Summer Internship (Paid)

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1 Summer Internship (Paid) Selected by the North Bay Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work for the seventh consecutive year, Sonoma Technology, Inc. is a well-established, employee-owned company that provides innovative, science- and technology-based solutions for our clients' air quality, meteorological, and environmental needs worldwide. Our integrated teams of atmospheric scientists, engineers, software engineers, analysts, and specialists deliver products, services, and measurements tailored to meet each client s unique needs. We are dedicated to clearly conveying relevant information to enable informed decisions by government and industry about air quality issues. We believe that our most valuable resource is our team. We offer a casual work environment, a competitive benefits package to full-time employees, and an opportunity to address intellectually challenging environmental issues. We organize a variety of inclusive activities throughout the year and enjoy a balanced and supportive culture. For more information about our culture, visit Position Responsibilities As a paid intern, you will work on a variety of projects related to air pollution and meteorology. You will handle air pollution and meteorological data (such as data gathering, processing, and quality control/quality assurance screening), analyze and graph trends and relationships in air quality and meteorology, and may assist meteorologists with air quality forecasting. The work schedule is flexible; either full- or part-time. Required Qualifications and Skills College-level coursework in one of the physical sciences (such as atmospheric or environmental science, chemistry, physics, meteorology, engineering, or related sciences) or applied mathematics Experience using computers for programming, analyzing data, and/or problem-solving (especially with MS Excel and Access) Excellent attention to detail Excellent logical, analytical, and problem-solving skills Excellent communication and teamwork skills A desire to learn To Apply Please send a letter of interest and a resume by , mail, or fax to: Cathy Anthony Sonoma Technology, Inc N. McDowell Blvd., Suite D Petaluma, CA canthony@sonomatech.com Fax: No calls please. Sonoma Technology, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. For more information, visit

2 Organic Farm Internships! Are you interested in sustainable organic agriculture? Would you like to gain handson experience at a small organic farm? Interns are needed for several projects at Singing Frog Farm, an organic farm north of Sacramento. Projects include researching, building, and installing a solar hot-water heater for the vegetable cleaning area, setting up irrigation on three 50 x50 plots and one 100 x400 plot for spring planting, investigating the feasibility and cost of converting a foddergrowing facility to micro-green production and working on icix and GAP compliance requirements (needed for selling to Raley s). Interns are also sought for ongoing operations including planting, delivering, and staffing farmer s market booths. Singing Frog Farm is looking for interns to start as soon as possible, but applications will be accepted all spring and summer. Students can start at any time. Please send a resume and a brief description of why you are interested in the position to Milt Whaley at whaleyheirlooms@gmail.com if you are interested in applying. Must have own transportation. Additional information about the specific positions is below.

3 Set up irrigation for vegetable crops at Singing Frog Farm Singing Frog, a small organic farm, uses drip irrigation to increase yields while lowering water use and reduce risk of contamination on high-risk vegetables such as tomatoes and melons. For an irrigation system to be successful, it must include proper design, correct installation, the right component selection, and the proper layout. A drip irrigation design can be customized to meet specific needs while maintaining an optimum moisture level within the root zones, efficiently conserving water that might otherwise be lost to non-growth areas, runoff, sun or wind, and providing the proper balance of water and air needed for successful plant growth. These benefits can be useful for any residential, commercial or agricultural installation, and may be critical for cities and municipalities that face water restrictions while aspiring to maintain or expand their green areas. The student will be given crop plans for three 50x50 plots plots to be planted to summer vegetable crops, and will design and install the irrigation system for these plots using drip tape and flat tube and will be connected to automatic timers. All needed tools and materials will be supplied. Supervision will be onsite, engaged in other farming activities but available for consultation/questions/assistance. The project, including research, construction and installation, will take approximately 90 hours. Preparing Singing Frog Farm for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Inspection Microbial contamination of produce can occur at any point from farm to fork. Practical and reasonable good agricultural, harvesting and post harvesting practices can be implemented on the farm to reduce the risk of food borne pathogens on produce. In order to sell produce to supermarkets and wholesalers, the farm must follow and document certain procedures and go through a third party safety review. The process also includes developing a method for instructing workers and/or volunteers on proper procedures (i.e. posters, handbook). The student will be given the guidelines and resources needed for preparing the farm for GAP inspection to facilitate produce sales to Raley s grocery stores and Produce Express wholesale restaurant supply. Supervision will be onsite, engaged in other farming activities but available for consultation/questions/assistance. The project, including research and development of GAP procedures and instructional system will take approximately 60 hours.

4 Investigate the feasibility and cost of setting up a micro greens operation for Singing Frog Farm Singing Frog, a small organic farm, is interested in setting up a micro greens operation at a neighboring property. The proposed property has in place a cooled sea-container set up for growing fodder for horses but currently is not being used and the owner is amenable to converting it to micro-green use. The student will be shown the fodder growing system currently in place and charged with researching what it will take in financial resources, materials and possible county health department inspections to convert it to a micro greens operation. If it looks like a feasible endeavor, a second step would be coming up with a plan for the conversion. Supervision will be onsite, engaged in other farming activities but available for consultation/questions/assistance. Step one and step two of this project will both take approximately 40 hours each. All needed tools and materials will be supplied. Build and install a solar hot-water heater onto the roof of the vegetable cleaning area at Singing Frog Farm One aspect of running a small organic farm is post-harvest cleaning of vegetables. They must be cleaned in a sanitary area and then stored at proper temperatures prior to shipment. While Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) protocols do not require hot water in this area, its availability will help ensure clean, germ-free hands in this stage of vegetable handling. In order to avail the farm of this amenity while not driving up the overall cost of producing vegetables, the farm wants to install a solar water heater made almost exclusively from objects already on the farm and connect it to a water line servicing an already existing sink. Plans for such projects are many and can be found on the internet. This is a project that could be replicated in many rural and third world areas for minimal cost. In this case, the on-hand materials include pieces of triple-walled polycarbonate sheeting left over from a greenhouse-building project, 1/2 poly-tubing from irrigation projects (the farm has switched to 5/8 ), on-hand lumber and 3/4 schedule 40 PVC piping. Black paint will be required and possibly an underlayment of some type of insulating material. The student will be given wide latitude in designing and installing the project. All needed tools will be supplied. Supervision will be onsite, engaged in other farming activities but available for consultation/questions/assistance. The project, including research, construction and installation, will take approximately 60 hours.

5 The Importance of Pesticides for Feeding the World LEONARD GIANESSI Consultant for CropLife Foundation Please join the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Aggie Ambassador class in welcoming Leonard Gianessi. Mr. Gianessi is a consultant for the CropLife Foundation, a research organization committed to advancing sustainable agriculture and promoting the environmentally sound use of crop protection products. DATE: Tuesday, April 29 th TIME: 12:10pm-1:00pm WHERE: Student Community Center, Meeting Room D Gianessi is an expert on pesticide use and agricultural biotechnology for pest management and will be giving a special presentation on how herbicides, pesticides and fungicides benefit our society and the ways in which they are vital to feeding our growing population. All CAES faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend!

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