Kath Internship
Summer internship offers hands-on experience with animal care and conservation
This summer, Nat Kath, a junior in Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability (SES), spent the summer surrounded by snakes, salamanders, frogs, insects, and turtles, including the state-endangered Blanding’s turtle. Kath gained hands-on experience caring for the animals as an animal husbandry intern at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
Nat Kath got real-world experience with animal care and conservation as an animal husbandry intern at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Kath is junior majoring in environmental science with a concentration in restoration and conservation.
Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Kath chose SES because of the school's rich undergraduate research and internship opportunities.
"That was really important to me going in," they said. "I wanted to get as much experience as I could as an undergrad. Loyola had what I was looking for in the School of Environmental Sustainability."
Kath learned about the internship at the museum through the SES student email bulletin and was eager to apply. They plan to pursue a career in animal husbandry and were excited about the opportunity to get experience in the field.
As an animal husbandry intern, Kath's day-to-day work focused on animal care activities, including cleaning enclosures and feeding the animals. They worked mainly with reptiles and amphibians, but also learned to care for and handle invertebrates, including spiders, millipedes, and hissing cockroaches. Kath said the experience made them more comfortable with their animal handling skills.
In addition to routine animal care, Kath had opportunities to educate museum visitors about the animals and the importance of wildlife conservation. They also helped with efforts to study and protect the endangered Blanding's turtles.
Kath helped support conservation efforts for state-enganged Blanding's turtles.
The Nature Museum staff originally designed the summer internship to focus on the care and conservation of Blanding's turtles. The museum runs a head-start program for Blanding's hatchlings. The program aims to boost the species' population by giving the tiny turtles time to grow in a safe, predator-free environment before releasing them into the wild. Unfortunately, a shell fungus disease was detected in the head-start populations in the region. The program is now on pause while Blanding's turtle partner organizations investigate to learn more about the fungus and how to resume their efforts safely.
While this meant Kath didn't get to work with the Blanding's hatchlings, they did have opportunities to study the species in the wild with one of the museum's herpetologists. The team traveled to natural areas in DuPage County, where they trapped turtles and collected data about the animals. They checked each Blanding's turtle for shell notches that indicate whether they already had records on that individual animal in their database. They also assessed the animals' health and took swabs to check for Emydomyces, the shell fungus disease.
Nat also worked in the field with a museum herpetologist studying smooth green snakes. They visited local natural areas to check nesting sites and release snakes that had hatched in incubation.
Kath helped release recently hatched smooth green snakes in a local natural area.
Kath said the internship provided valuable real-world experience and reinforced their interest in working with animals.
"This was a great experience for me. First of all, I got to learn what it's like to go into animal husbandry. Also, this is a unique opportunity for Loyola students to gain a leg up in their careers. It's an extra thing that I can add to my resume and hopefully go on to do animal husbandry and animal conservation work at other institutions," said Kath.
After graduation, Kath's goal is to work in animal care at a zoo or another institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The AZA provides accreditation for institutions that meet high standards for animal care and ethical animal acquisition. Accredited institutions also typically offer educational programming and contribute to wildlife conservation efforts.
Kath is confident that the internship experience will provide a vital advantage when it comes time to start the job search. While still at Loyola, they plan to participate in an SES study-abroad program in Ecuador.
Kath said they are grateful for the hands-on experiences they have enjoyed at Loyola, and they encourage other students to pursue internship opportunities.
I've learned to apply for every opportunity that comes my way," they said.
The internship at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is one of many opportunities available to SES students. Students can apply for internships on campus or pursue positions with partner institutions throughout the Chicago area. Learn more about SES internships here.
by Stephanie Folk
September 2025
Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Kath chose SES because of the school's rich undergraduate research and internship opportunities.
"That was really important to me going in," they said. "I wanted to get as much experience as I could as an undergrad. Loyola had what I was looking for in the School of Environmental Sustainability."
Kath learned about the internship at the museum through the SES student email bulletin and was eager to apply. They plan to pursue a career in animal husbandry and were excited about the opportunity to get experience in the field.
As an animal husbandry intern, Kath's day-to-day work focused on animal care activities, including cleaning enclosures and feeding the animals. They worked mainly with reptiles and amphibians, but also learned to care for and handle invertebrates, including spiders, millipedes, and hissing cockroaches. Kath said the experience made them more comfortable with their animal handling skills.
In addition to routine animal care, Kath had opportunities to educate museum visitors about the animals and the importance of wildlife conservation. They also helped with efforts to study and protect the endangered Blanding's turtles.
The Nature Museum staff originally designed the summer internship to focus on the care and conservation of Blanding's turtles. The museum runs a head-start program for Blanding's hatchlings. The program aims to boost the species' population by giving the tiny turtles time to grow in a safe, predator-free environment before releasing them into the wild. Unfortunately, a shell fungus disease was detected in the head-start populations in the region. The program is now on pause while Blanding's turtle partner organizations investigate to learn more about the fungus and how to resume their efforts safely.
While this meant Kath didn't get to work with the Blanding's hatchlings, they did have opportunities to study the species in the wild with one of the museum's herpetologists. The team traveled to natural areas in DuPage County, where they trapped turtles and collected data about the animals. They checked each Blanding's turtle for shell notches that indicate whether they already had records on that individual animal in their database. They also assessed the animals' health and took swabs to check for Emydomyces, the shell fungus disease.
Nat also worked in the field with a museum herpetologist studying smooth green snakes. They visited local natural areas to check nesting sites and release snakes that had hatched in incubation.
Kath said the internship provided valuable real-world experience and reinforced their interest in working with animals.
"This was a great experience for me. First of all, I got to learn what it's like to go into animal husbandry. Also, this is a unique opportunity for Loyola students to gain a leg up in their careers. It's an extra thing that I can add to my resume and hopefully go on to do animal husbandry and animal conservation work at other institutions," said Kath.
After graduation, Kath's goal is to work in animal care at a zoo or another institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The AZA provides accreditation for institutions that meet high standards for animal care and ethical animal acquisition. Accredited institutions also typically offer educational programming and contribute to wildlife conservation efforts.
Kath is confident that the internship experience will provide a vital advantage when it comes time to start the job search. While still at Loyola, they plan to participate in an SES study-abroad program in Ecuador.
Kath said they are grateful for the hands-on experiences they have enjoyed at Loyola, and they encourage other students to pursue internship opportunities.
I've learned to apply for every opportunity that comes my way," they said.
The internship at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is one of many opportunities available to SES students. Students can apply for internships on campus or pursue positions with partner institutions throughout the Chicago area. Learn more about SES internships here.
by Stephanie Folk
September 2025