Environmental Internships

An internship with the Division of Energy and Environment can offer a range of benefits and opportunities for someone interested in climate issues, natural resources, and public service. Working with our staff can provide hands-on experience in environmental management, policy, and regulatory practices. Plus, working at a local level can allow interns to see the direct impact of their efforts on their own community.

If you are interested in pursuing an internship opportunity with our Division, please send an email to: Sustainability@FrederickCountyMD.gov.

Here are three recent participants who have helped contribute to local environmental projects, conservation initiatives, and sustainability programs to benefit Frederick County. We hope the experiences, technical skills, and connections our interns gain are useful for future career opportunities, and we thank them for the energy and enthusiasm they bring to our work!

Emma Tarquinio

Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps Member

August 2023 - August 2024

Emma is serving a year with the Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps (CCCC), working for the Division of Energy and Environment. While growing up, her early inspiration was found watching storms with her father and being fascinated by the weather. She thought she would be a meteorologist, but plans shifted when she began her college career at Salisbury University. While she loved the science behind climate and weather, Emma became more fascinated about what she could do with the knowledge she gained to effect change. Switching to a political science major, she became enthralled by government and policy work. With a minor in environmental studies, Emma combined her two passions of weather/climate and community engagement.

During her final years in college, Emma became an Americorp/Shorecorps member and led a capstone project that targeted improvements to stormwater runoff and impervious surfaces within the Salisbury community. She collaborated with five major partners across the nonprofit, local, and state government sectors and was able to convert 16,000 sqft of impervious surface into green space. Emma's team planted grass and trees and installed rain barrels with the assistance of $7,000 in grant funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. The project received recognition from Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

Emma pursued a CCCC position because she believes it will be a great opportunity to learn more about what she wishes to pursue in her professional future. She hopes to expand on what she already knows and continue working towards career success, focusing on her passions of community outreach, environmental policy, and restoration.

Abbie Peterson

Summer 2023 and 2024

DEE was fortunate to work with Abbie for two consecutive summers. A native of Frederick County, she attends college at Stevenson University, located in Owings Mills, MD and will begin her senior year in the fall of 2024. Abbie is majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Criminal Justice. She is involved in the Leadership Scholar program, President of the Environmental Science Club, is a Student Ambassador, and member of the Biological Honor Society, Tri-Beta.

In her first summer, Abbie worked with both the Department of Stormwater and the Department of Climate and Energy. This gave her the opportunity to see the individual projects in each department and how the two sides of the agency interact with one another. She spent time in the field and in the office, created social media and educational outreach materials, collaborated with the Parks and Recreation Division to coordinate tree plantings, and utilized GIS skills learned in college to make maps for multiple projects.

In her second summer, Abbie worked solely with the Department of Stormwater. She assisted with various stormwater projects, such as pond retrofits, tree planting programs, stream restorations, illicit discharge detection, and participated in developing the Storm Drain Marking Program. She also attended the Chesapeake Water Environment Association Conference. Abbie says that spending two internship periods with DEE helped "solidify my career dreams." After graduation, she hopes to work in county government, helping to maintain compliance with stormwater permits.

In her own words, Abbie says "Working with DEE the past two summers has been extremely beneficial during my journey through college, helping me grow both professionally and personally. DEE has also opened my eyes to all the programs offered to Frederick County citizens to help them better protect the environment. Every year it has become harder for me to go back to school as the members of this Division have welcomed me into their family with open arms. I hope to continue to express my thanks to the members of this division for these amazing opportunities."

Sean Schaefer

Summer 2024

Sean is a Frederick County native in his sophomore year at Washington University in St. Louis. His academic interests mostly revolve around the environment, and he hopes to major in environmental science. When Sean wanted to explore those interests outside of school, interning with DEE was a perfect opportunity. During his summer, Sean assisted staff across various work across the Department of Climate and Energy and the Department of Stormwater.

On the stormwater side, Sean gained experience mapping a stream that contributes to the Frederick watershed, reviewed ongoing and potential stormwater management projects, completed a tree count for a new planting part of the Creek ReLeaf program, and spent time in the field with project managers. With Climate and Energy staff, Sean worked on Frederick County's power management and electric vehicle implementation efforts and even test-drove hydrogen fuel cell and electric battery-powered trucks (which was "one of the coolest things I did with DEE.") Beyond his field experiences, Sean's internship provided his first experience working in an office environment where he participated in planning sessions, led a meeting, and gave a PowerPoint presentation to staff.

His experience made him much more aware of the efforts that go into supporting DEE’s projects, whether through community engagement or securing funding to support projects. According to Sean, "What I’ve loved most about working with DEE has been learning about all the incredible initiatives that are going on to make our local community more sustainable, and I have come to appreciate them even more after seeing the effort put into these to make them possible. Whether it is by following state guidelines, listening to community feedback, or being the first local county to start a new sustainability project, there are so many avenues that the people at DEE work on diligently to improve the county. For example, something I am much more aware of now is the process of getting grants; it takes immense amounts of coordination just to apply for them, not to mention the work that comes after getting approved."

Our staff enjoyed working with Sean, and he reflected that, "Every person I worked with was extremely kind and welcoming. Many set aside their own time to teach me more about the work they do, as well as give me projects so I could get more experience. Overall, I am very glad that I interned for DEE and am very grateful for all the opportunities to try new things it has given me."