Student Programs

Organization: Climate Impacts Group (CIG)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 40 hours per week (35 hours per week with CIG and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $7,920 disbursed over the 9 week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern

Location: Hybrid (in person 2x/week with host organization), including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm   

About Host Organization: The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group builds climate resilience by advancing understanding of climate risks and enabling science-based action to manage those risks. We are widely recognized for scientific discovery, as an experienced creator of impartial and actionable science and as a catalyst for building regional climate resilience. 

Tasks and Activities: The intern in this position will be assisting in developing community teach-ins around the intersection of carceral and climate justice. Tasks include developing a literature review, assisting in building curriculum, and contributing to workshop design. The day-to-day for this position includes reading and writing for the literature review, participating in meetings, assisting with planning and logistics. The goal of the project is to develop a literature review, workshop design, and curriculum for the community teach-ins. 

Takeaways: The intern in this position will gain a more robust knowledge and professional network around the intersection of carceral and climate justice, a better understanding of how the carceral system functions within climate change, supporting on-the-ground grassroots organizations in raising awareness, developing professional and community relationships. 

The candidate best suited for this internship position: 

Required: 

• Must have experience doing formal literature reviews 

Preferred: 

• Has taken coursework in climate justice (air quality, heat, natural disaster),  

• Is passionate about climate justice, carceral justice, and community organizing

Organization: Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 25 hours per week (20 hours per week with CHanGE and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $4,950 disbursed over the 9 week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern

Location: Hybrid (weekly in person meetings in Seattle with host organization), including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm  

About Host Organization: The Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE) at the University of Washington (UW) exists to highlight the connections between climate change and human health. CHanGE’s work is ultimately aimed at promoting the health benefits of climate action, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and preparedness and response to climate change impacts (adaptation). CHanGE also works to highlight the importance of weather and climate in population health and to provide the health sector with knowledge, tools, and capacity to incorporate climate awareness and resilience into all of its activities. CHanGE pursues its work in parallel across all three core university functions of research, teaching, and service. 

Tasks and Activities: The Climate Health Risk Tool Communications Intern will support the Center for Health and the Global Environment’s REACH Center in developing stories and project updates for the center’s decision platform CHaRT (Climate and Health Risk Tool).  

 Key responsibilities will include: Crafting storytelling deliverables (e.g., social media marketing campaigns, blogs, infographics) about how CHaRT is currently being used by partners and how the new funding recently awarded will support improved user experience with the tool. The intern may also be asked to support CHanGE events, through creating flyers, RSVP pages, or providing on-site support.  

Takeaways:  The intern will gain practical experience in developing stories about technical concepts for different audiences, including the general public, practitioners, and decisionmakers. The intern will also have the opportunity to refine blog writing skills, translate complex research into actionable, accessible narratives for public audiences, learn strategies for amplifying content (e.g., events, publications, op-eds) through coordinated communications planning and design, and build confidence in presenting professional analyses. 

The candidate best suited for this internship position: 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills  

• Experience with or interest in pursuing a career in science communication

Organization: Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 25 hours per week (20 hours per week with CHanGE and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $4,950 disbursed over the 9 week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern

Location: Hybrid (weekly in person meetings in Seattle with host organization), including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm 

About Host Organization: The Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE) at the University of Washington (UW) exists to highlight the connections between climate change and human health. CHanGE’s work is ultimately aimed at promoting the health benefits of climate action, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and preparedness and response to climate change impacts (adaptation). CHanGE also works to highlight the importance of weather and climate in population health and to provide the health sector with knowledge, tools, and capacity to incorporate climate awareness and resilience into all of its activities. CHanGE pursues its work in parallel across all three core university functions of research, teaching, and service. 

Tasks and Activities: The intern in this position will be assessing the CHaRT (a climate risk assessment tool created by CHanGE) tool’s user design & flow. Daily tasks could include interfacing with customers to get design feedback, using AI or other tools to automate literature review process, generate an AI interface for users of the tool. The goal of the project is to improve the user experience for CHaRT. The CHaRT tool is being using in a variety of settings and research projects, and the intern’s role will be to support improvements to the interface/creation of an AI interface to allow current and future users to more easily access the information they want. 

