2020 Summer Interns

Bethany Whitten

Coming from Washington state, I grew up outside in the Pacific NW and enjoy many outdoor activities such as skiing, surfing and scuba diving. I’m a third-generation beaver (go beavs!), and as an undergraduate at OSU, I’m studying oceanography and marine biology. I’m involved in the Christian organization “Cru” on campus and get to spend time serving and ministering to freshmen women. I will be the Aquatic Microbiology intern this summer. My whole life I’ve been drawn to the ocean and I am eager to make a career out of this passion!

Favorite cartoon: Barney

Favorite escape place: on my surfboard in the ocean

Favorite comfort food: grilled cheese sandwich

Carlos Avendano 

I'm a junior at Oregon State University studying Marine Biology. The MSI I have chosen for this summer is the Ocean Acidification Awareness internship. This internship focuses on interviewing the public about ocean acidification and collecting data based on their responses. There is an emphasis on social marketing to conduct research on the visitor's values, knowledge and awareness pertaining to ocean acidification. I'm looking forward to living by and working at the coast for the summer as the internship is based at the Oregon coast aquarium. Since this MSI is conversational in nature, I will need to approach visitors in the aquarium and ask if they'd like to participate. I hope to improve my public speaking skills and presentation of scientific information to the public.

My favorite comic book character is Batman.

My favorite escape place is my kitchen and my favorite comfort food is Empanadas.  

Tom McCambridge

My name is Tom McCambridge and I am a junior studying marine biology and chemistry at OSU. I am originally from San Jose, California. I will be interning at the Port Orford Field Station this summer, helping to communicate the benefits and better understand the uses of the Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve in southern Oregon. I am very excited to get a better understanding of the effects that conservation efforts can have on communities that depend on natural resources. Hopefully, this will allow me to find a balance between benefiting the environment and ensuring the well being of people as marine conservation becomes more urgent.

I would have to say that my favorite cartoon character is Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. My favorite escapes are through art and music, and my favorite comfort food would have to be a good chocolate cake.

Maia Insinga 

I'm Maia Insinga and I am from Lake Oswego, OR. I enjoy surfing, camping, photography and yoga. I am a third year undergraduate majoring in Psychology and minoring in both Spanish and Marine Conservation and Management. In the Science Filmmaking Internship, I will be creating a surfing film on the Oregon Coast. As someone who surfs on the Oregon Coast, I am excited to showcase the beauty and meaning behind Oregon Coast surfing. I am looking forward to expanding my photography experience into videography by learning the ins and outs of filmmaking. Also, I am looking forward to spending lots of time at the coast and getting to collaborate with experienced and great people I hope to learn the entire process of science filmmaking from start to finish, as it would be a fantastic skill to have for my future plans of working in marine conservation. Being able to showcase the marine environment in a creative way would allow me to bring to light important issues or topics for people to experience themselves. Also, I have loved photography for a while now and I am excited to get more experience with videography.

My favorite cartoon or comic book character is Larry the Lobster.

My favorite place to escape to is Agate Beach, Oregon.

My favorite comfort food is sea salt and caramel ice cream.

McKenzie Barker

My name is McKenzie Barker, and I will be a senior at OSU. I am majoring in biology with an option in ecology and a chemistry minor. I am very passionate about protecting our environment and advocating for safer and more sustainable practices while deepening our understanding of the world around us. This summer I will be working with the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership under the Water Quality Monitoring Internship through MSI. I will monitor ocean acidification and hypoxia in Tillamook Bay by analyzing various biological and chemical data. I will also identify what natural processes and human mechanisms are responsible for the chemical conditions found in the bay in order to better understand how the bay will continue to be impacted. I am very excited to learn about how water quality monitoring is performed, especially for qualities as important as acidification. The data analysis component of this internship also greatly excites me, as this is my favorite part of the scientific process. Through this internship, I hope to learn more about how long-term monitoring efforts are conducted and used to inform future conservation efforts.

My favorite cartoon is Tom & Jerry, and my favorite comfort food is nachos. My "escape place" is the beach - there is no place more comforting and calming!

Chantelle MacAdams 

I am a non-traditional student that transferred to OSU in 2016 from PCC. I knew that I wanted to study the ocean after learning to dive and spending a lot of time doing office work throughout my life. I'm excited to spend this summer making connections with coastal communities and communicating research. I firmly believe that science research doesn't happen in a bubble and that we have to be able to communicate to our audience what we're doing. I hope that I gain a better confidence in presentation and sharing topics to a diverse audience from this internship, as well as insight to working with ODFW to see if it's something that I want to pursue for my career.

My favorite cartoon character is Ponyo from the movie Ponyo, who is a fish that turns into a girl (kind of like The Little Mermaid).

I really enjoy spending time gardening, at the farmer's market, or working in the intertidal-- all of these places feel spiritual and yummy for my heart and soul.

My comfort food is anything cheesy!

O'Malley Martin

Hi! I’m O’Malley, a sophomore studying environmental science with an option of aquatic biology. I’ve lived on the Oregon coast for several years now and love to do anything outdoors, especially surfing and climbing. I’m one of two coastal tourism interns, whose focus is going to be on creating a web-based portfolio showcasing the numerous recreational opportunities in Tillamook County. I’m super stoked for this internship, especially getting experience in conveying how important conservation education is! I love learning how best to convey complex science to the general population, and since I want to focus on climate change in my career I hope I’ll be able to get hands-on experience in that area.

My favorite cartoon character would probably have to be Uncle Iroh from Avatar; he’s a level of calm I hope I can one day achieve. My favorite place to escape to is Cape Lookout outside of Pacific City, the beach at the bottom of the hike is one of my favorite in the state. And finally, I’d have to say my favorite comfort food is honestly mashed potatoes because you can’t go wrong with carbs.

Kendal Oetken 

I am currently a second-year Marine Biology undergraduate. I'm from California and have always wanted to study the ocean and marine animals! I will be one of MSI’s Coastal Tourism interns, working on informative social media inspiration to promote outdoor recreation in Tillamook County. I am most excited about working with other interns and exploring the Oregon Coast. Over the course of the internship, I hope to learn more about conservation awareness and tourism.

My favorite cartoon is Bob’s Burgers. My favorite “escape place” would be the beach! I love being near the ocean to draw, swim, and look at tide pools. My favorite comfort food is homemade chicken and dumpling soup.