NRES Career Information
Resources related to careers in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

  • Fall Internship on Campus

    Aug 24, 2015 2:00 pm by phodson@illinois.eduVolunteer Opportunities

    Illinois Internship for Agricultural Extension and Food Security

    This internship seeks motivated University of Illinois undergraduates concerned with food security, agriculture, economic, and nutrition issues worldwide. The Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services (MEAS) and Integrating Gender and Nutrition in Agricultural Extension Services (INGENAES) international development projects are funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Government’s Feed the Future program. These projects are housed in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics and are directed by Dr. Paul McNamara, focusing on strengthening agricultural extension systems with the goal of reducing rural poverty and increasing food security and nutritional status in developing countries.

    During your semester as an intern, you will work with agricultural extension experts currently collaborating on programs surrounding gender equity, nutritional improvements, and training in innovative farming techniques for extension programs with rural communities in sub-­‐Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Central and Southeast Asia. You will be called upon to support the MEAS and INGENAES teams with hands-­‐on research, workshops, content creation, or a specific project based on your interests and experience.

    Last year’s interns completed the following projects:

    • Elaborated an annotated bibliography of resources, research, and contacts worldwide by region
    • Helped create a strategy for knowledge management
    • Converted extension technical notes, country assessments, and reports into visual presentations
    • Assisted in publishing academic papers on extension methods and findings

    Each student will be required to actively work within their internship responsibilities for 4-6 hours per week, which will include a weekly staff meeting and one-­‐on-­‐one training with a MEAS/INGENAES team member. You will attend a two-hour training workshop in the beginning of the fall 2015 semester and will consult with staff to determine a project specific to your skills and project needs.

    The internship is open to juniors and seniors of any major enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the fall 2015 semester. For full consideration please complete the application and email to heinz1@illinois.edu by September 7th.

    If selected, NRES students can arrange to earn credit by following the instructions at https://nres.illinois.edu/undergraduate/internship.