About: The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s (SERC) Internship Program offers undergraduate and beginning graduate students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the fields of environmental research and education. This program enables students to work on specific projects under the direction of SERC’s professional staff and is tailored to provide the maximum educational benefit to each participant.
Objectives: Projects include terrestrial, atmospheric and estuarine environmental research within the disciplines of ecology, biology, chemistry, microbiology, botany, zoology, mathematics and physics. Projects are also offered in environmental education and environmental information management. Although students will become familiar with all the research being conducted by a particular staff member and with much of the research of SERC in general, individuals will devote most of their time to a project and content area of particular interest to them. Students will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge in a selected field of study and to learn a variety of research techniques through firsthand experience. At the conclusion of the internship, student participants will be expected to present the findings of their independent projects in a formal seminar to the SERC community. As an additional educational benefit, SERC maintains an ongoing seminar program that is designed to bring in noted outside speakers on a variety of topics in the environmental sciences. During the program’s spring and summer seasons, field trips to research facilities and Smithsonian museums conducting similar programs are also coordinated.
Eligibility: The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center will consider applications from currently enrolled undergraduate and beginning graduate students, or students who have recently graduated from an undergraduate or Masters program. Applicants must be in a position to commit fully to the completion of a project. U.S. citizenship is not a requirement to participate in this program.
Funding: Internship appointments are generally fulltime (40 hours per week), 12 to 16 weeks in length, and coincide with the usual academic semesters and summer terms. Selected candidates will receive a stipend of $500 per week. Limited on-site dormitory space may be available for $105 per week. SERC does not supply board, although cooking facilities and utensils are available. The two campus dorms can accommodate up to 24 residents (Schmidt has 6 single rooms and Green Village has 8 double rooms and two single rooms). SERC is located in a semi-rural area seven miles south of the nearest public transportation lines; therefore, it is strongly recommended to bring a vehicle for personal transportation, if possible. References may also be available for room rentals in the local area; personal transportation would be necessary for this option.
Deadlines:
There are THREE application deadlines:
– For Winter/Spring projects beginning January – April
Deadline is November 15th
– For Summer projects beginning May – August
Deadline is February 1st
– For Fall appointments beginning September-December
Deadline is June 1st
For more information:
– Website: http://www.serc.si.edu/pro_training/internships/internships.aspx
– Program URL: http://www.serc.si.edu/pro_training/internships/apply.aspx
– Program description: http://www.infoed.org/new_spin/spin_prog.asp?08925