USCC Data Team Wraps Up Summer Internship

This summer, USCC hired Sydney Seiter for a 10-week summer internship to aid USCC’s ongoing data management efforts. With the internship coming to a close, Sydney and the data team reported on the progress that was made on USCC's long-term Data Plan
 
The goal of the summer data intern was to assist Data Manager Eric Ohman’s efforts to build systems that provide a clearer picture of the data USCC has and to help USCC answer specific questions more effectively. The internship involved three key phases: data validation, data collection, and data analysis; Sydney’s role in this initiative was to validate and expand USCC’s data on state composting regulations, contact information, and details about authorized composting facilities. Sydney focused on correcting and completing the information that appears on the USCC’s State Regulations webpage and expanding the database to enable comparisons between states. The data team’s broader analysis goal is to describe the composting industry and regulatory landscape across the U.S. 

Sydney lives in Raleigh, NC, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Data Science at Eastern University. Before transitioning into data science, Sydney earned a Bachelor's degree in Plant Biology and worked on a potato farm for two and a half years, during which she gained hands-on experience working in labs and supervising a nursery in the Plant and Waste Lab at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, where she prepared samples. While working on a farm, she also gained experience managing various types of organic waste and following composting best practices to prevent disease from spreading in the fields. These experiences gave Sydney a unique perspective on handling organic waste and helped build her foundational understanding of the challenges and processes in the composting industry.
 
About interning at the USCC, Sydney said “It has been a great experience, and having the space to deeply explore data has been a valuable opportunity to apply the skills I’m learning in data science. Eric has been instrumental in guiding me through the project, helping ensure that the way we parse and structure data brings value to both him and the organization. Everyone I’ve met here brings a different perspective to the composting industry, creating a collaborative, motivated team environment. The collective push toward the annual conference creates a sense of shared purpose, with each team member contributing their unique expertise. This internship has been a rewarding opportunity to put my data science training into practice and to grow more confident in a professional setting.”
 
Outside of work, Sydney spends a lot of time with her family, including her parents, grandma, and two high school-aged siblings, whom she's grateful to support. She and her partner enjoy playing Pokémon Go on the weekends, and you can often find them at the local mall or driving around Raleigh battling other players. She also enjoys a variety of creative projects, including writing, social media, crafting, and streaming video games. The USCC wants to thank Sydney for her hard work this summer!