2011: Interning in NYC

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Tags: environmental, Science, winter-2011

Cole Gainer

Cole gainer, Master of Environmental Management

A UQ postgraduate swapped St Lucia for New York recently after receiving a coveted internship with the United Nations.

Master of Environmental Management graduate Cole Gainer completed his final semester while working in the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Development.

Mr Gainer, originally from New Orleans, said his time at UQ had proven a great preparation for the internship.

“My environmental problem solving course did a fantastic job because the reports I worked on mirrored the assignments we completed in class,” he said.

During his internship, Mr Gainer worked on projects examining climate change and the management of water scarcity and drought in post-conflict countries.

He was also involved with the organisation of the upcoming UN conference on sustainable development, Rio+20, to be held next year in Brazil.

A trip to the west coast of Africa allowed Mr Gainer to see one of his projects in action.

“I was able to go to Liberia for a training workshop that I helped develop within a sustainable development principles project,” he said.

Mr Gainer’s journey to the headquarters of international diplomacy began after taking an elective course in environmental studies as an undergraduate, coupled with personal experiences with climate change.

“The class made me realise that the future of the planet was ultimately going to be way more important than most other professions I had been preparing for,” he said.

After mastering evacuation tactics through five seasons of New Orleans hurricanes, Mr Gainer sought refuge in Seattle to work for an environmental consulting firm, only to encounter more rain.

On a 2010 trip through South America he was one of hundreds of tourists stranded at Machu Picchu by mudslides and made headlines by being the first person to make the 10-hour hike out of the jungle.

Deciding he needed a change of scenery and weather, Mr Gainer thought the environmental management program at UQ seemed like the perfect fit. It proved to be a wise move, with his studies in Brisbane preparing him well for life in New York.

“My international regulatory frameworks class was like a UN internship crash course,” he said.

“It introduced me to a majority of the treaties, conventions, and concepts that are hands down what every environmental management graduate should know.”

With the internship wrapping up in June, Mr Gainer plans to stay in New York City and seek a permanent position in the field.

By Allison Rock

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