Environmental science major scores internship with state parks

F or Georgia College & State University senior Sydney Irons, persistence paid off in the form of a summer internship with Red Top Mountain State Park in Acworth, Georgia-part of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

This year was Irons' second with the state park system and her first with a new title: naturalist intern.

Irons ran reptile programming for all ages at the state park.
"I'm responsible for creating public programs and interacting with the public," Irons, an environmental science major, said. "Whenever someone's got a question, they ask me. My things are hikes, a lot of reptile stuff and bug things, but I do arts and crafts for kids, too."

She scored her spot after working as a reptile caretaker at a park closer to Milledgeville. After some encouragement from her boss there, patience and an email led to her favorite job yet.

"I loved working there, interacting with people and showing people that nature is cool," Irons said. "I would go to reptile shows as a kid, and now I get to be the person leading those-it's amazing. People have come back again and again to hang out with me, whether it be arts and crafts or night hikes."
Sydney leads hikes in which she displays wildlife for guests to observe.
"I bring in a lot of bugs, and always bring out the reptiles to let people hold things they would never have thought about holding before, and they tell me they didn't even know they were outside," she said.

As a biology minor with the goal to become a professor, Irons is passionate about promoting education-even if that topic might be scary to some. Over the summer, she's helped more than a few people overcome their fears.

"I've grown up being an outdoorsy kid and I've always loved reptiles and the weird, creepy crawlies outside," Irons said. "I think they're fascinating, these things that live so much differently than I do. It's so cool to nerd out all day long and do what I've always done. But now I get paid to do it."
Red Top Mountain State Park.
She walks the walk.

On campus, Irons is heavily involved in mentored undergraduate research. She's in the middle of a project to test millipede marking techniques with Dr. Bruce Snyder, associate professor of Biology. She's working with fluorescent powder to mark and track the activities of millipedes over time.

Between growing her confidence at the state park and collecting scores of millipedes for the lab, it's clear Irons will be a prepared leader by the time she graduates.

"I encourage more people to get involved with this kind of work, because it's really cool," Irons said. "If you're interested in the outdoors or history, this is the perfect field to go into."

"It's good to go on hikes, be curious and ask questions," she said, "because curiosity is the biggest motivator for learning."

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