Content: Internships
Understand the Issues - Do Something About Them
Internships and research experiences can round out a college education by putting academic learning in context. ESE majors can earn advanced hours credit in the capstone course (ESE 401) for approved internships and research projects - talk to your ESE advisor to learn more. Of course, you don't need to get academic credit to benefit from an internship: browse through the Earth System, Society and Environment internship links below and get inspired!
Databases of both internships and jobs also exist, consider the current opportunities listed at ecojobs.com (subscription required), Environmental career center, and eco.org. The federal government also has many relevant positions, and a site focused on students. For a Chicagoland focus of environmental internships and jobs, go to the Chicago Environment Network listing. The Illinois GIS Society has listings for statewide GIS internships and jobs.
Featured Programs
Environmental Internship Clearinghouse The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) has a
Campus to Careers (C2C) Program, which is dedicated to providing environmentally-motivated students with the tools necessary to pursue careers in the non-profit, governmental and private sectors.
Students Conserving America (SCA) SCA offers 3-to-12 month, expense-paid internship opportunities in all 50 states, in more than 50 professional fields with the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and more. The SCA has over 45,000 alumni around the world, and as many as 60% of SCA alumni become conservation professionals.
Featured Summer Research Database
The pathways to science website lists hundreds of summer research opportunities for undergraduates, all across the country and in all sorts of fields. Choose "Earth, Environmental and Agriculture Sciences" in the pull down menu for environmental science. There is also a "Social Science" option. Support for participating students vary; almost all cover expenses and some provide stipends. NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates
The National Science Foundation funds multiple research sites to develop opportunities for undergraduate research. REUs have been designed to help students discover what a career in research entails. The two REU programs relevant to ESE Majors are Earth Sciences and Social, Behavioral or Economic Sciences, the latter includes several opportunities to employ GIS. All REUs provide a stipend and some may cover travel expenses.REUs are almost always over the summer, and require travel to the host institution. Application deadlines vary, but many start in the late fall, so check often for updates.Local and State Programs
- Environmental Law and Policy Center jobs and internships
- Illinois Green Business Association provides internships in Chanpaign-Urbana
- Champaign County Forest Preserve District offers internships and summer jobs in Natural Resources, Environmental Education, Park Interpretation, and Ecological restoration.
- Grand Prairie Friends is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit, conservation organization composed of people from many walks of life who share a commitment to preserving and restoring tallgrass prairie and woodlands in east-central Illinois. Look at their internship page.
- Allerton Park near Monticello, IL, runs internships in a range of areas, from diversified farms, ecological restoration, landscape architecture and energy use.
- Illinois EPA Pollution Prevention. Each year, Illinois EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention recruits upper-level university students to work on pollution prevention projects during the summer.
- Governor's Environmental Corps. Sponsored by the Governor of Illinois and the Illinois EPA, interns in the Governor's Environmental Corps. get experience in IEPA's operations, including Air, Land and Water Pollution Control, Laboratories, Legal Counsel and Community Relations.
- Chicagoland Environmental Network provides a wide variety of internship opportunities in northeastern Illinois. The provide a database of local environmental internship and employment opportunities from a diverse number of institutions.
- IDNR Internship Program. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources provides internships in environmental education, natural resource management, park interpretation and administration.
- Illinois State Geological Survey. The ISGS main office is located on the UIUC campus is Champaign. They periodically announce internship and other employment opportunities.
- Illinois Natural History Survey provides internships, part-time and full-time employment, and is located on the UIUC campus in Champaign.
- ECO-USA for Illinois - a great resource of links and organizations.
- Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago and Wisconsin works to protect the midwest's environmental heritage.
- Prairie River Network is right here in Champaign has volunteer opportunities and links to local groups.
- Illinois Sierra Club is part of the national Sierra Club organization and has openings for interns in Chicago, Alton, and Southern Illinois.
Graduate Programs
For ESE students interested in attending graduate School in an environmental area, go to this link for good suggestions about how, and where, to apply.