Takeaways: The intern in this position will have the opportunity to provide tangible design and functionality improvements to the tool’s interface to support its use by both agencies and researchers and understanding of tools used to assess climate and health risks, increased knowledge of web-based tools and user design needs. 

The candidate best suited for this internship position:  

• Interest or experience in human-centered web design, with an additional interest in business and marketing  

• Comfort using AI is a plus

Organization: Puget Sound Institute

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 40 hours per week (35 hours per week with PSI and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort) 

Total Summer Stipend: $7,920 disbursed over the 9-week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern 

Location: Hybrid (in person 1x/week with host organization), including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm) 

 About Host Organization: The University of Washington Puget Sound Institute (PSI) provides analysis, research, and communication to advance the science of ecosystem protection. We receive major funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to support and enhance new strategies for improving the health of Puget Sound. Our team includes scientists and policy experts who work across numerous disciplines, ranging from chemistry and ecology to computer modeling. In addition to on-the-ground research, we prepare syntheses of emerging issues, conduct peer-reviews and hold study panels and workshops. Other products include digital resources such as the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound where we publish trusted and independent journalism about the science driving Salish Sea ecosystem recovery. PSI also hosts collaborations and seminars, including the Collaborative Leadership Program. 

Tasks and Activities: The intern in this position will Spend time with Program Lead learning about the history, theories, and methods of collaborative governance, explore how collaborative governance has been used to address policy challenges over the past 50 years and how collaborative leadership will be needed to address the challenges we face today and in the future (such as those mentioned in the project description), and design and host filmed conversations with other members of the internship cohort on this topic, to capture their perspectives as next generation leaders. The intern will also work with the oral history archive at UW Libraries to improve/refine and make it more useful to scholars/researchers/authors/the public, conduct research to augment the archive and/or make it more widely available, extract material from the archive that can be used for teaching and training curricula, alongside other tasks in support of the project, such as preparation for quarterly reporting and/or potential website and social media support. 

Takeaways: The intern in this position will have the opportunity to build knowledge of collaborative governance as a field and conflict resolution as a skill set and the unique and important history of collaborative public policy-making in Washington state, and how to apply that information to addressing complex challenges we face today, such as climate change. They’ll also be able to build insight into how collaborative governance has led to advances in environmental protection/restoration, and addressing the unique needs of diverse populations, but also where new approaches may be needed to meet today’s challenges, build the ability to craft interview questions, and conduct, edit and archive filmed oral history interviews in keeping with the principles of the Oral History Association, acquire/improve interviewing skills, and gain exposure to curriculum development, document archiving, and website maintenance. 

The candidate best suited for this internship position: 

• Interested in natural resources/environmental public policy 

• Interested in exploring consensus-based approaches to resolving complex challenges and conflicts, rather than advocating for one particular interest 

• Experience/expertise with video editing, web maintenance, and social media software, or be willing to learn, and confident they can do so quickly and effectively 

• Strong and clear writer and communicator (writing sample required). This includes being comfortable speaking with a variety of people via email, but also in-person and over the phone 

Organization: The Washington State Climate Office at the Climate Impacts Group (CIG)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 40 hours per week (35 hours per week with CIG and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $7,920 disbursed over the 9 week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern

Location: Hybrid (in person at least 2x/week with host organization), including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm) 

About Host Organization: Our mission is to support the use and application of climate information by the public, local and state decision makers, communities, tribes, and other organizations in Washington State, with a focus on equitably supporting access and use of this information. We provide technical information and analysis, data resources, training and capacity building, and facilitate collaboration. 

Tasks and Activities: The intern in this position will support the planning and organization of the faculty training, as well as follow up and evaluation. The goal of this project is to pilot a new climate justice training for community college faculty and gather lessons learned for incorporation in future trainings. The intern will support planning, coordination, and logistics for the week-long faculty training. They will also evaluate the effectiveness of the training through follow up with participants and organizers. 

