Student Opportunities

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program is recruiting five summer interns to work on Indigenous solutions to climate change. These paid 8-week summer internships have a research, technical, educational or policy focus with different host sites across the country. Host sites include Climate Science Alliance, To Nizhoni Ani, Climate Advocates Voces Unidas, Tribal Alliance for Pollinators, and the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Commission. The internship program provides each student intern with a $6,400 stipend. There are travel and housing stipends for those that relocate for the internship. If you have questions, please contact Kelsey Morales at kelsey.morales@nau.edu.

The 10-week AquEOUS fellowship is an USDA funded Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates (REEU) program which offers undergraduate students from around the nation a unique opportunity to combine traditional ecological knowledge from indigenous science with STEM concepts from western science to solve real-world problems in aquaculture at the University of Maine’s world class aquaculture facilities. Mentorship will be provided by the interdisciplinary faculty of the Aquaculture Research Institute and traditional knowledge keepers of the Wabanaki Tribal Nations as facilitated through the Wabanaki Center.

The Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) is accepting applications for the National Native American Environmental Awareness Summer Youth Practicum (SYP), designed to provide Native American students (incoming 10th – 12th grade) an opportunity to gain hands-on and in-lecture experience in the interdisciplinary components of natural resource management and Indigenous knowledge. This free, week-long practicum will take place from July 15 - July 22, 2023 at Colorado State University Mountain Campus. Questions and requests for additional information can be directed to Ashley Mueller, Education Coordinator, at amueller@nafws.org or call 303-466-1725 ext. 4.

The University of Maine School of Forest Resources and Wabanaki Youth in Science are seeking a spring and summer Forest Research Technician for a research project focused on testing management strategies for brown ash wetland forests in response to the invasive forest pest, the emerald ash borer (EAB). The intern would be compensated $16/hour for work performed across 5 non-contiguous weeks during mid-April through the end of August, averaging 40 hours a week. This position is located in the traditional territory of the Wabanaki, the dawn land or present-day Maine. If you’re interested in applying for this position, please send your resume to Tyler Everett at tyler.everett@maine.edu. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Tribal Youth Internship Program seeks to increase science literacy and public communication skills, accomplish mission critical work for the park, and strengthen relationships between the park and local Tribal Nations. Four internship opportunities have been created in partnership with the National Park Service, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is partnering with Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF), Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), and Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) to implement their 2023 Directorate Fellows Program.

DFP is a special hiring program the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) uses to diversify their workforce. FWS measures DFP’s success by how well they attract students to a summer Fellowship and convert them to full-time, permanent positions. Their goal is to hire all Fellows into permanent employment.

The DFP is for students interested in conservation careers and positions that support the FWS mission to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. In prior years, positions included work on species conservation planning, field surveys and monitoring for species, landscape-scale conservation partnerships, environmental law and policy, education and outreach, community engagement, digital communications, and other areas that support FWS’ mission.

Selected students participate in a paid 12-week summer Fellowship program with a week-long orientation and 11 weeks of 40-hour work in remote or in-person positions, as designated in each position description. Upon successful completion of the Fellowship program, along with degree conferral, participants may be directly hired or appointed to full-time, permanent positions without competition.

Learn more and apply.

Open until filled. The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program received funding from the Bay and Paul Foundation to support student internships for the summer. Internships will engage and emphasize intergenerational teachings between elders and youth to pass on cultural teachings, language and traditional ecological knowledges. Summer cohorts of Indigenous interns will work directly with Tribal and Indigenous host organizations from across the country to work on projects specifically benefiting the Tribal climate resilience efforts. Interns will receive a $6,400 stipend, up to $600 to travel from their home to the internship site, and up to $3,200 to pay for housing. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to Alethea Walker at awalker@climatescincealliance.org. For general questions or concerns contact kelsey.morales@nau.edu.

Positions open until filled. The CASC Network is offering seven postdoctoral research positions as part of the Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral Fellows (CAP Fellows) Program. This program aims to provide management-relevant research on the effects of climate change to fish, wildlife and ecosystems through a nationally coordinated postdoctoral research program. Learn more.

