Internship student interviews:
Urban Agriculture and Agroecology
Ida Kjærvik - Ås municipality
Where did you do your internship?
Ås municipality
What study program were you in?
Master's in Urban Agriculture
How long did the internship last?
3 months
How did you get in contact with the company?
I contacted the municipality in connection with a private project which developed into an internship after a few meetings with them.
What did you learn in the internship?
I worked on a report about temporary meeting places in a city center that is undergoing major development, so I learned a lot about challenges and opportunities related to this. In addition, I learned a good deal about how municipal work works, and about opportunities that can arise when you collaborate across departments in the municipality. An extension of the internship has also resulted as the topic for my master's thesis.
Do you have any advice for students that are considering doing an internship?
Don't be afraid to take the initiative yourself. If you want to work somewhere, get in touch with them! Be as open to new acquaintances and input as possible when you are at the workplace. It can bring a lot of good. Very best of luck!
Sarah Aasen Sørlie - Norges Vel
Where did you do your internship?
Norges Vel
What study program were you in?
Master's in Agroecology
How long did the internship last?
7 months
How did you get in contact with the company?
I contacted the director by email, and followed up with a phone call.
What did you learn in the internship?
During my internship at Norges Vel, I mainly worked on the project "Norwegian seeds for young palates", which aimed to develop a teaching and experience arena for plant diversity and sustainable food systems at Hellerud farm.
With a background in agroecology, market garden and farm-to-table projects, I helped design the vegetable garden, production plans, the outdoor kitchen, and teaching programs, as well as welcoming school classes. Through this work, I gained project experience, learned about Norwegian heritage varieties, and the Norwegian conservation work around plant genetic resources. I was also introduced to agricultural actors and researchers with whom I have worked closely afterwards, both through my master's thesis and professionally. I find the opportunity to build networks to be one of the greatest benefits of an internship. Today, I am permanently employed as an agricultural advisor at Norges Vel, and I believe that the opportunity to showcase myself through an internship helped strengthen me as a job candidate.
Do you have any advice for students that are considering doing an internship?
Don't be afraid to contact actors you find exciting! Making contact shows that you are motivated and proactive - qualities that companies look for. Try to think about how your background and expertise can be used in the best possible way, and use this to sell yourself where you want to work. Consider whether the internship can be combined with a master's thesis - I myself was very inspired to research the conservation of ancient grains and traditional grain varieties through my internship.
Hanne Kierulf - BIT Innovation Centre
Where did you do your internship?
BIT Innovation Centre in Ås
What study program were you in?
Master's in Urban Agriculture
How long did the internship last?
The Autumn parallell
How did you get in contact with the company?
I had an innovative idea, named PlanteØya, and contaced the Innovation Centre and got a mentor at StartUpSmia, which is a part of the centre. My fellow student Patrik Christopher Hemstrøm (bachelor's of plant sciences) also wished to do an internship to develop the idea. We became a great team. Innovation is a field I wished to incorporate in my studies. BIT Innovation Centre has StartUpSmia for NMBU students, as well as inkubator Aggrator and ARD Innovasjon that develops ideas for PhD students or researchers at NMBU.
What did you learn in the internship?
I learnt a lot about outreach and marketing of a self-made innovative idea through pitching contests, as a case giver for entrepreneurship students, meetings with the Patent Board about rights and patent processes, and participation at several events. I was also able to follow Masterclass lectures by Inkubator Aggrator at the innovation centre. Working with the innovation process in theory and practice was very fun and challenged me on whole new arenas.
Do you have any advice for students that are considering doing an internship?
Internship gives new perspectives on your field of interest and studies. It provides a great opportunity to gain access to fields that are otherwise challenging to access. Network building is important, and you can ask for a letter of recommendation that can be useful in future job searching.
Linn Jorstad - U.Reist
Photo: Linn Jorstad
Where did you do your internship?
U.Reist
What study program were you in?
Master's in Urban Agriculture
How long did the internship last?
April to October
How did you get in contact with the company?
They are located in my neighborhood.
What did you learn in the internship?
I learnt a lot about growing plants and the practical side of the theory we had learnt during the studies. For example, we had learnt a lot about green roofs, and it was a good expericence to work with maintenance and growing on a roof. It gave me new perspectives.
Do you have any advice for students that are considering doing an internship?
Do it! It expands your professional network and you can try out a workplace where you want to work after your studies.
Madeleine Yvon Ask - JM Norge
Where did you do your internship?
JM Norge
What study program were you in?
Master's in Urban Agriculture
How long did the internship last?
One semester
How did you get in contact with the company?
JM Norge were one of the companies that presented master project opportunities during one of the mandatory master's courses. I sent them an email afterwards asking if they had any available internship positions.
What did you learn in the internship?
I learnt a lot, especially about challenges connected to urban agriculture and sustainability. These were challenges that were in particular tied to the construction industry, but that also gave me different perspectives in regards to urban agriculture. This was useful, as I have a bachelor's degree in plant sciences and did not know a lot about the construction industry beforehand. I also learnt a lot about laws and regulations in Norway.
Do you have any advice for students that are considering doing an internship?
You are there to learn, so don't be afraid of asking "dumb" questions!
Rebekka Sundøy Haldorsen - SquareRoot AS
Where did you do your internship?
SquareRoot AS
What study program were you in?
Master's in Urban Agriculture
How long did the internship last?
One semester
How did you get in contact with the company?
I contacted relevant companies listed on a webpage called urbantlandbruk.no. I contacted the ones that seemed most interesting, and the ones that were interested invited me for a talk. I had good chemistry with SquareRoot, and the tasks seemed exciting and relevant!
What did you learn in the internship?
I learnt a lot about building a business from the bottom-up, and the work that goes behind it. The majority of my work consisted of expanding lists of plants with information about where they can grow and which traits they have, as well as assembling packages of plants that can grow in the same environment - for example in rain gardens and dry meadows.
Another important task was to promote the company on social media platforms and spread information about what the company does, as well as information about interactions in nature and plant traits.
Do you have any advice for students that are considering doing an internship?
Do not be afraid to contact a company! You are a resource for the company that hosts your internship, and all involved will gain from the process. My internship was also an advantage when I was applying for jobs - employers obviously thought it was positive that I had done a relevant internship!