We Are Hiring 5 Summer Interns - Apply TODAY
In partnership with Cabrillo National Monument, NPS Academy, Scientist-in-Parks, and MOSAICS in Science - the EcoLogik Institute will bring on 5 paid Interns THIS Summer! And YOU could be one of them.
See below for opportunities and how to apply.
NPS Academy (2 interns)
Two NPS Academy members in 2025 will play a crucial role in supporting Cabrillo National Monument's (CABR) free STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) summer camp for girls aged 10-16, held in collaboration with our nonprofit partner, The EcoLogik Institute. As science and environmental educators, the members will receive training on environmental education best practices and summer camp curricula, support camp operations and help meet learning objectives, and mentor youth camp counselors, fostering teamwork and leadership. Toward the end of their internship, the members will apply these skills to be a mentor for Cabrillo National Monument's youth apprenticeship program, Conservation & Environmental Stewardship Apprentice Program (CESAP) and develop a team capstone project. Additionally, Interns will complete and present a capstone science communication/education project that will be determined based on the intern's interest and expertise. The members may have opportunities to work on other projects and collaborate with various work groups, including park staff from natural and cultural resources, facility management, and visitor and resource protection. Interns will be working with a diverse team, including park staff, project contractors, and volunteers, to accomplish assigned tasks, and may be given opportunities to present their work to groups in informal settings. members will also be required to contribute blog entries to CABR's "Field Notes" blog, reflecting on their experiences and sharing their journey. This opportunity is limited to local San Diego applicants due to housing not being available.
Deadline to Apply: January 14th, 2025
MOSAICS in Science (2 interns)
Cabrillo National Monument’s (CABR) protected status and unique geographic location provide rare and invaluable coastal sage scrub habitat and rocky intertidal habitat, making it an essential haven for over 300 different landbird species. Since the park serves as a vital habitat for these birds, park staff have conducted land bird monitoring surveys for the last 9 years to understand more about their population health. Current monitoring protocols entail 5-minute observations of call, song, and visual observations recorded at 10 different sites throughout the park weekly throughout the monitoring season (March- July). We propose that the intern analyze data from the land bird monitoring program to produce a report of observed changes in land bird species and communities over time. They will use the data to compare different areas by assessing the species present and their abundance and examining how these trends may have changed over time.
Deadline to Apply: January 19th, 2025
Scientist-in-Parks (1 intern)
Despite Cabrillo Monument’s (CABR) small size of 160 acres, it is an essential habitat for over 70 species of native bees. Following the discovery of a bee species thought to only be found on the Channel Islands, a novel bee monitoring survey was designed and implemented at the park by park staff and Dr. Keng-Lou James Hung (Assistant Professor of Biology/University of Oklahoma). There are two goals of this monitoring project: 1) To determine the species of bees that visit the park and their population health. 2) Test the effectiveness of a novel, cost effective, and non-invasive survey method— photography. Through this experiment, two vastly different sampling strategies were tested on documenting bees. One strategy consisted of the traditional, lethal, netting collection. The other strategy is a photographic survey, where community scientists take pictures of bees.
The member will assist with analyzing the effectiveness and feasibility of this novel photography survey strategy. The member will work closely with CABR resource division staff and academic researchers to analyze four years of data obtained during both traditional netting and photography surveys. The member will analyze the community data posted on iNaturalist.org and compare photography surveys with netting surveys to identify differences in bee species found. The results of the study will be used to determine if photography can be used to replace or supplement traditional bee sampling protocols at CABR, dramatically reducing costs of researching native bees at the park.
Deadline to Apply: January 19th, 2025 (or when 75 applications are received)