Applications accepted on a rolling basis (but note SUNY fall/spring application deadlines). Graduate Study Opportunity Integrating Indigenous and Scientific Knowledges for Environmental Sustainability. The Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science & Forestry is recruiting students for graduate study in diverse environmental sciences from ecology, sustainability, conservation biology to restoration and environmental engineering. As a member of the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership, the program provides funding for full tuition and stipends for Native American students pursuing MS and PhD degrees. Applications are open so please join us in this exciting initiative. Additional information can be found online or contact Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer at rkimmer@esf.edu.

Become a Climate Solutions Fellow and help communities take climate action, gain leadership experience, and learn more about local climate strategies! Community Climate Solutions is offering fellowships to college students with an interest in taking action to help advance climate solutions and work with local community and city sustainability leaders. The Fellowship is an unpaid, 10 hours/week program running 10 weeks. As a Climate City Fellow, you will get to: Help city sustainability leaders meet Climate Action Goals through community climate solutions programs. Build leadership skills by running meetings with community leaders and creating your own campaign plans. Gain community engagement experience by supporting faith communities, youth groups, educators, and other organizations in taking climate action together. Help hundreds of families take action to reduce carbon emissions and save money! Create media and communications materials to encourage participation. Sign up for an information session.

The Science to Action (S2A) Fellowship was developed to:

• Expose graduate students to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through the USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center(NCASC), whose mission is to provide scientific information, tools, and techniques to help natural and cultural resource managers anticipate and adapt to the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, and ecosystems.
• Support graduate students in developing policy-relevant product(s) related to the impacts of and adaptation strategies for climate change on fish, wildlife, their habitats, and users. This work should put science into action, applying scientific research directly to natural resource decision making. It may be related to the graduate student’s own research, and if so, may present a unique opportunity to share research with a broader community of decision makers.
• Provide students the opportunity to interact with the USGS community and others outside of academia.

During the fellowship year and beyond, Fellows benefit from collaborations with university and USGS mentors, from interactions with other colleagues and partners of USGS, and from exposure to high priority, real-world challenges in the natural resources policy arena.

Eligibility: This opportunity is open to graduate students at Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) Consortium Institutions who are students for the entire fellowship year (special circumstances otherwise considered). To view the list of consortium institutions for each CASC, please check out our CASC pages and the CASC Network map. Applicants may be Master’s or Doctoral students at any stages of their research program. Preference will be given to applicants with a clear research - management/policy link.

Financial Award: Up to two fellows will be selected, annually, to receive a financial award of $10,000* each. The financial award is intended to support the additional efforts undertaken by the Fellow for the S2A project, not as a graduate stipend, tuition, or other university funding.

Mentoring Experience: Each Fellow will work closely with his/her university mentor (typically, the applicant’s graduate program advisor) and a mentor from the CASCs (matched to applicants by the CASCs after the Statement of Interest stage; see below for more information).

Fellowship Duration and Location: The fellowship experience will last one year (start date is flexible within funded year, starting May at the earliest). During this time, the Fellow will be expected to work at a CASC with a CASC mentor for two months (typically summer; specific dates are flexible; virtual options considered as appropriate) but may remain at his/her host institution for the rest of the term.

Questions? Please direct questions about the fellowship program to Dr. Abigail Lynch, NCASC Research Fish Biologist, ajlynch@usgs.gov.

Statements of Interest for the 2023 Fellowship are due by January 19, 2023.

TREES provides coordination and management of Pathways internships and professional development opportunities for Native American students for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in both forestry and wildland fire participation. This program not only offers students paid employment, while they continue their education, but also gives them valuable and unique work experiences. Placements are rotational summer assignments within different programs and work environments, where students can train and job shadow with industry professionals. This partnership allows Native American students to get real world training, federal experience, as well as $5,000 in annual tuition assistance. Learn more and apply.

The Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems at the University of Georgia is hiring a 1-year postdoc position, with possibility of renewal. The individual hired will work as part of an interdisciplinary team from the University of Georgia, Tribal partners, the Tribal Nations Technical Center for Excellence (TNTCX), and the United States Army Corps of Engineers – Engineer Research and Development Center (USACE-ERDC). The postdoc will work with the broader team to develop and direct research related to water resources planning. The objective is to co-design and implement planning methodologies that integrate Tribal worldviews on landscapes and waterscapes with the technical, procedural, and operational aspects of USACE water resource management.

Please contact Don Nelson dnelson@uga.edu with any questions.