News 2017: SMAST announces summer internship opportunities

Interns will conduct a wide range of lab and field work on the Cape for school's Coastal Systems Program

The Coastal Systems Program at UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST) is pleased to announce internship opportunities beginning this summer and spanning through the 2017-2018 academic year. Research areas include water-quality monitoring, nutrient cycling, coastal ecosystems, and wetlands ecology.

As part of the program, interns participate in field and laboratory work. Field work ranges from nearshore and offshore sampling, deployment of oysters in a local pond, acquiring pore water samples from a salt marsh, citizen-based environmental monitoring, maintaining long-term experiments in wetlands, and preparing samples.

Emory Wellman, a 2015 Georgetown University graduate who earned a BA in government, interned in the program last year. “I gained practical experience in the lab and field upon which I could build while working in other laboratories and while conducting research in graduate school,” said Wellman.

A wide variety of laboratory analytical procedures are part of the experience. “Water quality touches almost every aspect of environmental science,” said Wellman. “So, one of the most beneficial aspects was the analytical process. Being able to collect, process, and analyze water samples gave me a strong grasp of water-quality analysis and the many ways in which samples can be examined.”

“Interns are critical members of the lab,” said SMAST Research Technician Sarah Horvet. “Our interns are entrusted to efficiently perform research, and they have the opportunity to work independently as well as collaboratively with SMAST staff and graduate students.”

Undergraduate and graduate students from any university may apply. “I highly recommend this internship to anyone who is interested in performing a wide range of lab and field work,” said Wellman.

Interested students should send a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references, to: Dr. David Schlezinger, SMAST, 706 South Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford, MA 02744. For questions, call 508-910-6314.

Our interns are entrusted to efficiently perform research, and they have the opportunity to work independently as well as collaboratively with SMAST staff and graduate students.