The information provided below only applies to the ENTO 484-503 Virtual Exchange Internship Courses led by Dr. Jennifer Gillett (10-week summer and fall semesters).
Course Description
This course will acquaint students with international peer partners and scholars to reinforce academic instruction received to date and prepare students for the transition to employment, graduate and professional schools. Students will work in multidisciplinary and multi-national teams of two to four to research a crop, and issues facing that crop in different growing regions from the perspective of their interest (production, harvest, food processing, business and trade, or environmental consequences).
At the end of the internship groups will share their idea for future research with a professor or scientist that works with the crop/problem to discuss options for solving the problem they identify.
For more information regarding the ENTO 484-503 course, please contact Dr. Jennifer Gillett, jgillett@tamu.edu via your TAMU Official Email and ENTO 484-503 in the subject line.
Learning Outcomes
- Research and develop strategies for solving international agricultural issues.
- Recognize and compare differences in resource availability and government oversight when performing research in different locations.
- Prepare and critique a variety of written and oral materials that support their research ideas.
- Organize and match their research plans with an expert in the area to interview.
- Recognize and exhibit ethical and responsible actions and behaviors in group work and research team development.
Assessment of these learning outcomes will be based upon the content evaluation of the internship proposal, electronic internship journal, photo-documented activities, final internship report, and an internship supervisor survey of evaluation.
How to Apply and Register
Step 1: Contact Dr. Gillett
Students should contact Dr. Gillett, jgillett@tamu.edu, prior to applying for ENTO 484-503 to learn more about the course, expectations, and required synchronous meeting times.
Step 2: Confirm the number of credit hours needed
Credit hours: 0-3
Contact your major advisor to discuss the number of credit hours you should request to register for ENTO 484-503. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm the number of credit hours needed with their major academic advisor prior to completing the application.
Summer enrollment must be for the 10-Week Summer Session.
Step 3: Complete the application and proposal
Application Details
After contacting Dr. Gillett, students will then submit the departmental application (link and deadline are below), including a proposal. Students will not be registered for Virtual Exchange Internship credit hours until a formal proposal is on file in the Entomology Undergraduate Programs Office.
Required Proposal Content
- Describe the agency, department and responsibilities for your Virtual Exchange Internship (discuss with Dr. Gillett).
- Describe your experiences working on group projects. What skills have you learned that have made you a better group participant or leader?
- Are you comfortable working in a bilingual environment (where English and Spanish are the primary languages)?
- How would you classify your ability to understand or communicate in Spanish?
- Provide a section on your professional/educational background that may be relevant to the work experience being done.
- Describe what you expect to learn through your internship.
- Describe how you expect this internship will be useful for your future career endeavors.
Proposal Formatting
- Proposals must be in APA format, double spaced, 12-pt font
- A title page with the following information must be included with the student’s proposal:
- Student’s Name, UIN
- Number of Credit Hours
- Semester (Summer or Fall)
- Registration Year
- Major
- Date, Student Phone, Student Address, Student Email
- Gillett, Jennifer, jgillett@tamu.edu
- Supervisor, Supervisor Title, Supervisor Company, Supervisor Phone, Email & Fax (List Dr. Gillett as the supervisor)
- Proposals without a title page will not be processed
- Save proposal in the following file format: StudentLast,StudentFirst_ENTO484_Gillett
Step 4: Internship verification
Once your proposal is received an email will be sent to Dr. Gillett for review and approval. More information may be requested at that time.
Step 5: Registration process
You will not be registered for Professional Internship credit until Dr. Gillett has approved your application. Registration will be conducted by Dr. Ashleigh Faris (Ashleigh.faris@tamu.edu). You will be sent a confirmation email once you have been registered.
Application Links/Deadlines
| ENTO 484 – 503 Application Link | ENTO Majors Deadline | Non-Majors Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2023 Application | Date Pending | Date Pending |
| Fall 2023 Application | Date Pending | Date Pending |
ENTO 484 – 503 Virtual Exchange Internship Course Expectations
Requirements for Final Grade
A weblink from the Department of Entomology will be emailed out approximately 2 weeks before the end of the semester for the submission of final project documentation. No later than the last day of classes for the semester in which the student is registered, the student is to upload the final project documentation to that weblink.
In order to receive a grade, the final report, weekly journals (compiled as 1 PDF), and a supervisor evaluation must be included in the final project documentation. Additional requirements, such as additional participation, assessments, and other items may be required for grading as well. Please consult course syllabus.
Required Final Project Documentation
Information regarding final reports and weekly journal entry requirements will be shared with you in the ENTO 484-503 Virtual Exchange Internship course by Dr. Gillett.
Technical difficulties are the responsibility of the student and sometimes occur; therefore, we strongly encourage students to submit the documents well in advance of the deadline to allow for troubleshooting in the event that technical difficulties occur.