The Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology recently welcomed Mary Eliza Beaumont as its first communications specialist student intern.
Beaumont, a senior at The University of Alabama, is majoring in communication studies with minors in political science and environmental policy pre-law. As the communications specialist student intern, Beaumont writes feature articles highlighting CIROH’s researchers and their accomplishments in the field of hydroinformatics, creates graphics for social media and works to grow CIROH’s social media presence across multiple platforms.
“Through my work at CIROH, I have been able to couple my interest in environmental affairs with my love of journalism and graphic design, resulting in an incredibly rewarding learning experience,” Beaumont said.
Beaumont has been passionate about water policy and water quality control in Alabama since her freshman year at The Capstone and is excited to be covering stories about the advancement of hydroinformatics and the greater water research community through her role as a student intern.
“Access to clean water should be a fundamental human right,” she said. “One of the many projects the researchers at CIROH are working on is to develop mapping data to track water movement throughout the United States. This is crucial information for policymakers as mean temperatures rise across the country, and I am honored to be covering such important research in my articles.”
Beaumont effectively communicates the work of UA CIROH to the 28 CIROH consortium members, faculty, staff, policymakers, students and the general public through her work on social media and the quarterly newsletter. Beaumont is mentored and overseen by CIROH Executive Director Dr. Steve Burian, communications coordinator Zach Krauss, and multimedia specialist and writer Brock Parker.
“Having the opportunity to communicate the work of CIROH in a way that is accessible and interesting to scientists and the general public alike makes me excited to come into work each day. I hope to take the skills I have garnered through working at CIROH and apply them to a similar position as a post-graduate,” Beaumont said.