Internships

Bridgette Schafer ’24

Major

Politics

Project Title

Climate-smart Agriculture: Tracking Livestock Methane

Certificate(s): Environmental Studies, Spanish Language and Culture

I researched methane emissions from livestock in the United States and globally. My work focused primarily on collecting the most disaggregated data possible on livestock emissions in order to better understand the various sources and intensity of emissions from different sectors and species within the livestock industry. Specifically, I sought to use this data to better understand how species, breed, feed type, feed intake and production system affect the amount of methane produced by an individual animal. Working on a team of scientists was a new but very welcome challenge that helped me improve my technical skills and pushed me to think in new ways. I completed a certification from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization to calculate national livestock methane emissions at the Tier II level, streamlined statistics across various measurements and conversion factors and learned the intricacies of livestock animals’ development and digestive processes. My favorite aspect of this internship was the volume of new information I learned every day.