Takeaways: The primary learning objective relates to evaluation. The intern in this position will have the opportunity to learn about methods/approaches and also gain first-hand experience with evaluation, including gathering data through desktop research and interviews, analyzing and interpreting findings, and synthesizing the results for others. 

The candidate best suited for this internship position: 

• Experience or coursework in social science methods (e.g. informal/formal interviews, coding, mixed methods) 

• Coursework or experience with formal/informal education would be helpful as well

Organization: The Nature Conservancy in Washington (TNC)

Available Internship Positions: 2

Hours: 40 hours per week (35 hours per week with TNC and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort) 

Total Summer Stipend: $7,920 disbursed over the 9-week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern 

Location: Hybrid, including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm)*. Please plan to show up in-person Monday – Friday in June, July, or the last internship week in August.  

* These are largely field-based positions. Fieldwork will occur at our Port Susan Bay preserve, about 1 hour north of Seattle, and at our Ellsworth Creek Preserve which is 3 hours southeast of Seattle (field work start times that may require leaving Seattle as early as 5:00 AM). Overnight travel will be required for the two weeks of fieldwork at Ellsworth Creek Preserve. 

About Host Organization: The Nature Conservancy in Washington is dedicated to sustaining and enhancing a healthy relationship between people and nature. As part of the world’s largest global conservation organization, we are uniquely positioned to deliver innovative solutions to our most pressing conservation needs and leverage them at a meaningful scale assuring the quality of life for people and nature, in our state —and in our world. We are addressing the twin crises of climate change and loss of biodiversity by advancing positive and equitable change through care and stewardship of Washington’s land and water — through legislative and regulatory policy; advocating for equitable access to public funding; and by bringing together powerful and diverse partners, communities and decision-makers. The Nature Conservancy in Washington’s science team brings cutting-edge natural and social science to bear on critical conservation problems, to provide the research necessary to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Learn more at: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/washington/. 

Tasks and Activities: The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is looking for two UW undergraduate students to work with a team of scientists whose research informs the conservation, management, and restoration work of The Nature Conservancy in Washington State. These internships will involve opportunities for fieldwork with conservation practitioners as well as office and remote work, including data collection, data management and entry, and reporting/visualizing research findings.    

Interns will be involved in two primary projects during their internship, with ample learning, mentorship, and networking opportunities with TNC throughout the internship:  

1. Marsh vegetation monitoring fieldwork to quantify the impacts of innovative marsh restoration methods at Port Susan Bay Preserve (Stanwood, WA) as part of a team of TNC conservation practitioners and scientists. This is exciting and challenging work that requires 10-15 long field days spread across ~3 weeks in the summer at TNC’s Port Susan Bay Preserve monitoring marsh vegetation under physically strenuous outdoor conditions. This fieldwork will require transportation via UCar and interns should be prepared to leave Seattle as early as 5:00 am on field days in order to work with the tides. You will develop your plant identification and fieldwork skills as part of this team, and, time permitting, could contribute to a field identification guide for emerging species of interest at the preserve.  
2. Biodiversity monitoring via wildlife cameras to understand the impacts of 20 years of forest management at Ellsworth Creek Preserve (Naselle, WA) as part of a team of TNC scientists. This project will include approximately 8 field days spread across 2 weeks at the beginning and end of the internship and will require overnight travel to the study location, with all travel costs paid by TNC. In addition to deploying wildlife cameras in old-growth forests of southwestern WA, this project will involve data management and analysis, including using innovative software to process the photo data. 

The selected interns will work with TNC’s Science team on the two primary projects described above. Internship activities will involve a combination of collaborative fieldwork, remote computer work, and possible lab work. The fieldwork will involve frequent collaboration with the other intern and with TNC supervisors, and there are also opportunities for independent remote work on days without fieldwork. 

Under the Vegetation Monitoring work at Port Susan Bay, interns will collect, process, analyze, and share data collected over the summer, in a manner consistent with their interests and experience (e.g., creating an identification guide for new species found post-restoration, developing a story map, writing a report, etc.).  

