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Neck Deep Learning: Interning with Quible & Associates

Hello everyone-

I’m Anna Smith. I’m a senior from Atlanta, GA majoring in Environmental Studies. This semester I had the opportunity to intern at Quible & Associates, a private environmental consulting and engineering firm. My mentor was Brian Rubino, the Vice President of Quible and a professionally licensed geologist.

Going into the internship with Quible, I had no idea what to expect, which from my perspective was kind of the point. All I knew was that I wanted a dynamic internship which would provide me with interdisciplinary opportunitiesto learn. Upon my first meeting with Brian, he too wanted me to have as expansive a learning experience as possible and proposed that instead of working on one main project, I would be involved in many different ones. As a result, my time was balanced between working at the office in Powell’s Point and out in the field across the Outer and Inner Banks.

Yours truly 

Quible & Associates, Private Consulting 

Fieldwork: 

Standing neck deep in turbid water on my first day, I distinctly remember thinking two things: 1) how in the world did I end up in this situation and 2) this is awesome. Beyond being told that I would be in waist-high (give or take) water, I did not know what I would be doing or where. As someone who tries to be organized, the lack of information initially made me nervous. But after my first day, I knew that I could trust Brian and that he would not put me in a poor position. Unlike most every other member of the cohort, I rarely knew far in advance what I’d be doing, where I would be going or with whom, or for how long. I share this element of my internship not as a complaint, but to reveal how this taught me to always be prepared for anything with Quible. I always kept a set of warm weather and cold weather field clothes in my car in addition to snacks, sunscreen, and anything else I might need.

Checking out a breakwater in Belhaven NC with Brian + Troy

Additionally, this internship revealed the power of simply showing up and fully committing to the task at hand regardless of the situation. Whether it was surveying the eroding shoreline in Swanquarter or delineating wetlands in Corolla or taking annual well samples in Merry Hill, Brian allowed me to jump right into whatever fieldwork was being done. Each day in the field was an adventure where I not only got to observe the fieldwork, but also learn on the fly by doing.

Surveying water depths at an eroding shoreline in Swanquarter, NC

Office work:

Similar to how I learned by doing in the field, I was also thrown into various office projects.To clarify, I was never sent off to work without any help. More or less, I was given some general information and resources by someone at Quible then told to give whatever task at hand a shot on my own. If I had any questions or confusion, everyone’s door was open for me to get their help. Once I felt like I had completed the work, I’d place the document in the Quible shared drive for the project manager to look over and provide feedback as needed. It was very collaborative which I appreciated, yet they also never coddled me and let me problem solve on my own which made me a better student and learner overall.

Well sampling data to be analyzed for annual DEQ report

Examples of office-related projects were filling out CAMA major/minor permits to send to the NC DEQ; stormwater drainage basin inspection permits; using county GIS data to notify adjacent landowners of CAMA projects; and using wetland delineation field notes to fill out data sheets related to the soil, hydrology, and vegetation of an area.

Elevation map for shoreline protection proposal by Quible

Engineering plans used to complete stormwater inspection report

All in all, I walk away from my time at Quible with lots of fun memories from adventures and extensive new knowledge learned. As I mentioned at the beginning, I never knew what to anticipate with my internship, but my primary goal of learning was achieved above and beyond anything I could have imagined.

Thank you to everyone at Quible for welcoming me into the firm and being willing to teach me within and beyond the scope of work. Thank you to Brian in particular for mentoring me this semester and being willing to indulge my curiosity. Lastly, thank you to Linda and Lindsay for helping arrange this opportunity along with the entire field site program.

Building Resilience Together

Erode. Adapt. Accrete. Erode. Adapt. Accrete. Take a few steps backward. Learn and adjust. Take a few steps forward.

As one might expect, we’ve been learning and exploring the nuanced disposition of the Outer Banks both inside and beyond the classroom. The word that routinely is employed to describe the ecosystem is dynamic. Always changing. Never stagnant. Though there are many causes of the coast’s fluidity, the ecological processes of erosion and accretion are large drivers of change to the shoreline.

Similarly, whether due to internal or external factors, our cohort and its characteristics are also constantly evolving. Despite having been here only 5 weeks, we’ve already experienced our fair share of erosion that has forced adaptation and ultimately led to accretion.

Erode:
A single big storm can devastate the shoreline in one fell swoop. Gradual washing away of the shoreline over time cannot be ignored, but the threat of one storm event is always present. Last week, we were hit by a cascade of positive COVID-19 cases. In any learning environment, this would have been a sizable problem to tackle, but we faced quite the challenge since our cohort not only takes the same courses but also lives together.

Testing negative together after our week of isolation

 

 

 

 

 

Socially distant porch gathering

 

Nevertheless, our group made the decision to (safely) fight the less-than-ideal circumstances. In the midst of the isolated storm, we minimized damage by organizing “socially distant” gatherings to keep the group energy alive albeit abnormally so.

Adapt:
Now that the isolation period is over, this past week allowed us to begin our re-entry process back to routine and reality. We were still in masks, and some are still recovering from the virus, but we’re moving in the right direction towards normalcy. To keep the metaphor going, we are also getting accustomed to being around each other again. Despite the numerous hours spent together, most of us have only known each other for just over a month. Prior to our spell with COVID-19, we’d established the group dynamics but were still figuring each other and our individual roles out. The isolation week provided a strange reprieve from that so this last week recommenced the process.

As one student put it “I feel physically better than I did when I had COVID-19, but I kind of got used to the isolation and being on my own. So, I’m having to gradually reengage and mentally prepare myself for the constant social interactions again.”

Accrete:
Contrary to the possibility of a lone erosion attack, the coast accretes slowly and persistently over time. (For the sake of accuracy, there are options such as beach renourishment that can build the shore up in a single action however, in this metaphor let’s pretend that it is not an option).

Ok so, how does a group accrete? Spend time and experiences together.

On Tuesday, our first day back at CSI in over 10 days, we all coordinated outfits of white shirts, jean bottoms, hats, and bare feet to see if Andy would notice (he didn’t). Thursday night we had a group wide dinner to hang out and catch up outside the walls of the house. On Friday, we had the opportunity to travel to the Great Dismal Swamp/Lake Drummond for a day-long kayaking expedition. Nothing quite bonds a group of people like a road trip and paddling around for 5 hours. This past weekend the cohort oscillated between the beach, camping, doing homework, and getting ready for the week. Activities that could be performed alone but are better together.

Going to class on Tuesday in our organized group outfit
Part of the group camping in Frisco over the weekend
Paddling through the canal to Lake Drummond on Friday
Lake Drummond

Erode. Adapt. Accrete. Erode. Adapt. Accrete. Take a few steps backward. Learn and adjust.Take a few steps forward.

Who knows what storm event is on the horizon for our cohort, but as time has progressed so too has our resiliency. One way or another we’ll get through it together.