13 Oct Research & Development Resource Assistant Trip to DC

A few months ago, I had the chance to go on two work trips with other Resource Assistants in the Winter 2023 cohort. Although it was a long two weeks of travel, I was glad I got to connect with other Resource Assistants and Forest Service employees.

Research and Development Resource Assistants with members of the Forest Research Executive Team and Associate Chief of the Forest Service, Angela Coleman

The first trip I went on was a weeklong capstone event for Resource Assistants working in the Research & Development deputy area of the Forest Service in Washington, DC. The RAs on this trip work all over the U.S., and I enjoyed hearing about the professional and educational projects they were all working on. Our days were packed with panels of Forest Service employees from a variety of sectors in the agency, attending the Research & Development awards, learning more about the history of the agency and its Washington Office building, and networking with RAs and Forest Service employees.

Listening to a panel about partnerships in the Forest Service

In the afternoons and evenings, we were free to explore DC and spend time with other RAs and Forest Service employees we’d connected with during the day. Most of the RAs had not seen each other since orientation, and some had never met at all. I enjoyed getting to know the other Research & Development RAs in these “out of work” experiences.

Waiting in line for a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building

The People’s Garden, a USDA project with many locations nationwide

Photo courtesy of Annabelle Moore 

After a week in DC, some of the other Research & Development RAs and I headed to Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin for another weeklong trip, this time with the Climate Resource Assistants! More on that in the next post.