NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium office
May 20 – July 29, 2019
Goals of your project/s:
This summer I was the communications and outreach intern for the NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium. So, the goal of my project was assisting them with all their public relations/communications needs and working to be helpful to the organization in whatever ways I could be.
Describe what you did during the internship.
During the summer I worked on a variety of projects, some of which I included in the graphic on the right. I interviewed ISGC alumni and newly graduated students in order to create stories that highlighted their experiences with the ISGC and their career paths. For alumni, I put the story on our website and for new graduates, I turned the story into a social media graphic that went on our Facebook page. I created a poster detailing past interns’ projects that is now hanging up in Howe Hall, the aerospace engineering building at Iowa State University. The goal of that was to catch passing students’ eyes so they can see all the opportunities the ISGC offers. I wrote news releases and helped with social media promotion for news and events the ISGC wanted to disseminate. I redesigned the ISGC logo; this was my favorite project from the summer. Before this, I had no idea how much I enjoyed design and it was so fun to create something like that. I assisted with internal communication between the ISGC and its affiliates, and between the ISGC and the other interns placed at NASA centers. This internship was so helpful in showing me how strategic communication can be used in a variety of ways within an organization.
Did you achieve your goals? What were the results and conclusions?
Yes, I feel great about how my summer with the ISGC went. I wish I had gotten even more alumni and new graduate stories out but I am working here this fall semester so I can continue both of these projects. Other than that, I am happy with the level of engagement most of my social media posts received and would like to continue to find ways to boost our online presence. As for my personal goals, I definitely feel like I had growth this summer professionally and learned so much from my mentors and experiences.
Describe positive lessons learned from this experience:
I learned a lot about the internal workings of an organization that is structured like the ISGC. I got to see how strategic communication plays a role in a variety of ways. I also learned so much about the Adobe Suite and how to use each application better through trial and error. Finally, I saw how the people you work with can be the make or break for if you enjoy your job. Good coworkers are more important than any other aspect of a job, in my opinion. I feel super lucky to work with the people I did.
Describe negative lessons learned from this experience:
I can’t say I had many negative experiences this summer at all. Sometimes, hitting roadblocks on projects or not finding solutions to issues with ease was frustrating but in the end, it all helped me grow.