BSFI 2017
In the fourth year of the BSFI Program 28 undergraduate students from UCSD programs, plus three students from across the UC-system (UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles) participated in a two-month paid internship in the San Diego–Tijuana border region. The interns worked in teams based in the three UCSD Community Stations: the Cross-Border Community Station in San Ysidro, the Cross-Border Community Station in Laureles Canyon in the city of Tijuana; and the EarthLab Community Station in Encanto. Bellow is a description of what the students worked on during their internships:
UCSD-Casa Community Station
Field coordinators: Elizabeth Hensley Chaney and Andrew Sturm
During the summer of 2017, interns of the Cross-Border Community Station in San Ysidro worked closely with a group of community leaders to identify and advance projects along three tracks that align with our partner’s vision to organize and empower residents in San Ysidro and South San Diego to take an active role in their communities by engaging in the civic, sustainability, and quality of life issues affecting them. Interns were fortunate enough to count on support from community promotoras in the time that they worked with Casa Familiar. Following an initial period of ethnographic research the interns worked with instructors, Casa Familiar leadership, and community members to identify these project areas:
- Community nutrition and sustainability
- Housing (in)security and access to educational resources
- Transportation justice and air quality initiatives
The 2017 internship in San Ysidro culminated in a presentation of intern research at the site of Casa Familiar’s Living Rooms at the Border housing projects on W. Hall Ave. in San Ysidro. The presentations were given in the context of a SIN LÍMITES event, which sought community input about programming to take place in Casa Patio, one element of the Living Rooms complex that accommodates multiple use.
UCSD-EarthLab Community Station
Field coordinator: Camille Campion
The intern team based at the EarthLab collaborated with the non-profit Groundwork San Diego to advance the K-6 educational programming of the EarthLab and to work on a net-zero neighborhood energy plan funded by the California Energy Commission. They participated in two summer science academies at EarthLab. They worked alongside local teachers to engage students in science, eco-literacy lessons and hands-on activities. The interns aided teachers in the classroom in various lessons and then guided students in hands-on projects at the EarthLab. They also produced a short promotional video of the science academy at the end of the internship
In addition to participating in the educational programs, the interns worked on multiple projects relating to renewable energy. The interns combined physical surveying of the community and google maps data to analyze the solar potential of the community. Looking at metrics including solar irradiance, available residential and commercial space for solar installation, and neighborhood energy demand, interns estimated the potential for renewable generation to meet the energy needs of the community.
UCSD-Divina Community Station
Field coordinator: Kyle Haines
The team based at the Cross-Border Community station in Laureles Canyon collaborated with partner agency, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, and community partner, the Organización de Colonos de la Divina Providencia, A.C., on projects that explore connections between informal urban development, conservation and public health. In the 2017 Cross-Border Internship, students worked on three major projects. These projects were organized in advance by UCSD, TRNERR, and CDP, focusing on three major binational issues:
- Parks and Green Public Space
- Urban Gardens and Clinic Support
- Trash and Sediment Management
