I can’t believe how fast this summer has gone by, and that this is my fourth week interning with Smith Management Group. Last week I was working on a variety of different projects, while this week I mainly focused on researching the Kentucky Macroinvertebrate Bioassessment Index (MBI). The state uses the MBI to determine if a stream or watershed is impaired, based on a number of measureable biological attributes or metrics. Last summer I did research at Sewanee testing water quality from a chemical perspective, so it was interesting to see the biological side of determining water quality. I realized that there are many variables that contribute to the final MBI score, and heavily depend on correct sampling procedures.
Since I am used to thinking about the environment with a science oriented mindset, researching government procedures and policy has really expanded my range of thinking and introduced me to a completely different aspect of protecting and conserving our environment.