Bruce Franz
Public health, MPH
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
What inspired or interested you about your field of study?
My undergraduate degree was in environmental science and I wanted to expand my knowledge of the issues. The environmental and occupational health option has enabled me to take my understanding of the hard science and apply it to public health practice.
What did you work on during your internship?
I developed an interactive web-based dashboard in collaboration with the U.S. EPA for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management Area (GWMA) Data Dashboard displays nitrate data collected from select domestic wells, groundwater and surface water sources throughout the GWMA.
What do you see as the greatest value of your internship?
The greatest value of the internship was that I was exposed to working on interdisciplinary teams across different agencies. Multiple stakeholders with different perspectives provided feedback on the draft which allowed for a better final version.
It was also of great value to interact with some members of the public before the launch to gather insights on how to enhance the dashboard.
What are your post-college dreams?
Currently, I am looking for roles in management consulting that are related to environmental health. Management consulting would allow me to gain experience in many interdisciplinary fields to both enhance my current skill set along with learning new skills.
More internship spotlights
Public health student Mohamed Aboumengel interned with Clackamas County Health, Housing and Human Services, where he gained hands-on experience with immunization recordkeeping and learned how state and county health departments work together.
Public health student Kylee Sharp Gonzalez is gaining hands-on experience with Texas WIC, where she works to educate healthcare providers, promote breastfeeding support and strengthen community partnerships to expand access to services.
MPH student Lizzie Lumley explored food insecurity in Benton County through a hands-on internship focused on community partnerships and policy-informed public health work.