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Community Engaged Internship for Undergraduate Students

 

The Community Engaged Internship is designed for undergraduate students from underrepresented and indigenous communities. The overarching goal of this internship program is to broaden participation in marine and coastal professions by providing training and mentorship to the next generation of scientists, decision makers and citizens. The program will do so by recruiting, retaining and engaging diverse students in place-based research, extension, education and/or communication that respects and integrates local ways of knowing.  

 

The key components of this program are listed below, and details about specific internship opportunities will vary by Sea Grant program:

  • On-the-ground learning experience through a 8-10-week internship over the summer months, including  
  • completion of a project that extends the knowledge of community stakeholders to address a coastal, marine or Great Lakes issue of environmental, economic and/or social importance, and
  • participation in all CEI professional development and training opportunities
  • Mentoring by Sea Grant professionals, Sea Grant funded researchers and Knauss Fellows
  • Virtual professional development sessions
  • Peer discussions with other interns in the cohort through virtual platforms  
  • A graduation ceremony to celebrate accomplishments, network with peers and other professionals 

 

Download the advertisement for students (PDF)  

Download FAQs for Sea Grant program hosts (PDF)  

Questions about the program can be directed to seagrant.cei@gmail.com

 

 

Featured CEI Programs

 

View Opportunities


Deadlines vary by program. Programs may have one or more openings for each opportunity. See program sites below or email contacts for more details.

Sea Grant Program 2023 Internship Opportunities Contact
Alaska Alaska Sea Grant Community Engaged Undergraduate Internship dlholen@alaska.edu
Delaware Sustainability Research Intern athena.bi@deseu.org
Georgia Aquarium Education Internship kt.higgins@uga.edu
Curriculum Alignment Intern austin.heil@uga.edu
Hawai'i Peter J. Rappa Resilient and Sustainable Coasts Fellowship waltonm@hawaii.edu
Illinois-Indiana CEI-Shedd Aquarium ktepas@illinois.edu
CEI-National Park Service ktepas@illinois.edu
CEI-Chicago Wilderness Alliance ktepas@illinois.edu
Lake Champlain (Vermont) Lake Champlain Sea Grant Scholars Program kstepenu@uvm.edu
Law Center NSGLC Community Engaged Communications Internship tmharget@olemiss.edu
Louisiana Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) klea@lsu.edu
Michigan Undergraduate Environmental Internship msgfellowships@umich.edu
New Hampshire Doyle Undergraduate Fellowship NHSG.Fellowships@unh.edu
New York Long Island Sound-New York City Fellowship prh22@cornell.edu
Long Island Great South Bay Fellowship prh22@cornell.edu
Great Lakes Phytoplankton Monitoring Fellowship prh22@cornell.edu
Science Art Communications Fellowship prh22@cornell.edu
North Carolina Climate Justice Intern theight@coastal.edu
Wetlands Education Intern theight@coastal.edu
Pennsylvania Aqutic Invasive Species Outreach ars26@psu.edu
Economic Impacts srafferty@psu.edu
Environmental Literacy & Workforce Development mxn14@psu.edu
South Carolina Lowcountry Network Trawl to Trash Program brooke.saari@scseagrant.org
Charleston Heat Health Research Project amanda.guthrie@scseagrant.org
Texas Exploring how Texas Sea Grant Connects the Coastal Sciences to Communities Julie.Massey@ag.tamu.edu
Texas Sea Grant and the Je’Sani Smith Foundation Work on Beach Safety and Rip Current Awareness scarney@tamu.edu
Share the Shore Y'all plotkin@tamu.edu
Wisconsin Eat Wisconsin Fish Summer Outreach Scholar smoen@aqua.wisc.edu 
Eat Wisconsin Fish Summer Outreach Scholar   ehauser@uwsp.edu
Woods Hole WHOI Sea Grant Communications Internship poonam.narotam@whoi.edu

 

Meet Interns from Past Years


Ipsita Tingi

Ipsita Tingi

Intern, Georgia Sea Grant Public Programs Internship - Ipsita helped develop, teach, coordinate, market and evaluate virtual marine science programs for UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. She incorporated art, botany, music, and hands-on experiences into the programs.


I realized I was able to weave together different relations and interests within my work to create a meaningful and impactful experience for participants of the virtual marine science programs. I hope to use this realization to constantly learn and merge fields of study!

David Martinez Vasquez

David Martinez Vasquez

Intern, Michigan Sea Grant Environmental Internship​ - David educated local high school students about watershed ecology, environmental justice issues, the role of green infrastructure in stormwater management, and the job skills required for green infrastructure installation and management. He also wrote a research proposal for an experiment in which 220 trees will be planted to assess which native Michigan trees are best at discouraging invasive Reed canary grass.


“This internship helped me learn the satisfaction that comes with doing restoration work and helped me realize that hard work and hope can bring a whole lot of change. In a few years, we can all come back to the restoration projects we worked on this summer and witness the fruits of our labor and I think that is amazing.”

Grace Maves

Grace Maves

Intern, Michigan Sea Grant Environmental Internship - Grace collected data on trees planted by a Detroit-based non-profit in order to document the benefits of their tree planting efforts. Her work focused on the tie between human needs and the natural environment.


I have found that how you communicate your research plays a role in its significance in the minds of different subject groups. For example, city stakeholders best understand the monetary service values of trees while local residents connect best with common comparisons.

 

 

CEI Stories and News

Community-Engaged Interns Serve Across the State

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Community-Engaged Interns Serve Across the State

By: Carrie Clower. Each summer, North Carolina Sea Grant offers undergraduate students opportunities to join experts across the state to explore issues affecting local communities.

“As part of National Sea Grant’s Community-Engaged Internship program, they gain hands-on experience with coastal, marine, or Great Lakes issues of environmental, economic, and or social importance,” explains Jane Harrison, NC Sea Grant’s coastal economics specialist.

Connecting STEM to Student Roots: USC Sea Grant Intern Aids in Beach Cleanup Efforts

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Connecting STEM to Student Roots: USC Sea Grant Intern Aids in Beach Cleanup Efforts

Daniela Loera, USC Sea Grant’s 2021 Community Engaged Intern, recently completed the summer internship with an emphasis on informing policy and engaging communities about their influence on beaches through beach cleanups.

Kodiak local gets research experience through new internship

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Kodiak local gets research experience through new internship

This summer, Alaska Sea Grant selected and matched four interns with organizations and projects across the state. Cairone Reft is a CEI intern who has been working with Kodiak Marine Advisory Program agent Julie Matweyou. A Kodiak resident, Reft is a member of the Alutiiq Tribe of Old Harbor and is studying marine biology at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

Beach Ambassadors, including CEI intern, fill vital role on Milwaukee beach

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Beach Ambassadors, including CEI intern, fill vital role on Milwaukee beach

This summer on Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, swimmers might notice people in light blue T-shirts pushing an ice cream cart across the sand. Instead of frozen treats, the cart contains brochures and other information that beachgoers need to keep safe. The cart is part of a new Beach Ambassador Pilot Project run by Wisconsin Sea Grant, Milwaukee Water Commons, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Coastline Services LLC and the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center.

How Sea Grant Fueled My Passion for Environmental Engineering

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How Sea Grant Fueled My Passion for Environmental Engineering

Part of the inaugural cohort for Sea Grant's Community Engaged Internship, Delandra Clark interned with North Carolina Sea Grant's Barbara Doll during fall 2020 and winter 2021. In this blog, Delandra offers reflections on what resilience means, her work with Sea Grant and her career aspirations.

Sea Grant Network: Visit Inside Sea Grant for guidance documents, templates, forms and more. 

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