Under the Biodiversity Monitoring work at Ellsworth Creek Preserve, interns will conduct fieldwork to deploy camera traps, photo data management and processing, and data analysis and sharing via presentations or reports. 

Takeaways: Interns in this position will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with ecological research techniques in the field and lab, including processing and analyzing data, and reviewing and synthesizing scientific literature. This student will build communication skills in formats of their choosing, including via writing and visual methods. Students will have an opportunity to learn from and work with a variety of conservation practitioners at TNC and beyond, including scientists and stewardship managers. 

The candidate best suited for this internship position: 

Required:  

• Must have a high interest and ability, or prior experience to participate in challenging but well-supported field-based research under difficult outdoor conditions (including physical ability to hike), including availability for day and overnight travel as indicated in the first question — this is mandatory for a safe and successful internship.***  

• Should be excited by the prospect of many different types of work experiences, including a demonstrated skills of teamwork and collaboration to apply in the field under a variety of potentially challenging conditions***  

• Must have a driver’s license and ability to travel in Washington state, preferably using the UCar system (transportation options may be available)*  

• Commitment to act in accordance with TNC’s Code of Conduct which can be found at https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/accountability/code-of-conduct/  

Preferred:  

• Strongly encouraged that the interns are majoring in an environmental or biological science, preferably, has taken an introductory ecology course, has some experience and understanding of the PNW natural systems, and has demonstrated interest, with some coursework taken, in ecology, biology, environmental science, conservation, or related fields* 

• Self-starter, able to work independently as well as on a team. Possesses strong time-management and organizational skills.  

• Access to reliable internet, computer and phone for periods of remote work (office with internet available as an alternative) -Strong written and verbal communication skills  

• Computer proficiency, especially with spreadsheets (e.g., Excel). Experience with geospatial analysis, data analysis, or coding is appreciated but not required. 

Organization: The Washington State Climate Office at the Climate Impacts Group (CIG)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 40 hours per week (35 hours per week with CIG and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $7,920 disbursed over the 9 week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern

Location: Hybrid (in person at least 2x/week with host organization), including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm) 

About Host Organization: The Washington State Climate Office’s mission is to support the use and application of climate information by the public, local and state decision makers, communities, tribes, and other organizations in Washington State, with a focus on equitably supporting access and use of this information. We provide technical information and analysis, data resources, training and capacity building, and facilitate collaboration.  

Tasks & Activities:  The intern in this position will work on piloting a new way of evaluating future flood risk by looking at how often communities will be reaching flood warning levels now, and in the future. The goal of this project is to test the approach for one or several locations and develop a plan for expanding the analysis regionally.  

 The intern in this position, for a few select sites, will obtain stream gauge survey data, observe and model streamflow, and analyze these to estimate how often flood warnings might occur now and in the future. This includes exploring ways to visualize/communicate the results.  

They will also develop a work plan for expanding the analysis to the Pacific Northwest, including which gauge locations and how to communicate the results. Day-to-day would primarily be independent work pursuing the analysis, with occasional check-ins to get help, discuss results, or plan next steps. 

Takeaways: The intern in this position will have an opportunity to gain an understanding of streamflow monitoring methods and data, familiarity with climate change datasets, particularly streamflow modeling, and experience developing new analysis methods, and the experimentation and testing that goes along with it 

The candidate best suited for this internship position: 

Required:  

• Experience analyzing data using a common analysis software such as python, R, etc. This includes reading in text files, subsetting data (e.g. for specific dates), and basic statistics (e.g. interpolation)

• Coursework in statistics and/or data science

Preferred:  

• Experience working in a linux/unix environment  

• Familiarity with hydrology and/or civil engineering

Organization: Northwest Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change Network (within Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 25 hours per week (20 hours per week with NW CASC and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort) 

Total Summer Stipend: $4,950 disbursed over the 9-week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern 

Location: Hybrid (in person 1x/week in Wallace Hall with host organization), including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm) 

