‘Swimterns’ spent summer in rivers and labs
The Molchanov scholars program funded the students’ environmentally focused internships.
Eloise MacLean’s interest in environmental work started with an appreciation for nature. MacLean ‘25 grew up in Pittsboro, playing in the Haw River each summer, and has loved to be outdoors as long as she can remember. During the school year, she spends a lot of time working in campus gardens.
Tayton Alvis ‘25 has a similar story. He began fishing regularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since become an avid fisherman but says, “It’s not for sport. It’s a way to learn more about the fish.”
Both MacLean and Alvis spent this summer in environmentally focused internships funded by the Pavel Molchanov Scholars Program, an endowed internship program at the UNC Institute for the Environment.
‘Swimterning’ for samples
MacLean was an intern, or “swimtern,” at Sound Rivers, a nonprofit that provides monitoring and protective services for the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico rivers. The two rivers are significant drinking water sources, major recreation sites and important habitats for animals and plants.
As a swimtern, MacLean managed a team of 15 to 20 volunteers and oversaw water sampling along the upper Neuse River. Her team collected weekly samples from 18 sites from Butner in the northwest to Smithfield in the southeast, plus the Lake Royale area near Spring Hope. She later tested the samples for E. coli.
“I loved the lab work. It was so cool to see the scientific process behind how we classify whether or not water is safe, and how applicable these things are to our lives,” said MacLean.
Eloise MacLean (front, right) and colleagues collect samples at a site. (Submitted photo)
Sound Rivers used this data to update their website, social media and newsletter and send out text blasts. This information allows North Carolinians to make informed decisions about whether or not to fish, swim or otherwise spend time in the water at each monitored site.
Fishing for knowledge
Alvis also split his days between being on the water and in the lab. As an intern at Mainspring Conservation Trust, he monitored streams that flow from the Little Tennessee River. Alvis’ fieldwork mainly consisted of electrofishing excursions to survey fish and insects in the region’s various streams. The current carried just enough charge to stun the fish, allowing the team to scoop it out of the water with rubber-handled nets, place it in a 5-gallon bucket and visually survey it before tossing it back into the stream.
Alvis enjoyed the hands-on nature of the fieldwork and learning how to operate the battery shocker for electrofishing. “You wouldn’t believe how closely everyone listened to me when I was holding that battery,” he joked.
Tayton Alvis holding a fish for a survey. (Submitted photo)
Being Molchanov scholars
The Pavel Molchanov scholars program is a collaboration among the UNC Institute for the Environment and environmentally focused small businesses, nonprofit organizations and government institutions in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Each year undergraduate students are matched with an environmental internship where they gain hands-on, professional training. Each Molchanov scholar receives a $5,000 stipend to support their summer experience.
Seven Molchanov scholarships were awarded this year; a total of 24 have been awarded since the program launched in 2019. This summer, in addition to Alvis and MacLean, two scholars served at N.C. Clean Energy Fund, and one each at N.C. Conservation Network, Joules Accelerator and Strata.
“The main reason I would recommend applying to be a Molchanov scholar is because it’s a very personalized program,” said Alvis. “If you just take a class or work over the summer, you probably won’t get this kind of one-on-one experience that is matched to what you want to do.”
