Intern, WBUR Radio Boston

Grant Recipient: Maddie Neufeld ‘12

Major: American Studies

Organization: Radio Boston, WBUR

Location: Boston, MA

For the past two months I have been interning at WBUR’s Radio Boston, a daily radio show that deals with news, stories, music and more as it relates to Boston and the region. As an intern I am basically helping to get the show on the air by performing research, booking guests, going out and “getting sound,” gathering archival sound, editing audio, pitching story ideas, and writing scripts. The environment of a daily news show is both exciting and nerve-wracking. Every day a show must air live from 3-4 pm no matter what. But this also means that each day brings new topics and new tasks. For example, the other day I co-produced a segment on backyard chickens in Boston and had to teach myself all about this emerging trend in poultry keeping. I doubt that I would otherwise have had the chance or the time to educate myself on such an eccentric, yet fascinating topic. Working at NPR’s Boston Station has taught me to always be on my toes, ready and flexible for what the day’s news might bring. It has also helped me understand how to tell stories through the news. How to use sound to convey an experience, person or scene. How to frame an issue or story so that it takes root and gets people talking. And, how to write short sentences.

About the photo: This is the Radio Boston whiteboard where producers and hosts schedule the week’s segments. Thursday the 16^th looks particularly full—not all those segments were lucky enough to make it to air. Though the board doesn’t reflect it, Wednesday the 15^th was a breaking news day! Almost all of the segments were cut or postponed.

Preservation Intern, Library of Congress

Grant Recipient: Alexandra Lamb’13

Major: English, Anthropology

Organization: Library of Congress, Collections Care Section

This summer I volunteered in the Collections Care Section of the Library of Congress, treating books from the Library’s general collection — essentially, all the non-rare books in the Library that were printed after about 1800. Huge numbers of books go through CCS, so in addition to learning their various techniques for repairing damaged spines, recasing books in their original covers, and creating entirely new cases for books, I also learned ways to increase my efficiency while still being as thorough as possible. While getting used to commuting and working 9-to-5 took a while, I loved working at the Library; they have a large, well-stocked lab, and it’s incredibly satisfying to take a book that’s falling apart and put it back together again.

Independent Project, Perm Culture, Agro Forestry and Sustainability

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Grant Recipient: Class of 2013

Major: Biology, Science in Society

Experience: Independent Project, Perm culture, Agro forestry and Sustainability

Location: India

Sarang Hills is the home of the founders of the Sarang School. It is located near a small town Gorlikadau, in the southern state Kerala. Father and Mother (as they are known to the students) began in 1983 to restore the forest on the hill and thus repair the ecological damage that has been brought about due to erosion, forest fire, and lack of proper education concerning the ecosystem. By strategically planting bamboo plants within the area the forest has returned and with it the wild life. This was extremely important because within Kerala there are 27 rivers, and each river becomes little more than a trickle during the dry season. Thus, the work here has managed to maintain the local river during the dry season by restoring the forest, and thus replenishing the ground water. I am currently learning more about the ecology of the region, the local history and response to these changes, and the political consequences of this nature. I am currently helping construct a house, working in the gardens, and documenting the wild flora and fauna. Because this is a school, there are students that both board and commute to the school. I've been learning more about the philosophy behind the teaching here at Sarang, and have begun to formulate a better understanding of what education means to me personally. I feel that the life style and message that the school represents is one of incredible value for those who are willing to explore it.

Intern, Bitone Children's Center

Grant Recipient: AhDream Smith ‘12

Major: American Studies

Organization: Bitone Children’s Center

Location: Uganda

My summer experience has been working with the dance troupe of the Bitone Children center to educate members of the community on preventative methods against malaria through music, drama, and dance. Although the government sends workers to come to the various communities, the support and consistency is not enough. With malaria being one of the top killers in Uganda, the most effective and direct method is preventative care. This experience thus far, has been such an eye-opening experience in relation to government setup, policies, health care systems and so much more.

Intern, Boardwalk Empire, HBO

Grant Recipient: Daniel Obzejta ‘12

Major: Film Studies

Organization: Boardwalk Empire, HBO

Location: New York, NY

As an intern on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, I have had the
unique opportunity to work with the different departments at each
stage of production so as to gain a better understanding of how a
successful television show is run smoothly and efficiently. Every few days I cycled through a new department to shadow someone who explained to me not only their specific job, but also the general aim of their department and how it fits into the larger production pipeline. In all of these cases, the people who I worked with treated this as a learning opportunity for me and served as teachers/advisers rather than a chance to assign me menial tasks. In the production office, I was able to help the show run behind the scenes and see how call sheets are made up for each day of shooting, how actors timesheets are filed and registered, and how script changes are made and distributed.
I went on location scouts with the department heads, sat in on
director’s meetings, watched dailies, and read script drafts. In the post-production office I spent time with editors, sound editors, and special effects supervisors, learning their system for editing, mixing sound, and preparing the visual effects needed for each episode. After I cycled through most of the show’s departments, I began work as an additional production assistant on set, working intimately with the cast and the crew to help the show run as smoothly and efficiently as I can. Although I have a few more weeks left in my internship, this
has without a doubt been the most rewarding, illuminating, and helpful experience of my budding professional career, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity this grant has given me.