About Host Organization: The Northwest Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change (NW RISCC) Network (nwriscc.org) brings together scientists and practitioners from regional agencies and organizations to address the combined challenges of climate change and invasive species. Northwest RISCC aims to better integrate climate change science and adaptation with invasive species management and research by summarizing and synthesizing relevant science, hosting webinars and other events to facilitate connections among practitioners and scientists, and identifying on-the-ground management, conservation, and research needs and opportunities. The NW RISCC Network serves managers and practitioners in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, and neighboring states and provinces, while also connecting needs and expertise in the Northwest to broader conversations and actions around climate change and invasive species via other RISCC networks throughout the US and Canada. Northwest RISCC is a program of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC). The NW CASC is a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey and a Consortium of university and non-university partners. Housed at the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group (CIG), the NW CASC teams scientists with natural and cultural resource managers to deliver science to help fish, wildlife, water, land and people in the Northwest adapt to a changing climate. The NW CASC is part of a network of nine Climate adaptation Science Centers managed by a National Climate Adaptation Science Center. 

Tasks & Activities: The intern in this position will meet bi-weekly with core members of the NW RISCC team to discuss and work on Research Summaries (short, plain-language descriptions of the key takeaways and management implications of relevant scientific articles) and a Management Brief (a two-page fact sheet synthesizing the science and management implications of a topic at the nexus of climate change and invasive species). Day-to-day independent work will include conducting literature searches for relevant scientific articles, writing Research Summary drafts and incorporating edits from other members of the NW RISCC team, posting Research Summary pages to the NW RISCC website and listserv, and contributing to an annotated bibliography and the writing of a Management Brief fact sheet. The intern will also attend NW RISCC Advisory Team meetings (up to two during the summer, both online).

Takeaways: This internship will provide training and experience in science synthesis and translation for broader audiences, with specific knowledge gained in the ways climate change and invasive species interact to impact environmental management in the Northwest. Research summaries written by the intern will be attributed to them on the NW RISCC website and in email communications, and the intern’s contributions to the Management Brief will also merit co-authorship on a synthesis document with a unique DOI, which can be listed on the intern’s resume/CV. The intern in this position will learn about boundary-spanning through participation in NW RISCC Advisory Team meetings. 

The candidate best suited for this position:  

Required: 

• Strong writing and research skills 

• Ability to work independently and with a team 

• Enthusiasm about connecting research with practice. 

Preferred: 

• Has taken coursework in ecology and/or environmental studies. Experience with invasive species ecology and/or management 

Organization: Washington Ocean Acidification Center (WOAC)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 25 hours per week (20 hours per week with WOAC and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $4,950 disbursed over the 9 week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern

Location: Hybrid, including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm)   

About Host Organization: The Washington Ocean Acidification Center (WOAC) connects research to decision makers to advance ocean acidification science, strategies and policies to restore the health of our oceans. WOAC funds observations of marine water chemistry and plankton, forecast modeling, and assessment of biological responses of WA species to OA. WOAC partners with the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) to serve WOAC cruise and buoy data as well as data from our shellfish grower partners. 

Tasks and Activities: The intern in this position will analyze data contained in Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program’s “Marine Waters Overview” reports over the past 14 years to identify patterns, trends, and variation across water properties and trophic levels. For instance, create a spreadsheet of the reported ‘banner years’ where maximums or minimums co-occur. Additionally, analyze timing and magnitude of phytoplankton blooms across Puget Sound in relation to physical factors reported for that year.  

Each Overview has reported only for that year; what is lacking is a synthesis across the years to help identify regional patterns that can ultimately lead to future predictions. The intern will focus on the data and information with in the Overview reports. By developing a chronology that can be added to in future reports the intern will then be able to help create a framework for ongoing reporting and synthesis. Progress will be reported to the PSEMP Marine Waters Work Group at a regular meeting toward the end of the internship. 

