Interning at AgriSound: A second bite of the cherry

As an intern at AgriSound, I am currently six weeks into my eight-week summer internship at the business. It’s a really cool experience to work for a start-up company that does such great work: creating devices that monitor biodiversity for businesses wanting to track their impact on nature and providing accurate real-time data on pollinator activity to farmers, fruit growers and food producers. I was fortunate enough to complete a similar summer internship with the company last year, and loved it then, so when presented with the opportunity to return, it was a no-brainer for me!

This summer I’ve been creating case studies about several different projects AgriSound is working on, gaining valuable insight into how the company is collaborating with a variety of businesses from food retailers to digital infrastructure companies. It’s really interesting stuff! For example, one of the tasks I’ve been given is to write a case study about AgriSound’s project with Ab InBev, where AgriSound is collaborating with Ab InBev to help water stewardship in El Salvador. As an International Relations student, I found it so interesting to learn and find out about how a start-up company based in Yorkshire is collaborating with a multinational brewing company to safeguard water in South America! Being able to contribute to projects like this, that directly impact environmental health is such a great feeling.

Something I have loved about working at AgriSound is getting to know all the great people that work here. It’s a fantastic team of like-minded and enthusiastic people who have all been lovely and helpful to me, answering any questions (however seemingly obvious they may be!) and concerns I had. I also really enjoy the level of trust within the office and the independence I’m given to complete tasks. The team are so friendly, and it’s nice to be given a task (or several) and been told to report back once it’s been completed, being trusted to get on with it without being constantly monitored.

Another thing I have loved about my internship is that, while the tasks at hand can change, the wider sense of importance regarding the company’s focus on biodiversity and the data-driven environmental mission stays the same. It feels like the work I am doing is contributing to really important work, and I can see the widescale benefits of my work in real-time.

AgriSound’s Polly listening devices are what make the company so unique and interesting, to me. They have created a product which has the capacity to address huge problems when it comes to pollination, agricultural practises and biodiversity, which as a 23-year-old, I know will all be massive issues to be tackled in my lifetime. When my internship ends, I will undoubtedly continue to pay close attention to AgriSound’s rise to even greater things, as their work continues to grow and impact biodiversity and agriculture for the better!