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| The "flerd". Sheep and cattle mixing together after being weighed on Monday. Usually the sheep stick together and the cattle stick together and they don't mix. This was a cute moment as they mixed together and grazed near each other. |
We started out our week at WMREC weighing the cattle and sheep in the grazing study. We
finally had the opportunity to use the new cattle handling system and it made the process a lot
more efficient!
On Wednesday all the interns traveled down to College Park. We participated in two leadership
workshops with Antonio Silas and Myles Alexander. Antonio’s presentation informed us about
the different types of leaders and how a good leader is able to adapt to their surroundings and
adopt a different style depending on the situation. Myles got us up out of our seats and hosted
two fun, engaging activities. The first included a tape grid on the floor with an unknown pattern
to get from one side to the other. Each participant had to reach the other side based on trial and
error and remembering the previous person's moves. The catch? Once someone is inside the
grid you can’t talk! This activity emphasized teamwork and communication amongst our cohort
of interns. The second activity involved one blindfolded partner being directed by another
partner to pick up cheese wheels in a minefield of mouse traps (unset, of course). This activity
really tested the clarity of our directions and uncovered the importance of being specific and
detailed enough to effectively communicate to you colleagues. We wrapped up Myles’ session
with a light hearted game of who to choose to survive on a sinking ship. This activity showed our
competitive side as we all discovered we really like games!
Both of these presentations worked to enhance my ideas about leadership. I had the general
characteristics of a good leader in mind, but I was not aware of the different styles of leadership.
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| Aquaponics in Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa’s lab. |
I aspire to be a primarily visionary leader. I hope to be progress focused and inspiring towards
my colleagues as we work towards a collective goal. In order to transform myself into this type
of leader, I plan on writing out my personal leadership statement. We did a rough draft during
Antonio’s presentation, but I would like to revise my draft and type it up for future reference.
On Thursday we met with many on campus researchers as we toured their labs and facilities.
We had the opportunity to view a hydroponics set up in Dr. Jose-Luis Izursa’s lab, storm water
solutions with Michael Carmichael, the research greenhouses with manager Sydney Wallace,
the plant diagnostic lab with Dr. Karen Rane, a presentation about agricultural law and policy
with Paul Goeringer and finally ended the day with a quick walk around the campus farm.
Friday ended the week with a telework day working on data entry for our pasture studies at
WMREC and CMREC.
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| Plants in the campus greenhouses we toured. |
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