Summer Science Internship Program

Each year Great Pond Foundation (GPF) engages college interns to assist with the Ecological Monitoring Program and other initiatives related to maintaining and preserving healthy coastal ecosystems.

GPF is committed to scientific data collection, much of which involves assessing water quality in Edgartown Great Pond and Chilmark Pond, as well as other similar coastal ponds on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. In addition to monitoring water quality of coastal ponds, interns will help with MV CYANO, a cyanobacteria monitoring program. The Summer Science Interns will spend 75% of their time in the field and 25% of their time in the lab working directly with GPF scientists and staff to successfully implement these projects.

Interns will also support occasional summer outreach activities hosted by GPF for stakeholders of all ages.

Anna is a junior at the University of Vermont, majoring in Biological Sciences and English. In the future, she hopes to produce works like those of Aldo Leopold and Edward Abbey. She has been coming to Martha’s Vineyard for many years and is excited to gain an enriched understanding of the beautiful ecosystems present. Anna has previously worked in environmental education and is thrilled to be expanding her research skill repertoire, while continuing practices of community outreach and environmental action.

When she is not at GPF, Anna can likely be found swimming in cold water, riding her bike barefoot, foraging, or climbing high up in trees. Learn about Anna’s Summer Science Internship experience!

Ben has maintained a fascination with our coastal ecosystems from his summers spent in the natural beauty of the Cape and Islands. He graduated from Connecticut College in 2022 with a B.A. in Biochemistry and minors in Applied Statistics and Computer Science. He was redirected back towards environmental conservation after an internship in 2021, with Dr. Rosa’s Lab, constructing artificial reefs and studying coral and mangrove ecology in the British Virgin Islands.

Since graduating Ben has held a variety of seasonal conservation positions: environmental education with REEF in Key Largo, Diamondback Terrapin nest protection as well as two seasons of cold stun sea turtle rescue with Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay, and undergraduate research coordination with Chincoteague Bay Field Station in Wallops Island Virginia. These experiences have allowed Ben to observe the challenges facing our coastal communities and inspired him to focus his career on protecting these fragile ecosystems.

Ben is excited to join Great Pond Foundation this summer as part of their Resilient Ecosystem Mentorship.

Kendall was raised in Illinois and spent her summers traveling to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, where she developed her love and appreciation for the ocean and all beings that dwell there. This inspired her to pursue a B.S. in Animal Ecology, focusing on Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from Iowa State University. While earning her degree, she studied abroad in Turks and Caicos as part of the School for Field Studies, where she did research on Queen Conch population abundance inside and out of marine protected areas, and coral biodiversity on tropical reefs.

At Iowa State University she worked in a lab where she conducted studies on stream bank erosion, and the roll macroinvertebrates play in assessing water quality. In 2021, Kendall joined the Great Pond Foundation as a summer intern and helped launch the MV CYANO monitoring program. She came back in the summer of 2025 as the Field and Laboratory Technician and has now joined our year-round staff as the Science Engagement Manager!