The Department of Commerce is seeking an MES or MPA student intern for Winter quarter 2014 to assist in collecting, analyzing, and developing data for environmental indicators for the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) for Washington State in support of Governor Inslee’s Results Washington performance measurement system.

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The GPI provides monetized estimates of societal well-being based on a triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental criteria. The project will focus primarily on developing the data for the natural capital accounts in order to fit them to the unique environmental character of Washington State, while looking for ways to improve upon existing methodology.

The intern will work with Commerce Research Services staff, and an intern from the MPA program, on evaluating the state’s existing data in collaboration with other state agencies to move forward on a possible bi-state approach with the State of Oregon to develop bio-regional measurements. The focus of the project will be on the GPI’s nine natural capital accounts: cost of water pollution, air pollution, noise pollution, net wetland change, net farmland change, net forest cover change, climate change, ozone depletion, and nonrenewable energy resources depletion.

The student will be provided, and must familiarize themselves, with background materials on the GPI methodology and tools developed by the State of Maryland. The student will gain a professional-level experience in conducting research for a state agency, familiarity with a variety of state and federal data sources, exposure to inter-agency research collaboration, and experience in summarizing research findings for agency management and other stakeholders.

Interested applicants should submit a resume, writing sample, and three references to researchservices@commerce.wa.gov.

For more information contact David Wallace at 360/725-5039. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and are due no later than Wednesday, January 1.

The deadline for registering for internships at Evergreen is Friday, January 10, with the possibility of extending this deadline to Friday, Jan 17.