Environmental geoscience major serves as land-use consultant

As an environmental consultant at Ohio State University, Mazvita Chikomo ’22 collected and analyzed data on lakes, along with educating the public on aesthetic water management. She worked with Audrey Sawyer, associate professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University, who focuses on hydrogeology and groundwater interactions. This APEX Fellowship position allowed Chikomo to learn the technological skills needed for her senior Independent Study at The College of Wooster and network with other students.

“My fellowship mentor helped me realize the small contributions I was making that I may have usually overlooked.” 

—Mazvita Chikomo

How did you learn about the internship opportunity for your APEX Fellowship? Why was the position a good fit for you? 

“I learned about this internship opportunity through my junior Independent Study advisor, Professor Shelley Judge [associate professor and department chair of earth sciences]. She connected me with Professor Audrey Sawyer at The Ohio State University who specializes in hydrology. This gave me the opportunity to learn the software required for my I.S. while creating groundwater models for Mirror Lake, located on their campus. We then used this information to educate people on the impacts of human management of water bodies on groundwater systems.”

What interests you most about the work you did? What were some of the things you did each day? 

“What interested me the most was seeing what a successful mentorship in graduate school looked like. Because of my internship, my advisor allowed me to attend graduate school group meetings, watch a master’s thesis defense, and I was able to network with both graduate and undergraduate students.”

Who was your Fellowship mentor and how did they help you to succeed in this position?

“My fellowship mentor was Professor Wingard [associate professor and department chair of English] she helped me to be successful in this internship by helping me reflect on my experience in our weekly reflections. She prompted me to analyze my position in the internship and how I am contributing to the big picture of work, society, and even the world. It helped me realize the small contributions I was making that I may have usually overlooked.”

How has the internship helped you to see what’s next for you? 

“This internship helped me solidify my plans of going to graduate school right after graduation. It also helped me realize that I really do want to pursue a career in hydrology. Being in this internship allowed me to publish an abstract for the Fall Meeting of The Geological Society of America where I will be presenting a poster during Fall break.”

Posted in Experiential Learning on November 5, 2021.