 Takeaways: While the initial part of this internship is pulling out information from published reports, the intern will be able to look for associations of marine ecosystem components across the years. Once identified, these will be discussed as to what might cause the associations. The intern will gain very in-depth knowledge of Puget Sound ecosystem and its variation with time over more than a decade.  

A strong candidate for this position: 

Required 

• Ability to read scientific reports and interpret graphs

• Attention to detail 

• Use of Excel required, other analysis skills useful but not required

Preferred: 

• Since this is a natural sciences project, some background in oceanography, marine biology, or fisheries is useful 

Organization: Center for Nature and Health (N&H)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 25 hours per week (20 hours per week with Nature and Health and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $4,950 disbursed over the 9 week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern

Location:  Hybrid (internship activities primarily remote with the opportunity to meet in person on Tuesdays at the Center for Urban Horticulture), including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm) 

About Host Organization: The UW Center for Nature and Health drives translational research to illuminate the connection between nature and well-being. We use our findings to inform policies and expand equitable engagement with nature so that everyone — especially those who have borne the burden of social and environmental injustices — can benefit from the restorative power of nature. 

Nearly 10 years of research at the Center for Nature and Health has demonstrated that spending time in nature is paramount to the health and well-being of all people. The Center is working to translate our scientific studies into policy and action for change, and we need help telling stories about the benefits of spending time in nature.  

Tasks and Activities: The intern in this position will develop creative case studies, short stories, social media content, and/or StoryMaps to help engage the public and decision makers in the nature and health movement. The intern will work with the site supervisor to choose projects and media that best align with their skill sets and interests.  

These projects can include distilling scientific information into accurate, compelling, and accessible stories and case studies for multiple platforms (e.g., website, social media, StoryMaps, flyers, etc.), developing an editorial calendar related to nature-based days (e.g., Earth Day, Arbor Day, etc.) and free parks days, drafting social media posts, and brainstorm and develop additional creative opportunities with the support of the site supervisor, with the possibility of other projects.

The intern in this position will have an opportunity to build an understanding of the connection between nature and human health, of how redlining and systemic racism influences equitable engagement with nature, and build writing skills, especially related to distilling research into relatable content for the public 

The candidate best suited for this internship position: 

• Has a passion for distilling complex scientific concepts into compelling narratives 

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences 

• Highly organized and detail-oriented 

• Comfortability reaching out to folx for interviews 

• Comfortability giving and receiving feedback 

Organization: The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center at the Climate Impacts Group (CIG)

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 21 hours per week (16 hours per week with NW CASC and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort) 

Total Summer Stipend: $4,158 disbursed over the 9-week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern 

Location: Hybrid, including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm 

About Host Organization:  The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) is a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey and a Consortium of university and non-university partners. Housed at the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, the NW CASC teams scientists with natural and cultural resource managers to deliver science to help fish, wildlife, water, land and people in the Northwest adapt to a changing climate. The NW CASC is part of a network of nine Climate Adaptation Science Centers managed by a National Climate Adaptation Science Center.  

Tasks and Activities: The science communications intern will spend the summer assisting the communications manager in developing content that communicates NW CASC’s funded research to respective target audiences. This may include developing web, newsletter and social media content, visual designs and slide decks, as well as communicating with researchers to develop pieces about their science. The primary goal of the internship is to provide an opportunity for a student to explore different aspects of science communication and develop at least one science communication product they could add to a portfolio (e.g., plain-language research paper summary, infographic, science story). Another goal is for the intern to gain perspective about the range of skills and tasks that may be involved in a professional communications position within an environmental organization. 

Takeaways: The intern in this position will have the opportunity to better understand the range of ways in which communications skills can support environmental organizations. Hopefully, the intern will gain clarity around the types of communications work they especially enjoy and the skills they would like to continue building for their future career. Interns will also gain confidence in working and collaborating on a dynamic and distributed professional team. 

