What is the Community WaterCorps Internship about? On this internship you will work with community members ranging from town leaders to middle and high school students to identify and investigate local environmental issues of concern related to climate change. These issues will be specific to the community, but could include things like:
- documenting resident perspectives and stories around environmental change
- understanding whether places of value to the community are at risk from sea level rise
- evaluating options for creating green infrastructure (like rain gardens) for reducing flood risks
- investigating what sources contribute to pollution in community water ways
- and many more issues that may emerge while working within your community!
Required skills: You do not need to have a specialized science background for this internship! Your role will be to lead and organize the activities of a local community science group, including facilitating their connections to experts and resources at universities who can help them pursue research projects in their own community. You will receive training on how to work with community action groups as well as the types of tools and approaches that are available to support community-based research, such as water quality analysis for identifying polluted waters, sensors for monitoring the environment, GIS for mapping community data, policy analysis to understand the constraints on community decision making, and communications approaches to help your team share what they learn back to the broader community. Additional training will be provided on areas of special interest to your community group, and you will coordinate with disciplinary experts when the group needs more intensive skills.
Any science, engineering, social science or education major is appropriate for this internship, but we are looking for people with the following characteristics:
- strong interest and commitment to the environment and addressing climate change in NC
- a desire to make a difference by working with community members
- an ability to take a leadership role in diverse community and team settings
- interest in working with middle and high school students in a club-type of environment
As a Community Water Corps Student Intern, you are strongly encouraged to continue working with your community partners throughout fall 2022 and spring 2023. Eligible applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program.
Program Dates:
- April 1: Review of applications and selection of interns will begin; applicants should submit by this date to ensure that their application receives full consideration
- 12 week in-person summer Community Water Corps student internship experience
- May 23 – August 8, 2022 (including 1-week initial training at ECU)
- Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 – continuation of internship
Compensation: Each Community Water Corps student intern will be paid at an hourly rate of $13 per hour for a potential salary of approximately $4,500
Location: Initial intern training will take place on East Carolina University’s Main Campus
Post Description and Application Information