This page answers the questions "What can I do with a degree in Coastal Zone Management, ICZM, coastal environmental studies, etc." These career tips are very general. Talk to your academic mentor!
But I suggest that you build your resume with some experience and spend time on the coast and on the water! Remember, hands-on experiences are very important to your career!
The best coastal internship opportunity I have found is the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship. This is very competitive! Also try your state (or a neighboring state) Coastal Management Program Contact.
Warning! - DO NOT APPLY FOR the examples below. They are here to give you some ideas of opportunities that came over my desk recently but that are already outdated. The purpose is to give you some sampling of what's available.
Prof. Steffen Schmidt, ISU and NOVA Oceanographic Center.
Waterbird Intern Opportunities.
Coastal Waterbird Interns (20) are needed to help protect Piping Plovers and terns at 50+ sites managed by Massachusetts Audubon Society.
Responsibilities include: collecting behavioral and other biological data, erecting and maintaining protective fencing and teaching beachgoers about the birds and threats to their survival. Applicants must have strong interpersonal skills, be in good physical condition and have their own vehicle. Experience in biological data collection and coastal bird identification helpful but not necessary. These internships are excellent opportunities to gain field experience and receive college or graduate credit. Additional research and office-based internships available year-round. There is a $75/week stipend provided for food and gas. To qualify for free housing, interns will be expected to work 35 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks.
Internships start between April 1 and May 25 and end between July 31 and September 15. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and list of three references to: Matthew Bailey, MAS-CWP, PO Box 275, Cummaquid, MA 02637. Interviews are beginning immediately and jobs will be filled by April 1, 2001.
Coastal Waterbird Monitors/Naturalists (2) needed for the Sampson's Island Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod. Responsibilities include monitoring, protecting and collecting data on nesting terns and Piping Plovers, leading nature walks, and collecting fees from island visitors. Prior experience as a naturalist and handling a small boat is preferred. One position begins in mid-April and the other begins in May. Positions continue through early September. Assistants will be expected to work full-time in exchange for weekly stipend of $270. Housing may be available. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and list of three references to: Matthew Bailey, MAS-CWP, PO Box 275, Cummaquid, MA 02637. Interviews are starting immediately and positions will be filled by April 1, 2001.
Piping Plover/Tern Monitors (5) needed on Cape Cod, North and South Shores, Buzzard's Bay, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket tomonitor, protect and conduct research at tern and plover nesting sites.
Applicants should have some experience identifying, monitoring or protecting Piping Plovers or terns, and interacting with the public. Field activities include independently erecting and maintaining protective fencing, collecting data on field forms, talking with beachgoers about endangered species and conservation and occasionally coordinating volunteers. These full-time assistantships begin between April 15 and May 15 and end around August 15.
Assistants will be expected to work full-time in exchange for a weekly stipend of $270. Housing may be available. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and list of three references to: Matthew Bailey, MAS-CWP, PO Box 275, Cummaquid, MA 02637.
Ecology Research Job
(Ok, so you are preparing for a carreer in some area related to Marine, Ocean, or Coastal Zone work. You should start now looking at how job announcements are written, what things employers are look for in a candidate, what skills or other characteristics are importnat. Start preparing for your future career NOW!).
Research Associate
We are seeking a research colleague interested in a long term commitment to support research projects for the Benthic Ecology Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in Monterey Bay, CA. We are exploring benthic ecosystems at both poles, the deep sea, and mostly along the central and northern CA coast, including adjacent watersheds. We have an active program in freshwater and sand dune restoration.
Possibilities abound for pursuing individual research.
Skills required are people and data management and preparation of technical reports and peer reviewed articles. Computer empathy is essential (Mac & PC).
GIS experience is desirable, or it must be developed early. Duties include tracking benthic invertebrate samples and lab personnel; and overseeing workup of infaunal and video data. Experience in marine or freshwater invertebrate taxonomy is desirable. At least a BS is preferred.
Starting salary $40-$50K/yr, negotiable. Send a letter of introduction and a resume including three references (no letters) by email to Jim Oakden, oakden@mlml.calstate.edu.
