Global Change Education Program with Luke Armbruster
The Global Change Education Program is a ten-week internship experience taking place at various national laboratories and universities to conduct biological and environmental research. The internship is provided by the Department of Energy which sponsors SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) and GREF (Graduate Research Environmental Fellowships). These programs pair the intern with a professional mentor to
perform
research in atmospheric sciences, environmental monitoring/ planning, biological sequestration, earth systems modeling as well as social, behavioral, and economic studies.
Humboldt State University senior, Luke Armbruster, was accepted to SURE on two occasions as a research assistant to estimate methane emissions in California at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Luke participated in CALGEM, which is the California greenhouse gas measurement project, to account for errors in wind velocity measurements and mixing gas ratios. In order to calculate these quantities, he was required to learn a unique programming language called "R", which aided in the process of analyzing raw data. These measurements were then introduced into models and graphs which Luke used to create a presentation for his SURE final project.
While Luke was an intern with the Global Change Education Program he was assigned Dr. Marc Fisher, scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as his mentor for the duration of the program. Dr. Fisher provided Luke with sample materials to prepare him for the internships, introduced him to the position’s necessary responsibilities and supervised his actions. Although the aid of a mentor was very valuable, the work Luke was participating in was new research which impaired the competency of the research group since there wasn't experienced personnel in the to learn with.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program is a stressful and meticulous internship, yet provides valuable research knowledge and a great addition to a resume. During the internship, Luke was required to work for approximately 8 to 10 hours a day interpreting raw data. Compensation for the labor included a $475/wk stipend and living accommodations. The curriculum created a complex but realistic approach to real-life research problem solving which, according to Luke, "well worth it in the long run". According to Luke, Humboldt State University’s Environmental Resource Engineering program had helped him immensely to prepare for this opportunity through instruction in computational methods as well as becoming accustomed to the busy engineering study pace.
In order to participate in the Global Change Education Program, the applicant must satisfy the following requirements:
1. Be a sophomore or junior
2. Have a GPA of 3.0 or better
3. Be a US citizen
4. Send 3 letters of recommendation
5. Send university transcripts
Twenty students are chosen each year to participate in either the SURE of GREF programs. If you are interested in obtaining further information, please follow the links provided on the left section.