Students in the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) had the opportunity to fully explore careers and internships with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) – the state agency in Ohio with a mission to ensure a balance between the wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all.
Partnering with ODNR, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Geography at The Ohio State University, SENR shared the opportunity for students at Ohio State to gain an inside view of career paths at ODNR and make professional connections, while exploring ODNR’s Natural Resources Park at The Ohio Expo Center, which hosts the annual Ohio State Fair.
"ODNR has been very enthusiastic about bringing students to their Natural Resources Park for this event," said Meagan Toohey, a career development coordinator in SENR, who, along with fellow career development coordinator Lucia Hadella, helped to grow this partnership and opportunity for students.
"ODNR has a wide variety of career paths relevant to students in SENR. Whether you want to be a wildlife officer, a forester, a naturalist, a water scientist, or involved in preserving and restoring natural areas, ODNR has a job for that. Partnering with them for an event like this is a terrific way to expose students to the variety of career opportunities that exist in the environment and natural resources space."
Twenty SENR students took part this year, along with students from Arts and Sciences and other colleges at the university – this is the second time the experience has been offered and has been widely received by students.
"I've always been told to "take opportunity you can", and this was an opportunity I'm glad I took, getting to introduce myself and meet people that have taken the steps I hope to be taking in the future, it was nice getting to see what my future will hopefully entail." – Evan Tharp, an environmental science major in SENR shared.
The program included two sessions led by each of the ODNR division representatives, who described the work they do. Students had the opportunity to choose which session they wanted to attend with professionals working in Engineering, Forestry, Geological Survey, H2Ohio (Water Resources), Law Enforcement, Natural Areas & Preserves, Parks & Watercraft and Wildlife. After the sessions students visited with the professionals to gain greater insight into their work and future opportunities.
"ODNR hosts a vibrant summer internship program hiring many students each year that is highly sought after by our students," Meagan said. "Applications for Summer 2026 internships at ODNR open around October 14, so this event was a great way for students to network with ODNR professionals before applying for an internship."