Mentor: Emily Talen, Professor, Division of the Social Sciences
Harmonie Ramsden is a third-year student at the College, majoring in Environment, Geography, & Urbanization and minoring in Architectural Studies. Ramsden has a background in communications and planning. She is passionate about building livable, accessible, and sustainable communities.
As a Polsky Research Fellow, Ramsden participated in research in partnership between Dr. Emily Talen and the Climate Action Museum. The museum’s mission is to activate the Chicago population to a tipping point on climate change. Ramsden worked on three critical buckets for the museum: grantwriting, marketing, exhibit design, and research. Her work was designed to bring more patrons to the museum and broaden our target audiences. During the summer, Ramsden essentially served as a 10-week consultant, attacking some of the top priorities the museum had in line with its strategic goals and providing an assessment of where the team could act next.
“Interning as a Polsky Fellow gave me the opportunity to interface with Chicago’s sustainability leaders and dive into the professional world of climate action. Through interesting events and access to a company I wouldn’t otherwise have worked at, I was able to pursue an intellectually stimulating summer internship that will set me up to work in climate beyond the 10-week program. I developed hard and soft skills that will support future projects, and a new network.”