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
(This opportunity would be great if you need to work in a part of the world you have never been and if you want experience working with hands-on research).
Marine Ecology Internships at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Position description / availability - We are seeking applicants to help conduct research on several projects currently being conducted in various benthic communities. These projects focus on the effects of nutrient enrichment and herbivory, habitat fragmentation, blue crab cannibalism and oyster growth. Research will be based at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in the Mobile Bay area of the Northern Gulf Coast. The interns will work closely with Professor Ken Heck, Research Associate Tricia Spitzer, Post Doctoral Fellow Per Moksnes and graduate students.
We are looking for interns for both summer and fall seasons. The duration of the internship is about 3 months. Summer interns will start on May 6, 2002 and continue through August 2, 2002. The fall interns will start on August 5, 2002 and continue through November 8, 2002. You may apply for both seasons if you wish.
Duties and responsibilities - This internship will be field intensive at times. Field research will include monthly faunal sampling, measurements of primary production, water column sampling and maintenance of field enclosures. Applicants should have their own snorkel gear (both seasons) and wet suit (fall season only). Interns will be involved in maintenance of experiments and sample processing. In addition, interns will receive training in sample identification and analytical instrumentation.
There will be seminars from visiting scientists and discussion groups on current topics in marine science.
We are seeking people who are enthusiastic about marine ecology, and may be considering marine science as an occupation. This job requires long days of physically demanding field work, and long hours sorting samples in the lab. Experience (although not necessary), as well as enthusiasm about marine research, are important aspects of a rewarding internship.
This is a great opportunity for hands-on training in the field.
Stipend - A weekly stipend of $100 and a room and board allowance ($150/week) will be provided.
Eligibility - Undergraduate juniors and seniors enrolled in marine programs, or with marine experience are preferred. This internship is available only to U.S. and Canadian citizens. For Applications and Additional information - To request an application form email Tricia Spitzer at tspitzer@disl.org or send a self addressed envelope to:
Ms. Tricia Spitzer, 2001 Summer (or Fall) Intern Program, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Blvd. Dauphin Island, AL 36528
For those of you who prefer to receive the application via email, the Application form will be in a Word97 format or PDF (Adobe Acrobat) Format. If you cannot read Word97or PDF formats, please email us with your fax number and we will fax the application to you.
Application Deadline is: March 28, 2002, We will notify interns by: April 8, 2002
Visit our Web Page to learn about the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and to view Dr. K.L. Heck's research profile (see Undergraduate & Graduate Programs, Our Faculty) at http://www.disl.org.
Gulf of Maine
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 14:36:05 -0800
From: Susan Weiler <weilercs@whitman.edu>
To: Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences
<masnews@aslo.org>
Subject: [MASnews] More Job announcements
1. The Gulf of Maine Council has secured funding for and has posted three (3) position announcements for full-time consultants to serve as:
- Environmental Monitoring Coordinator
- Public Education and Marketing Coordinator
- Science Translator
Details are on the Council's web site at
http://gulfofmaine.org/position_announcements.html
Application deadline is April 5, 2002.
2. Wetlands Project Coordinator, Salem Sound 2000 Position Description: Salem Sound 2000, a coastal watershed organization located in Salem, MA, seeks a part- or full-time (funding dependent) coordinator for the fourth year of its volunteer wetland health assessment project. The highly successful program trains citizen volunteers to measure wetland parameters including birds, plants, water chemistry, benthic macroinvertebrates, tidal influence, fish, and adjacent land use. Volunteers use their training to collect field data on four salt marsh sites on the North Shore. The data collected on each parameter are used to assess the overall 'health' of the wetland sites pre- and post-restoration. See the attached announcement and find more details on Salem Sound's web site http://www.salemsound.org
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D., Biology Department,
Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA 99362
weiler@whitman.edu
Fax: 509-527-5961, Tel: 509-527-5948
Programs for Recent PhDs http://aslo.org/phd.html
Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences, http://aslo.org/mas/, DIALOG and DIACES poster, http://aslo.org/dialog/dialogposter.pdf , DISCCRS poster http://aslo.org/disccrs/disccrsposter.pdf
South Carolina Experience
We here at SC DNR would appreciate any assistance that you may be able to give our Minorities In Marine and Environmental Science project by encouraging undergraduate science students, especially in Chemistry and Biology, to apply for our summer internship "experience." Internship details, a recent newsletter, photos of past students and application materials can be easily reached at our revised web site:
http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/marine/minority/page1/htm.
