Stipend: $550/week
Duration: 18 weeks (May/June to September/October 2018)
Start Date: Flexible, between May 14 and June 11
Location: Edgewater, Md. and Tiburon, Calif.
Description:
Gain hands-on experience with environmental communication on both sides of the
United States! The Smithsonian Environmental Research
Center<https://serc.si.edu> (SERC) is the Smithsonian's headquarters for
coastal research, with scientists who study climate change, invasive species,
conservation and other environmental issues shaping the 21st century. SERC is
seeking a communications intern to work for 18 weeks, from summer through
mid-autumn, covering the work of SERC scientists in Maryland and California.
The intern will start at SERC's Chesapeake Bay headquarters in Maryland,
receiving training in SERC science communications. After six weeks, the intern
will travel to San Francisco Bay to cover the work of SERC marine biologists in
California for the remaining 12 weeks. Travel funds from Maryland to California
are included. This internship is open to undergraduate students, master's
students, and recent graduates up to one year after graduation.
Part I: Chesapeake Bay
The intern will spend the first six weeks at SERC's headquarters in Edgewater,
Md. Here, the intern will interview SERC scientists in the field and the lab
and write about their work. This first part of the internship will introduce
the intern to the main features of SERC science communications: writing
articles for the SERC Shorelines blog<http://sercblog.si.edu>, preparing posts
for SERC's social media and assisting with the production of SERC's quarterly
newsletter On The Edge<https://serc.si.edu/who-we-are/serc-newsletter>, under
the mentorship of SERC science writer Kristen Minogue.
Part II: San Francisco Bay (SERC-West)
For the final 12 weeks, the intern will work in California, with the Tiburon
section of SERC's Marine Invasions Research
Lab<https://serc.si.edu/labs/marine-invasions-research>. SERC's Tiburon branch
(a.k.a. "SERC-West<https://serc.si.edu/tiburon-research-branch>") is hosted at
the Estuary & Ocean Science Center<http://eoscenter.sfsu.edu/about>, a marine
field station at San Francisco State University's Romberg Tiburon Campus. The
marine biologists of SERC-West work in San Francisco Bay and traverse the
Pacific Coast studying invasive species, oyster restoration and other critical
conservation issues. While in California, the intern will cover the work of
SERC's West Coast scientists while exploring and developing communication
strategies within the Pacific market. During the California part of the
internship, the intern will work under the onsite supervision of research
ecologist Andrew Chang and correspond regularly with Kristen Minogue via video
conferencing.
Desired Qualifications:
Strong scientific background (natural sciences coursework; not required to be a
science major) and skill writing about science for a nonscientific audience.
Ability to use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint) required;
familiarity with photo and video editing software, Wordpress and HTML a plus.
To apply:
Send a cover letter, resume with references (name, title and contact
information) and unofficial transcript(s) to
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> by 11:59 PST
Monday, February 19, 2018. One to three published or unpublished writing
samples explaining science for general readers are also essential to include
for the application to be considered. For more information, visit
http://serc.si.edu. Questions? Send an email to SERC Science Writer Kristen
Minogue at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>.
