Intern 2014
Overview
My name is Lore-Eléne Jan and I am a French student in Agronomy. For my studies, I required an internship abroad. I heard about the Field Research Centre from another student at my school, Catherine, who told me that she had really enjoyed her stay here, that the people were really nice and her internship under Dr. Alistair Black’s supervision had been very interesting. After five months in New Zealand, I totally agree with her. I spent my first months helping Malcolm Smith at Ashley Dene, so I learnt a lot about sheep and lambs and how to take care of them. I also learnt to take pasture samples and to sort them.
During the next months, I worked on the lupin grazing trial at the University, with Travis and Lisa. I didn’t know anything about lupins when I arrived and I found very interesting to work on this amazing plant. I took and sorted a lot of samples, and then I analysed the data.
I traveled with Travis and Alistair to an on-farm experiment at Sawdon Station, near Lake Tekapo, to take samples. I also had the chance to attend the New Zealand Grassland Association annual conference in Alexandra, Otago. It was very interesting to learn more about the current research and to visit farms, because the New Zealand agricultural system is quite different from the French one. To conclude, working in the Field Service Centre was very instructive. If you want to learn about pasture science and work with a nice team, it is the best place to go!