Active Learning Program Mentoring and the PIO

Hello Avid Readers! Thanks for coming back. This week, I have a special treat to share. I have become a mentor with the Active Learning Program at the University of Florida. So, this semester I will be mentoring an undergraduate Olivia Maule, and showing her the ropes of being a PSEP. Please read more to hear about how Olivia will be working with the Pesticide Information Office!

What is the Active Learning Program?

The Active Learning Program (ALP) facilitates connections between undergraduates at UF with a wide range of experiences with mentors. As a mentor, I hope I can empower Olivia and build her capacity to reach her professional goals. The program focuses on active and experiential learning. This means I’ll be asking her to dig into the world of pesticide safety and actually create extension products.

Two men talk next to text describing mentorship — I am very excited to begin my role as mentor! I hope that Olivia and I can both take away a lot from this experience.

Who is Olivia?

Olivia Maule is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida Honors College. She is working towards her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Bachelor of Science in Anthropology. Olivia is no slacker and is also planning to earn minors in both Sustainability Studies and Entomology.

Mentee Olivia stands in a jungle in field attire. — Here is Olivia doing field work during her recent trip to Ecuador. She’s clearly not afraid to get her hands dirty!

We are likely to get along well as Olivia has also begun her career with some awesome travel and internship opportunities! She studied abroad in Europe and Ecuador and worked at the UF Natural History Museum. IT is great to be paired up with a young scientist who already shows so much promise and ambition. This should be an easy job for me!

Olivia has big aspirations for her future career.

“I hope to bridge the gap between scientific research that occurs in the lab and the outside community through various forms of communication such as consulting, website building, marketing, writing, and photography. I ultimately hope to enhance my ability to work with diverse groups of people within and outside of scientific research communities. Additionally, I would like to increase the accessibility of science by creating more digestible forms of media. For this reason, I would like to partake in an opportunity that centers around scientific communication and allows me to work both in science and policy.”

Olivia holds a moth with an eyespot infant of her own eye. — Olivia has a passion for science communication. She has a fun spirit that I’m sure will be represented in the Extension materials she creates for applicators.

Working with the PIO

Olivia will start out assisting us by checking out how our website might be improved. This will provide her with an opportunity to develop website building skills. It is also in line with her desire to connect to a diverse group of stakeholders. Olivia will also develop some online content for our stakeholders. I was recently introduced to some YouTube shorts that I found very appealing. Once she decides which area of pesticide certification she is interested in, Olivia will be able to create a short video to engage pesticide applicators and provide a more digestible form of media than this group is used to.

Future Plans

Be sure to check out our website, so you can see the improvements she makes throughout the semester! We will be sure to let you know her accomplishments and what we have learned from each other this semester. Wish her luck (she did get stuck with me after all)! Olivia expects to graduate in Fall of 2024. She hopes from here she can continue to travel while building her skills as a scientific communicator. I hope the PIO can provide her with an experience that helps her progress to her next great adventure!