This position is best suited for a candidate: 

• With strong written and verbal communications skills, attention to detail, and a desire to collaborate on projects with a team

• Who has taken coursework in communications and is comfortable with, or willing to learn, working on different communications platforms

• Applicant must have an interest in science communication

• Experience in graphic design is a plus but not required

Organization: Washington Ocean Acidification Center (WOAC)

Internship Title: Ocean Literacy Intern

Available Internship Positions: 1

Hours: 20 hours/week (15 hours at WOAC + 5 hours at EarthLab with intern cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $3,960 disbursed over the 9-week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern 

Location: Hybrid, including a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm 

About Host Organization: The Washington Ocean Acidification Center (WOAC) “connects research to decision makers to advance ocean acidification science, strategies and policies to restore the health of our oceans.” WOAC partners with the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) to serve WOAC cruise and buoy data as well as data from our shellfish grower partners. NANOOS offers a range of educational curricula to foster ocean literacy and incorporate regional data in the classroom. 

Tasks and Activities: This internship is focused on outreach and increasing ocean literacy and continues NANOOS’ established Education and Outreach efforts, which are focused on promoting and facilitating the use of ocean observing data and increasing ocean literacy in our region. Most recently, working with the Technology Access Fund, NANOOS worked successfully with Saghalie Public School in Federal Way via the the Teacher Scientist Partnership (TSP) program on the marine heatwave lesson plan. The student body was very diverse and the STEM activities have engaged under-represented students in ocean science. This program wants more, and specifically on OA, yet WOAC staff are limited in time to develop such a lesson plan.  

The intern in this position will learn how to develop an effective lesson plan that adheres to state academic standards and investigates regional topics using near real-time and forecasted data. They will interact with OA scientists engaged with WOAC, and reach out to our TAF partners. Their lesson plans live on at the NANOOS and WOAC websites increasing visibility and usage throughout the region. 

Takeaways: The intern in this position will have an opportunity to become familiar with existing OA lesson plans, Washington State academic standards, and using the NANOOS Visualization System (NVS) to access available data and what constitutes a successful curriculum. Then update the lesson plans so that they adhere to the standards.  

The candidate best suited for this internship position:  

• No required skills, but enthusiasm and good communication skills are a plus

Organization: EarthLab, Communications & Engagement team

Internship Title: Storytelling for Social Change Intern

Available Internship Positions: 2

Hours: 25 hours per week (20 hours per week with the EarthLab Communications Lead and 5 hours per week with the EarthLab cohort)

Total Summer Stipend: $4,950 disbursed over the 9 week internship, plus $180 total travel stipend per intern

Location: Hybrid with a preference for in-person on Tuesdays (1:30 – 4:30 pm) / Thursdays (9:30 am – 4:30 pm) and a required in-person EarthLab cohort meeting each Monday from 9 am – 1 pm  

About Host Organization: EarthLab is a visionary institute at the University of Washington taking equitable action on climate change. We push boundaries to develop innovative research, programs, and events that connect across sectors, communities, and academic disciplines, and ultimately create positive impact for people and planet. 

Tasks and Activities: The interns in this position will assist in EarthLab’s social media strategy and engagement, content creation, and storytelling efforts. Responsibilities include content ideation and contribution towards EarthLab’s digital storytelling bank, conducting a social media analytics and/or a competitive landscape analysis, producing creative deliverables (e.g., blogs, graphics, short videos), and assisting with standard communications operations. This can include, but is not limited to: updating content to meet accessibility standards and developing a wide range of marketing collateral in line with internal style guides. The role balances creative exploration with foundational communications tasks, offering a broad and engaging experience for aspiring professionals. 

Takeaways: In this role, interns will have the opportunity to understand and adapt professional audience voices across social media platforms using platform-specific analytics, refine blog writing skills, translating complex research into actionable, accessible narratives for public audiences, and learn strategies for amplifying content (e.g., events, publications, op-eds) through coordinated communications planning and design, and build confidence in presenting professional analyses (e.g., social media analytics and competitive landscape reviews). 

The candidate best suited for this internship position:  

• Possesses strong written and verbal skills 

• An attention to detail  

• Desire to collaborate on projects with a team 

• A mindset to creatively problem solve

• Basic video editing or graphic design experience is a plus