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June 2024 – Interstellar Experiences of NASA Interns [1]

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Date: 2024-06 

Growing up along the Southwest Florida coast, Audrey Berlie has always been surrounded by and enjoyed nature. She credits her mom, who homeschooled her, with fostering her love for science and the environment. But the sadness she felt from seeing plastic pollution and red tides in her backyard became her call to action.

“When you see something that you love and grow up with being affected, every day it instills something in you,” said Berlie.

Berlie was involved in conservation work throughout high school and is currently undertaking dual degrees in environmental science and environmental business as an Environmental Fellow at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

As an intern at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Berlie supports the Center Operations Directorate’s Sustainability Team to implement sustainability projects in collaboration across divisions including logistics, planning, security, environmental, and facilities management. During her internship, she designed and wrote the Sustainability Snapshot report for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and streamlined Johnson’s greenhouse gas accounting system. Berlie also organized Climate and You, monthly talks with experts from Johnson and industry on how climate change is impacting natural and human systems in Texas and beyond.

“How I got to NASA was really just an accident, in all frankness,” Berlie said. “I saw a posting for NASA internships on LinkedIn, and I was like, ‘they’re not going to have anything for me.’”

To her surprise, Berlie discovered a sustainability internship position at Johnson that perfectly matched her interests and skillset.

Since accepting her internship, she’s discovered an unexpected interest in space sustainability as a future career path.

“My expertise has been focused on Earth,” she said. “But after going to all the talks and the different events at NASA and hearing about development in space, I started thinking, ‘Wow, this is repeating what we’ve seen on Earth.’”

Reflecting on her previous internships, NASA stands out as one of the strongest programs she has ever experienced.

“It’s a well-oiled machine. I haven’t talked to any NASA interns [who] have felt like they had nothing to do,” Berlie said “[NASA] makes sure that you’re learning from and getting the most out of your internship.”

When asked about her favorite part about being a NASA intern, Berlie points to the culture.

“NASA is truly people-focused and mission-focused,” she said. “I have met the most amazing people here because all of them are so ambitious, intelligent, kind, innovative, and creative. They’re all looking to make the world a better place. That’s who NASA attracts.”

Looking back, Berlie noted, that though her path to NASA seems linear and planned in hindsight, it didn’t feel as straightforward in the moment—and that’s okay.

“I felt like everything was collapsing in on itself and I was just going from thing to thing without a story to tie it all together,” she said. “But even if you don’t have a goal in mind, as long as you’re taking initiative and pursuing your passions, you’ll end up where you need to be.”

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[1] Url: https://blogs.nasa.gov/interns/2024/06/

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