Project Description
The Marine Global Earth Observatory (MarineGEO) program is currently seeking an undergraduate or recent graduate for a summer internship at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Ft. Pierce, Florida. MarineGEO (marinegeo.si.edu) is a network of global observation and research sites that focuses on marine biodiversity, how is it changing, and how that affects the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems. Research includes long-term, rigorous monitoring of important habitats as well as standardized, coordinated experiments with network partners. The Smithsonian Marine Station is located adjacent to the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), a biodiverse estuary on the east coast of central Florida. Responsibilities of the successful applicant include data collection in a variety of habitats including seagrasses, oyster reefs, mangroves, soft-sediments, and artificial structures as well as supporting ongoing field experiments examining top-down effects on community structure. Learning objectives include exposure to a diverse suite of marine invertebrate species as well as becoming familiar with research conducted in multiple habitat-types in a biodiverse estuarine environment. Additional experiments can be developed based on the applicant’s personal research interests. No diving is expected but snorkeling is common.
Please send a cover letter expressing research interests and future goals as well as a current CV with current undergraduate transcripts, and 2-3 letters of recommendation to Dean Janiak at janiakd@si.edu. The internship has a flexible time frame but a desired start date would be at or around June 3. The weekly stipend in $400, not including housing. Please have application materials in by 4/1.
Contact:
Dean Janiak
Smithsonian Marine Station
701 Seaway Dr. Ft Pierce, FL 34949
772.462.0991
www.marinegeo.si.edu
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/smithsonian-marine-station