adjustments as needed, and lead meetings with OCS partner units. I have gained confidence in my ability to lead in a professional context and will take this forward with me," shares the student.

Recommendations

Utilize collected feedback from the CAST Fellows cohort to revise the program and improve it to be more effective and impactful for future years.

Student Interns: Clare Petkash

Intern Supervisor: Emily Bilcik, Assistant Director of Sustainability & Climate Applied Learning, OCS