Intern Blog: Jack Van Etten helps communities implement sustainable practices

Posted August 19th, 2019 in Featured, Internships, News, Sustainable Community Planning
Jack Van Etten sits in front of green bushes

Jack Van Etten interned with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) as an undergraduate of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. He is a senior majoring in Environmental Science with minors in Marine Biology and Global Communications. Funded by IISG and mentored by Kara Salazar, Van Etten was positioned at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

I spent my summer working with Purdue Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, specializing in sustainable community development. During my internship, I gained experience working with counties across the State of Indiana, aiding them as they produced plans to develop rain gardens, deal with invasive species and promote sustainable efforts.

In my time with the program, I worked on the following projects:

  • Podcast Series – In order to prepare communities to go through the Purdue Extension planning process, I created an informative podcast series that could be used for introductory material. This podcast series covered subjects such as the social determinants of health, keys to healthy eating and active living, strategizing and crafting an action plan. I had never written or produced a podcast before, so it was interesting to work through that creation process.

  • Rain Garden Templates – Working with multiple counties, I developed a template for promoting rain gardens. This was focused around making information on depth, plants, shape, composition and drainage easier for the public to access, with the goal of inspiring communities to build more rain gardens to help with stormwater drainage.

  • County Planning – To deal with controlling the spread of invasive species, I assisted Pulaski County as they started to develop an invasive species plan. To do this, we assessed the strengths of the county, the goals that they wanted to accomplish and the best strategies to accomplish these goals. This was a process that should encourage and guide the county towards a system that will help quell the push of invasive species.

Before this internship, I was unfamiliar with sustainable practices in Indiana and the planning processes that must be undertaken to get those sustainable practices going. However, over the summer I gained experience with promoting sustainability and invasive species awareness, as well as the production of plans. During my time with the IISG and Purdue Extension programs, I also got practice with networking, improving my rhetoric in a business setting, learning graphic design and performing outreach in both casual and professional settings.

I leave this program to return to my senior year at Roger Williams University, where I am majoring in Environmental Science with minors in Marine Biology and Global Communications.

Learn more about our internship opportunities online, or contact Angie Archer at (765)496-3722, amcbride@purdue.edu.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue University Extension.

IISG Instagram

Introducing the Lake Michigan Explorer!
Start exploring the varied factors that impact the Great Lakes with our Explorer Series. This searchable database of external resources can help you find hands-on activities that spark curiosity and inspire action.

✨ What’s inside?
Lesson plans, fact sheets, and reading materials
Engaging videos and visualizations
Easy-to-use filters by grade level, topic, and time.
Perfect for classrooms and informal learning, this resource empowers students to become stewards of the Great Lakes.

🔗 in bio for more.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 17993556791875462
Introducing the Lake Michigan Explorer! Start exploring the varied factors that impact the Great Lakes with our Explorer Series. This searchable database of external resources can help you find hands-on activities that spark curiosity and inspire action. ✨ What’s inside?Lesson plans, fact sheets, and reading materialsEngaging videos and visualizationsEasy-to-use filters by grade level, topic, and time.Perfect for classrooms and informal learning, this resource empowers students to become stewards of the Great Lakes.🔗 in bio for more.

Join is in welcoming our new research and reporting coordinator, Laura Esman, to the team! In her new role, Laura will oversee research competitions and manage IISG’s research portfolio. She will also spearhead IISG data collection and lead the program’s annual reporting process.

Esman brings over 30 years of experience in research, project coordination and grant administration. Her most recent positions include managing director of the Indiana Water Resources Research Center, and lab manager and research associate in the Natural Resources Social Science Lab in Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Full story at the link in bio.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 17847944430638356
Join is in welcoming our new research and reporting coordinator, Laura Esman, to the team! In her new role, Laura will oversee research competitions and manage IISG’s research portfolio. She will also spearhead IISG data collection and lead the program’s annual reporting process.Esman brings over 30 years of experience in research, project coordination and grant administration. Her most recent positions include managing director of the Indiana Water Resources Research Center, and lab manager and research associate in the Natural Resources Social Science Lab in Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.Full story at the link in bio.

There’s still time to register! Educators are invited to join the Great Lakes Region Place-Based Education Institute starting this February and dive into hands-on strategies that connect students with their communities and local environments. Don’t miss this powerful professional learning opportunity!

Learn more & register at the link in bio.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18063625076281979
There’s still time to register! Educators are invited to join the Great Lakes Region Place-Based Education Institute starting this February and dive into hands-on strategies that connect students with their communities and local environments. Don’t miss this powerful professional learning opportunity!Learn more & register at the link in bio.