Internship; EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, & Watersheds; Washington DC

Internship Program Opportunities

Office of Water

Washington, D.C.

Project # EPA Water 2011-215

Project Description:

A postgraduate internship project is available at the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency?s (EPA) Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW). The intern will be trained in the immediate office of the Assessment and Watershed Protection Division (AWPD).

AWPD has a broad portfolio of programs, including: nonpoint source pollution control and the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 319 Program; watershed planning and implementation; CWA Section 303(d) Impaired Waters List and Total Maximum Daily Load programs; and water quality monitoring and data storage. In addition, the AWPD immediate office supports EPA?s leadership role in the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force,

a state/federal collaborative effort to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The Hypoxia Task Force members are the 12 Mississippi mainstem states and four federal agencies, in addition to EPA.

The intern will be a member of AWPD?s Hypoxia Team. As part of the Hypoxia Team, the intern will be involved in a range of activities, which may include participating in face-to-face meetings and conference calls of the Hypoxia Task Force. Team activities could include: (1) planning and preparing for Coordinating Committee and Task Force calls and meetings; (2) preparing needed documents, and undertaking needed follow-up actions; and (3) coordinating within EPA and with Hypoxia Task

Force federal and state member agencies on Task Force activities and related actions to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Mississippi River Basin. For more information on the Hypoxia Task Force,

see http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/.

The internship project will provide excellent exposure to a broad range of environmental and policy issues related to reducing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Mississippi River Basin, which is a priority

issue for EPA?s water program. The intern will have the opportunity to interact with EPA and other federal and state agency decision makers who

participate in Hypoxia Task Force activities, and to learn about and participate in nitrogen and phosphorus pollution reduction activities related to EPA?s water pollution control programs, as well as those of other federal agencies such as the US Department of Agriculture and the US Geological Survey. Through this internship, the intern will learn about Clean Water Act programs and Farm Bill conservation programs relevant to addressing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, and gain a better understanding of how federal and state agencies strive to work in

a collaborative, coordinated manner through interagency partnerships.

Qualifications:

The applicant should have received a bachelor?s or master?s degree in environmental science, ecology, biology, environmental or agricultural engineering, marine science, or oceanography within five years of the desired starting date, or completion of all requirements for the degree should be expected prior to the starting date. Familiarity with the Clean Water Act and some exposure to nutrient-specific issues is highly desirable

The program is open to all qualified individuals without regard to race,

sex, religion, color, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, or status as a Vietnam era or disabled veteran. U.S. citizenship

or lawful permanent resident status is preferred; the applicant can also

hold an appropriate visa status, however an H1B visa is not appropriate.

The intern must show proof of health and medical insurance. The intern does not become an EPA employee.

The appointment will be full-time for one year and may be renewed for up

to three additional years depending on the availability of funding. The annual stipend will range from $42,209 to $51,630, depending on educational level and experience. Taxes are the responsibility of the intern.

The EPA contact person and mentor for this project is Hazel Groman. She can be contacted at groman.hazel@epa.gov

How to Apply:

The Internship Program for EPA?s Office of Water is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). Please reference Project # EPA Water 2011-215 when calling or writing for information.

For additional information and application material contact: Internship Program – EPA Water, Attn: Betty Bowling – MS 36, ORISE, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 Phone: (865) 576-8503 Fax: (865) 241-5219

email: betty.bowling@orau.org.

An application can be found at

http://www.orau.gov/partform/EPA/EPA_Application.pdf.