Smithsonian environmental research center serc internship program

The Smithsonian is committed to ensuring that all intern applicants are treated equitably in an environment that is free from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex including gender identity, gender stereotyping, pregnancy, and sexual orientation , national origin, age, disability, parental or marital status, or genetic information.

Interns are selected based on academic credentials, relevant training or experience, letters of recommendation, and how well the student's expressed goals align with the internship program. The specific dates and duration of the internship appointment are arranged between the supervisor and the student. However, internship appointments are generally full time 40 hours per week , 10 to 16 weeks in length, and coincide with standard academic semesters and summer terms.

REU funding is only available in the summer for current undergraduate students who are U. There are also grant funded interns who are expected to work on smaller parts of larger scale projects. Grant funded interns can be current undergraduates, recent grads, or Master's students and funding may be available year round.

Application Deadline: February 15, In accordance with COVID safety precautions, they will be unable to provide on-site housing for students, so they are interested in students who are looking for virtual internship opportunities as well as those that live locally and would be able to commute to the SERC campus multiple days per week.

This program enables students to work on independent research projects under the direction of a SERC mentor. Projects are also offered in public engagement, with opportunities in environmental education, citizen science, and science writing. Check out the Microbial Ecology lab to learn more. Scientists who study Terrestrial Ecology want to learn more about how things that live on land including plants, animals, and humans have changed and been affected by the environment in a variety of ways.

For details regarding our internships and fellowships, please use the navigational bar. 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 and Appointment 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.