SERC Opportunities

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) currently has multiple positions open that would be of interest to recent grads and current undergrads:

Spring Opportunities: Education Spring Internship and Public Engagement Spring Internship. These are both full time 40 hrs/week and take place this spring so would be appropriate for recent grads.

Summer Opportunities: posted on the website, on LinkedIn, and on Handshake

Are you passionate about science and eager to be involved with research that can shape the future of our planet? The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) is now accepting applications to join our 2025 team of summer interns! 

Interns at SERC conduct independent projects on a wide range of topics, including some of the most profound issues challenging our world today, such as habitat loss, climate change and invasive species. The internship program enables students to work on independent research projects relevant to their own academic and professional goals under the mentorship of an internship supervisor. Projects span the range of research conducted at SERC, including environmental chemistry, marine and estuarine ecology, molecular ecology and terrestrial ecology. Projects are also offered in public engagement, with opportunities in environmental education, participatory science and science writing.

Summer interns are paid a stipend of $650 per week, and on-site dormitory housing is available. Internship appointments are typically full time (40 hours per week) and 10-16 weeks long.

Please visit the SERC Internship page for more details and application instructions. Applications are due by February 15.

The SERC community recognizes the value of diversity in promoting innovative science and creative solutions, and we strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Internships are designed as training and skill-building opportunities for students and recent grads in the early stages of their careers. We recognize that each applicant will bring unique skills, knowledge, experiences and background to these positions, including experience that may not be directly related to science or research. 

NASA Wildlands Fire Internship Opportunity

 Employment Timeframe: Depending on the speed of the hiring paperwork, the approximate start date is January 2025. Employment can continue (if the project manager and the student agree) until December 2025. The exact end date will be determined by funding levels and the amount of work left after the bulk of the mapping is completed. The project manager will check in at the end of every semester to determine if the student wants to continue working. 

Project: Manual mapping of cropland field burning using various Earth Observation datasets. Candidates are required to 1)  vectorize cropland field boundaries, 2) visually interpret cropland field conditions using a combination of commercial high-resolution (Planet), Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8 imagery, and 3) record pertinent information for each field with the shapefile attribute table. The data is created manually since we are creating validation data for a burned area product. 

Skills: ArcGIS or QGIS skills required. Knowledge of remote sensing imagery is desired. Self-management is important as most hours will be unsupervised - outside of training and regular meetings to monitor progress. 

Computer equipment: A personal laptop (with ArcGIS/QGIS) or access to the GEOG computer labs is required.

Hourly rate: $15 - $18 an hour. The exact amount TBD. 

Hours per week: up to 40 hours per week. Ideally, 10 hours a week is the minimum (flexible during exam weeks, etc.)

Internship Opportunity: You can enroll in the internship credit alongside the hourly pay. Please speak to your undergraduate advisor for eligibility. 

Contact Information:  Dr. Joanne Hall, Assistant Research Professor, Email: jhall1@umd.edu

Please email Dr. Hall your resume if you are interested. 

Study Abroad Brazil - Summer 2025 Virtual Info Session, Dec 12, 6PM

We would like to invite you to join our second info session and Q&A on ZOOM, Thursday Dec 12 at 6PM, for our new study abroad course (AGST/ANSC470) to Brazil. This exciting course will include 17 guided days throughout Brazil starting at the end of May 2025. In the session — in addition to the itinerary — we will cover costs, scholarship support, and the application process. 

The course is open to undergraduate and graduate students who will engage collaboratively with Brazilian students and stakeholders to evaluate and analyze agri-food value chains — from production/cultivation, to processing, to marketing, to consumption — unpacking the natural resource, sociocultural, and economic dynamics across these stages. We will visit Rio de Janeiro, various parts of Minas Gerais, and São Paulo. 

More information about the program can be found here.

We hope to see you there!

Applications open at the Urban Farm Incubator in Watkins Regional Park

Applications are now open for two open plots at the Urban Farm Incubator at Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro.  There is a single 1/2 acre plot, and a single 1/4 acre plot. 

Farmers seeking to start or scale a commercial farm production business can apply until December 6th.  Information about the Incubator is here, instructions for how to apply are here. 

Associate @ Conservation Innovation Fund (ag focus) - Hybrid/DC

Conservation Innovation Fund, a non-profit impact finance firm dedicated to improving sustainability on working agricultural lands, is hiring for an Associate. We're seeking a proactive, detail-oriented, mid-career professional to join our team. If you're passionate about sustainable agriculture, conservation, and innovative finance, this role could be perfect. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through January 1st. I'm happy to chat with anyone who is interested in the role. 

Soil Health Specialist Position with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

 The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (Alliance) is a regional nonprofit organization whose vision is clean streams and rivers flowing through resilient landscapes, cared for by the people who live, work, and play in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; and whose mission is to bring together communities, companies, and conservationists to improve our lands and waters. The Alliance was founded in 1971 and has offices in Annapolis, MD, Lancaster, PA, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, VA.

The Soil Health Specialist is a fast-paced full-time position that will work directly with farmers and a broad set of project partners on agriculture conservation, water quality improvement, and climate-smart practices. The Specialist will engage directly with farmers to provide technical guidance for field-based practices aimed at improving the soil health of crop and pasture lands. Throughout each farm’s planning and implementation process, this position will help farmers troubleshoot common obstacles to changing in-field practices and manure management techniques. The Specialist will utilize their expertise to collaborate with the Alliance’s corporate partners by providing feedback on the development of climate-focused programming. This position will work under the supervision of the Senior Agriculture Projects Manager to help advance the Alliance Agriculture Program’s implementation of conservation practices that promote improved soil health, water quality, and climate resilience throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The position will participate in, develop, and/or lead farmer and partner relations, internal team learning, project management, grant applications, partnership development with corporate and nonprofit partners, and programmatic and financial reporting. Substantial fieldwork is necessary, and, thus, field-savviness is integral to this position.

For more information: 

https://www.chesapeakenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Soil-Health-Specialist.pdf

Mid-Atlantic Certified Crop Adviser Program

Our 2025 scholarship is now open. The board agreed to fund up to $1,500 in scholarship funding for the 2025 school year. Applications are due January 31st.

https://www.midatlanticcca.org/scholarships/

Eligibility:

• Applicant must be a resident of or attending a college or university in the Mid-Atlantic Region – Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, or West Virginia.
• Applicant must be working towards an undergraduate degree in plant or soil sciences, agronomy, or an agriculture-related field.
• Applicant is only eligible to receive the scholarship two times.