Internship Spotlight: Aline Maybank, MPH ’25 (Environmental Health Sciences, Climate Change and Health)

Community engagement and air quality intern with the Healthy Air Network; team leader of the Vermont Wildland Fires Project with NASA's DEVELOP Program.

New Haven and Springfield, MA (Healthy Air Network); virtual/Asheville, NC (NASA).

To be an environmental public health scientist – to protect community health by advocating for and researching community adaptation and climate change mitigation.

Stolwijk Fellowship (Healthy Air Network); Fulbright Canada Community Action Grant (Healthy Air Network).

Healthy Air Network:

• Created infographics to educate the public on the effects of poor air quality and extreme heat.
• Connected with relevant stakeholders to promote air quality research and citizen engagement.
• Analyzed air quality data (e.g., PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) and ozone), and presented findings to public meetings.
• Ran free community events on public broadcasting on the health impacts of poor quality and extreme heat.
• Presented at the UMass Amherst Summer Science Program about the field of environmental health.
• Attended the MA Asthma Action Partnership (MAAP) summit and ran an air purifier demonstration event.

NASA DEVELOP Program:

• Used satellite remote sensing to better understand wildland fire occurrence
• Created useful deliverables for the National Weather Service and Vermont Agency of Natural Resources to use in wildland fire predictions and projections.
• Fostered a collaborative and positive work environment between team members and NASA staff.
• Engaged firsthand with connected science advisors and community partners.
• Ensured timely submission of deliverables.
• Produced scientifically rigorous statistical tests and results.

Healthy Air Network: I saw firsthand the importance of community engagement in research projects with public interest. Because we connected with citizens and included them in events and research planning and execution, events had more participants, air sensors were placed in more homes, and there was more discussion and connections made to expand the Healthy Air Network's air monitoring network across the Northeast U.S.

NASA DEVELOP Program: I learned how remote sensing can be an incredibly useful tool for environmental public health professionals, as they can access environmental condition datasets for free from publicly available websites. I also valued the in-depth personal and professional connections I fostered as the team leader – with my teammates, NASA supervisors, science advisors, and key stakeholders in Vermont.

Healthy Air Network: Seeing the impact of my work on the community members. I loved presenting the findings of my air quality analyses to members of the communities I gathered data from as they are actively engaged in understanding where the sources of pollution are and how we, together as a community, can address these environmental challenges. The most surprising aspect was the general lack of understanding of the impact of poor air quality and extreme heat on health, as both of these environmental challenges will become increasingly prominent under a changing climate.

NASA DEVELOP Program: Successfully creating results with my excellent team (e.g., presentation, poster, and project summary) that the National Weather Service and Vermont Agency of Natural Resources can integrate into their wildland fire predictions and projections. Also, I created profound connections with key players in the field of North American wildfires and community research, such as my teammates, science advisors, and project partners, who are supporting me in pursuing a profession in environmental public health. The most challenging aspect was learning how to code in Python and use machine-learning techniques to analyze our complex environmental condition datasets with differing spatiotemporal resolutions.

YSPH prepared me by bolstering my statistical techniques and research methodological knowledge, while also enhancing my leadership skills. It is thanks to classes I took at YSPH that I was a successful leader and team member at two internships this summer, and was able to make a difference on community and state-level scales.

I highly recommend pursuing either of these internships (or both), as they provided me with excellent insight into professional opportunities and connections post-graduation. I am grateful for the community connections I created at the Healthy Air Network because I got to work hand-in-hand with various communities and organizations across the Northeast. Also, at NASA, I am grateful for the ability to apply the research knowledge and statistical skills I gained at YSPH to a project that will assist future wildland fire mitigation and community risk communications.