We hope to have 8-10 students in 2002, and have attached our recent poster as a jpg file, which you may print and post. Please note that the application deadline is March 11th, which is during the "spring break" of some schools.
Charlie Barans
Marine Resource Research Institute
South Carolina Marine Resources Div.
PO Box 12559
Charleston, SC 29422
(843)-762-5084
Fax: (843)- 762-5110
Sea Grant Fellowship
From: "Gus Rassam"
<grassam@fisheries.org>
To: <AFS@wyoming.com> (American Fisheries
Society) American Fisheries Society / Sea Grant
Fellowship/
Date: January 2002
Location: American Fisheries Society (AFS)
Headquarters, Bethesda, MD and National Sea Grant College
Program Office (NSGO), Silver Spring, MD.
Sponsorship: This fellowship is being sponsored by AFS, NSGO, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Ocean Service, National Undersea Research Program, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Purpose: This 18-month fellowship is structured to provide a broad range of professional and educational experiences. The Fellow, with guidance from a steering committee, will:
organize an international symposium, in conjunction with the AFS 2003 annual meeting, to address aquatic protected areas as fisheries management tools; solicit the papers, manage the peer-review process, compile abstracts for inclusion in the AFS 2003 annual meeting book of abstracts; synthesize and edit, with AFS and NSGO supervision, the final draft of the proceedings to be published according to AFS standards; organize a forum at the end of the symposium to identify new directions and information/research needs, and submit a synthesis; assist AFS and NSGO staff address policy issues relating to aquatic protected areas and their use as fisheries management tools; begin an aquatic protected areas database on the web; assist AFS and NSGO staff with other duties as assigned.
Qualifications: M.S. degree or current graduate student in marine or Great Lakes-related science/policy or marine affairs with outstanding skills or training in writing or communications and hands-on knowledge of the scientific publishing process. The science should be in fisheries biology and/or management, marine/science policy, or related natural resources.
Salary: $45,000 for 18 months, plus benefits Starting Date: 1 August 2002.
Closing Date for Applications: 1 June 2002.
Application: The application must include: a personal and academic resume; an educational and career goal statement, not to exceed 250 words, with emphasis on what the applicant expects from the experience and how it will contribute to his/her professional growth; two letters of recommendation from the student's professors or professional work supervisors; copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts; two or three examples of publications, papers, or writing samples authored or edited by the applicant.
Selection Criteria: The following criteria will be used to select the fellow:
letter of support from a Sea Grant-affiliated professional (e.g., researcher, extension specialist, director); academic record; work experience especially in fisheries biology, marine affairs, science/policy, or related natural resources; communications skills including demonstrated skills in writing and/or editing technical papers or publications; familiarity with the Sea Grant College program; letters of support from major professors or supervisors; ability to work with others.
All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of age, race, color, sex, creed, marital status, national origin, lawful political affiliation, religious preference, or nondisqualifying physical handicap.
Send to: Gus Rassam, Executive Director; American Fisheries Society; 5410 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110; Bethesda, MD 20814
Barry A. Costa-Pierce
Director, Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program University
of Rhode Island (URI)
Graduate School of Oceanography
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
129 Coastal Institute Building
Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882-1197
Voice (401) 874-6802, Fax (401) 789-8340 Visit RI Sea Grant
at http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu
Professor of Fisheries & Aquaculture
Department of Fisheries, Animal & Veterinary Science
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island 02881
Voice (401) 874-9249, Fax (401) 874-9201 Home Page:
http://www.uri.edu/cels/favs/bcp.html