What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

Whilst interning at Rothamsted Research, I assisted Dr. Laura Cardenas’ and Dr. Robert Dunn with their research on greenhouse gas emissions from soil. We were interested to see how tillage (a form of ploughing) affected carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide flux from soil beneath pastoral pastures used to graze lambs. To test this, 12 chambers were installed to record greenhouse gas flux from tilled and un-tilled pastures throughout the day and night. My role was to analyse emissions data collected in Summer 2014. I learned a series of statistical tests (e.g. t-test, general analyses of variance) and conversed with world-leading scientists to produce a report of greenhouse gas emissions from grazed grassland.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I overcame my fear of statistics whilst simultaneously making excellent contacts in the agricultural research field.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I contributed towards a research project by running statistical tests which lightened the work-load for my colleagues and provided them with insight into their experimental technique.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

I had very little experience of statistics before starting this internship. Therefore, it was daunting to be given a pages of Excel spreadsheets filled with data. I overcame this by thinking calmly and methodically and arranging meetings with my supervisors to explain some of the key principles.