Branch Experiment Stations Internship program

Branch Experiment Stations – Experiential Learning Initiative

The Branch Experiment Stations (BES) for the College of Agricultural Sciences are pleased to announce an exciting experiential learning opportunity for Oregon State University undergraduate students.  The Branch Experiment Stations are off-campus research facilities located across Oregon.  They are located in regions of Oregon where they can have the most impact in helping stakeholders (farmers, ranchers, fishermen, food processing entrepreneurs) to address the critical issues specific to that locale.  Potential projects are posted at the following website (/students/bes-internship/projects).

Successful applicants will be provided an hourly wage, with some locations also providing housing.  Applicants will be expected to spend between ten and thirteen weeks at the BES location locale.

Interns will be required to complete a written report (either a research paper, extension paper, or a weekly blog) and create and present a research poster at the October College of Agricultural Sciences Experiential Expo.

Funding for the experiential learning experience is for the stated period and is limited to students officially listed as undergraduates at the time of application and for the duration of the project (students classified as graduate students or in Veterinary Medicine are not eligible to apply or receive an award).

  • Only one award per year, per student, is allowed.
  • No extensions are promised nor will preferential treatment be given to those wishing to continue their awards into a second year.
  • Only students who are currently enrolled and taking classes at Oregon State as undergraduates at the time of application submission are eligible to apply. For questions about eligiblity requirements, please contact Dr. Katie Gaebel at katie.gaebel@oregonstate.edu.

Application Materials

Interested students must complete the following:

  1. Complete the student information sheet and upload a current resume and cover letter. Your cover letter should address why you are applying, what skills and qualifications you have that make you qualified for this program, and how this internship relates to your goals.
  2. Upload an unofficial transcript;
  3. Submit materials via the web form application to Katie Gaebel no later than 11:59 p.m., March 17, 2017.

Projects by Location

COARC – Madras

  • Diseases of Carrot Seed and Other Specialty Crops in Central Oregon

COMES – Astoria

  • Rheological properties of fish ball paste by various comminution conditions
  • Enhancing Seafood Quality and Utilization

COMES – Newport

  • Oyster aquaculture – probiotics and diseases

FIC – Portland

  • Specialty Crop Block Grant Crop Up Series
  • Smart Food Safety Traceability Information System
  • Sensory and Consumer Testing
  • Sensory and Consumer Research/Testing
  • Efficacy of traditional and non-traditional eco-friendly “green” sanitizers on Listeria monocytogenes strains recovered from diverse food production environments.
  • Smart Phone Based Food Safety Traceability Solution

HAREC – Hermiston

  • Integrative Horticulture
  • Functional characterization of genes involved in the response to potato virus Y in potato
  • Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic Internship
  • Tracking insects abundance, distribution and movement
  • Use of non-chemical alternatives to control an important potato pest
  • Fingerprinting of Umatilla Potato Samples from Seed Lot Trials Using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers
  • Aquatic Invertebrates in Eastern Oregon
  • Pollination Ecology in Riparian Areas and Grasslands
  • Nutrient management for new potato varieties

SOREC  – Central Point

  • Isolation and identification of tree fruits pathogen in Southern Oregon

NWREC – Aurora

  • Machine harvesting fresh quality blueberries
  • Croptime: degree-day modeling

CBARC – Pendleton

  • Impacts of chaff collection or chaff plus straw collection at harvest to improve weed control

EOARC – Union 

  • Perennial Forage Species/Irrigation Management in Eastern Oregon
  • Greater sage-grouse habitat suitability and management on historical crested wheatgrass seedings in southeastern Oregon
  • Restoration and Management of Wildland Ecosystems to Support Sustained Production of Culturally Important Plant Resources
  • Monitoring the impact and spread of a new invasive annual grass (Ventenata dubia) in Oregon.