Greening the Gateway Cities: Summer Internship with the Clark University Human Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)

Author

Zhiwen ZhuFollow

Date of Award

12-2017

Degree Type

Practitioner Report

Degree Name

Master of Science in GIS for Development and Environment (GISDE)

Department

International Development, Community and Environment

Chief Instructor

John Rogan

Keywords

gateway city, greening, urban forestry, GIS, microclimate

Abstract

This report provides a detailed account of my internship experience with the Clark University Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in the summer of 2017. This internship concerns the urban tree health assessment in three ‘Greening the Gateway’ cities in Massachusetts. During the internship, I conducted tree survey field work, database management, mapping, tree survey data analysis and urban tree plantation benefits microclimate simulation. During the internship I worked with the professors and students at Clark University and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the staff from Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI) and U.S. Department of Agriculture. This internship was a very valuable and beneficial experience for me. From the work performed through the internship, I was able to better understand the importance of teamwork, learn how GIS could be applied in urban forestry, learn new geospatial database management skills, and learn new skills of microclimate simulation using ENVI-met. I believe what I have learned from the internship prepared me for my future career in GIScience. I will bring the knowledge and skills learned in this internship to my future jobs, and further improve my GIS knowledge and skills of collaborating with others.

Recommended Citation

Zhu, Zhiwen, "Greening the Gateway Cities: Summer Internship with the Clark University Human Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)" (2017). Sustainability and Social Justice. 177.
https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers/177