PINEMAP Intern Program

The Pine Integrated Network: Education, Mitigation and Adaptation Project (PINEMAP) Intern Program is now accepting applications for 6 undergraduate student internships for summer 2012. If you know of any qualified undergraduates seeking internships in the natural resources field, please notify them about this opportunity.

PINEMAP Internship Program and Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Deadline: 2012/02/17

Program Description: The PINEMAP Intern Program aims to engage undergraduate interns in research and teaching, encouraging them to convey value and relevance of southern forests and climate change through the development and delivery of inquiry-based science lessons

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Selected undergraduate students will participate in data collection and hypothesis testing with a graduate student researcher at a host university. Interns and graduate students will be partnered based on interest in one of the following PINEMAP Aims: ecophysiology, silviculture, modeling, genetics, economics and policy, education, and extension.  Upon completing their summer residency, interns will enroll in a fall distance education course in inquiry-based science education, developing lessons for secondary school life science, biology, or social studies classes with their online classmates. Lesson topics will be based on the research activities of the past summer and draft materials developed for a PLT module. Interns will then conduct these inquiry-based activities in community classrooms. Lessons may explore topics such as understanding the carbon cycle, life cycle analysis, genetics, and the value of trees in climate change and wood products.

 

 

Qualifications:

 

1.

must be a US citizen or hold a valid Green card

2.

must be either a sophomore or junior with a GPA higher than 3.0

3.

must be well-organized with strong verbal and written communication skills

4.

must be interested in natural resources, environmental sciences, and/or environmental studies as  potential career fields

 

 

Compensation: Interns will receive a stipend of $4,800 for 12 weeks summer work through their host university. The host university will also provide $2,200 for housing and subsistence.  $1,000

is awarded though interns' institutions for the development of educational materials and travel to local public schools. 

 

Conditions of Acceptance:

Students must relocate to a host university for field or lab research in the summer of 2012. A faculty sponsor of students' own university must agree to enroll student in an independent study course for inquiry education and assist in work with secondary schools.  Fall 2012 enrollment in the distance learning inquiry-based teaching course is mandatory (this may be substituted for a required public speaking course depending on university policy). Students will be required to independently give multiple presentations at local schools.

 

Application:

Interested parties must submit a 500 word essay regarding why they want to be an intern. The essay should explicitly state and explain interest in chosen PINEMAP Aim. Essays can be pasted into the application, but will be in 12 pt Helvetica. Emailed or hardcopy submissions will not be accepted. Online application and additional information are available on the website given below.

 

Awards will be announced March 15, 2012.

 

For more information, visit: http://www.pinemap.org/education/undergraduate