Rachel: an internship at Rissa Citizen Science

My first time gearing up for a dive to restore kelp forests.

Hi Rachel, can you present yourself briefly?

Hi! I am Rachel Thume, 22 years old and a biology student in Innsbruck, Austria. Originally, I am from Münster in Germany.

Why did you apply for an internship at Rissa Citizen Science?

Since I started studying biology I have been interested in kelp as a habitat for marine life. I wanted to learn more about kelp especially because my university doesn’t offer much about it. The importance of understanding marine life and supporting its protection came into my awareness, so I searched for kelp forest restoration in Tromsø. This is because I was also interested in going to Norway to improve my Norwegian and learn more about Arctic biology in general.

At Sørsjetéen, one of Rissa's kelp forest restoration site in Tromsø, March 2026.

What did you do during these four months at Rissa Citizen Science?

Of course I learned about kelp and how to think of ways to restore it, trying to understand how it reacts to different restoration efforts and how it differs from place to place and time to time. I participated in all the diving events to experience all the differences during the months.

But the biggest part of my internship was the monitoring of the kittiwakes in Tromsø, where I counted, observed and got to know this endangered species, riding my bike around the city.

In Tromsø harbor, monitoring kittiwake nests as part of the Kittiwalkers program, May 2026.

Sometimes also with other volunteers to share the work, exchange knowledge and opinions or teach them what I learned about the behaviour of the kittiwakes and about the relation between this wild bird and the inhabitants of Tromsø.

Introducing pupils to the Kittiwalkers program in Tromsø, May 2026.

Another small project was in cooperation with the community garden DYRK, where I had three planting boxes with lettuce and parsley. I fertilised one with crushed sea urchins and one with kittiwake guano, one without fertiliser for control. The outcome was wonderful!

At DYRK community garden, setting up the fertilizer experiment, May 2026

Another similar project was in museparken with ViNN (Vegetasjon i Nord-Norge) where we planted wild plants with these two “organic fertilisers”.

In Muséparken with ViNN, June 2026.

What will remain your best memory from your internship?

The whole internship was a great experience! I couldn’t decide for one memory… The first time free diving in the kelp forest, getting to know other like-minded people or cruising around Tromsø to count the cute little kittiwakes…

At the kittiwake hotels, monitoring the kittiwake's breeding activity, June 2026.

But there were very special moments like seeing the first kittiwake chick, so fluffy that you melt away looking at it or floating amongst thousands of fish underwater in Øksfjord… Also just working at Delphin’s side was so much fun. I learned a lot from him, he supported me whenever I needed it and gave me freedom to make my own decisions.

In Tromsdalen, surveying the inside of owl nestboxes, April 2026.

Did this experience change something in you?

It did!! I see how big of an influence a community can have and that it is possible to make a difference, small scale like the kelp that is growing back after removing all the urchins or the kittiwake hotels that offer a safe space to nest and raise chicks.

At Sørsjetéen, just before a dive, May 2026.

I believed in small scale changes before, but this internship confirmed it really nicely. But next to this is also showed me how challenging the work of nature preservation and restoration can be. It isn’t always easy to fulfil all the interests of different groups in our society, but usually good communication can ease conflicts for example between kittiwakes and Tromsø inhabitants.

I also see now, around four months later, that with passing time I see more and more things that I learned from the internship. Learning wasn’t over the moment I left Tromsø! It has a sustainable impact on my life now as well.

At a kelp restoration event, during the safety briefing, March 2026.

A funny anecdote?

I remember lots of laughter from my internship :D One memory comes up especially: I soaked a bucket of sea urchins for fertilising in fresh water over 24 hours and arrived at Delphin’s house around 6 in the morning. It was Sunday, and I knew Delphin was still asleep so I just started my work in front of his doorstep… Emptying the purple urchin water and then crushing them with all my power and a concrete mixer (without the machine but using my bare hands to make this tool work). It took quite some time. And around 7:30 Delphin opened the door, I think he just awoke to this picture of me in my rain-jacket, fishing gloves and concrete mixer in a bucket of mashed urchins on this beautiful Sunday morning. He must’ve thought: now she’s completely crazy.

I never really recovered from crushing urchins at 6AM.

What’s next for you?

I will spend my summer in Norway and Sweden for climbing, cycle back home with my parents from Denmark and in October my studies in Innsbruck continue. I look forward to it!

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Rissa Citizen Science welcomes interns every year, from March to September. In 2026, we welcomed Rachel and Léo. We are grateful for their various contribution and for bringing their enthusiasm. We’re wishing them lots of exciting adventures in whatever comes next!

Many thanks to Ann Cools for her photos of Rachel!