The Junior Internship at Mud Valley Institute

My name is Sonoma, a 16-year-old student at Brave Generation Academy, which is an international school located in Lagos, Portugal. This spring, Mud Valley Institute hosted their first-ever junior internship program. This program, which lasted 13-weeks, was held at Quinta Vale da Lama, a regenerative organic farm located near the town of Lagos, Portugal. Four local upper secondary students, including myself, spent three hours a week on-site learning about and gaining practical experience in soil science and how it intersects with ecosystem regeneration. Additional work outside of these meetings was also given, bringing the total number of hours to around 50. This internship was facilitated by Dr. Elodie da Silva, Mud Valley Institute’s Chief Soil Scientist, which gave us the opportunity to learn from a PhD soil scientist.

Goals of the Internship

The objective of this junior internship was to inform us about concepts relating to ecosystem regeneration and soil science, as well as how they can be applied in real-life scenarios. Additionally, we would also focus on important skills such as:
– working collaboratively in a group,
– using mathematics outside of a classroom,
– note taking and documentation skills,
– academic writing,
– writing and giving a presentation,
– and even graphic design.
This program aligned with Mud Valley Institute’s goals of supporting eco-social regeneration through the creation of programs and empowering people to become effective agents of change in their community, in addition to pursuing our own scientific interests.

The Beginning of the Internship

During the initial weeks, the internship focused on teaching us about the basics of soil health and testing. We learned about the four scientific aspects of the soil- geological, chemical, physical, and biological- as well as how to study these aspects using tools and tests. These include the pH, water infiltration rate, organic matter percentage, and humidity of the soil. We also learned how to determine the type of the soil according to the Ecosystem Restoration Community’s Soil framework. Later on, we learned about different types of compost, including thermophilic and vermicompost, which are produced on-site, and their uses on the farm.

We used a dynamic schedule to structure the internship which allowed us to adapt to conditions at the farm as well as everyone’s schedules. View the schedule here.

Jr Internship Spring 2025 Control AD aggregates

The Research Project

After a few weeks of gaining theoretical knowledge and basics of soil testing, the internship continued with a practical experiment and research paper in order to apply the scientific process in a real-world setting. We decided to study the effects of compost types and concentrations on radish growth, in order to determine what soil mixture would best benefit the crops in Quinta Vale da Lama’s market garden. This project began in Week 6 of the internship, lasting 6-weeks. It involved a variety of tasks such as applying the soil testing methods, planning and conducting the research methods, and usage of tools to organize data to make conclusions from. We documented our journey through this project in the forms of a research paper and presentation so as to share our discoveries with others.

The Continuation of the Internship

In the next blog post, the account of the internship will continue with information about the research project’s culmination and the conclusion of the junior internship.