Environmental Science Internship
Attention: High School Seniors
and College Freshmen
4 Internship positions available!!!!
The Makah Education Program along with the Makah Fisheries Department are teaming up with Northwest Indian College, through funding by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), to provide internships for Native American high school or graduated senior students who are interested in learning more about environmental and natural resource sciences. In this program, interns will:
- applicant will have to interview with Makah Fisheries Management; application is not a guarantee of placement. Priority for placement is for students who are currently enrolled in a college program of study and are in good academic standing.
- work on a NOAA related project in Neah Bay with a Makah Tribal Fisheries Management biologist or manager in either freshwater biology, fisheries administration and data management, or on marine mammal science.
- be paid $10.00 hour for 200 hours
- enroll in Northwest Indian College classes: 2-3 credit internship and 4 credits interactive video (ITV) general education class; NEW INFO—the internship program will not cover your tuition this year! You must pay your tuition through the federal financial aid, tribal scholarships, or other financial support.
If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Halttunen at 360-645-3280 or email at mtceducation@centurytel.net. Applications are available at the Technology Center, 880 6th Street (Old Head Start).
Application and Resume Deadline: TBD-Please contact Lisa Halttunen.
Links
Photos of interns
Intern authored scientific papers and research proposals
Intern guidelines
Application instructions
Contacts
MISSION STATEMENT
“To excite Makah youth on opportunities in fisheries and environmental science and to encourage them to pursue a college degree in a related field so that they are qualified to be employed as future biologists and managers of the Makah Tribe.”
BACKGROUND
The internship is funded by NOAA Fisheries through the Northwest Indian College. NOAA requires that the internship focuses on topics that relate to management issues of NOAA Fisheries. To this end the internship is based at Makah Fisheries Management. The Makah Tribe is one of seven Tribes that participate in this program.
The internship is intended for Native Americans who have either just graduated high school and are headed to college or have just finished their first year of college. Applicants older than 16 years of age are accepted; however, the aforementioned group receives priority for receiving an internship. All first year interns are required to take 4 credits of Speech Communications 105 and 2 internship credits through the Northwest Indian College. Interns are able to take the class via video conferencing from the Higher Education Department offices. If an intern is pursuing a college degree in an area NOAA Fisheries works in (any biological field, law enforcement, or tribal policy) then they can apply to intern for a second year. Second year interns will be required to take a writing or speech course from the Northwest Indian College. Interns are paid $10 an hour for the 200 hours of the internship. The interns will be responsible for paying for the courses they take through the Northwest Indian College. Interns can apply for federal assistance to cover costs through FAFSA. The internship generally starts in early July and ends in August.
HISTORY
The internship at Makah Fisheries Management (MFM) has evolved over the years. In 2007, the interns primarily job shadowed and then presented a slide show presentation as a final project for the internship. In 2008, the interns again primarily job shadowed but were divided to work closely with MFM staff rather than working in a group. In addition to the slide show presentation the interns were also required review and comment on NOAA’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Makah Tribe’s request to receive a waiver of the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s moratorium on hunting gray whales. In 2009, the interns primarily worked with one staff member of MFM. Effort was made to give the students more educational background on the activities they would observe while job shadowing. 2009 interns were required to perform independent research and analysis on a fisheries or environmental science topic of their interest; they were then required to write a scientific paper on their findings. 2009 interns also performed a slide show presentation on their summer experience. In 2010, MFM employed an Internship Coordinator who developed curriculum and coordinated intern and staff time such that no single MFM staff member was overburdened with working with the interns. More effort was taken to educate the interns in a classroom like setting before they job shadowed with MFM staff. 2010 interns were again required to write a scientific paper and to present a slide show presentation on what their summer experience. One 2010 intern chose to write a scientific research proposal rather than a scientific paper. In 2011 we plan to conduct the internship program much like it was in 2010 except that students will be eligible to return for a second year of the internship. Second year interns will be expected to conduct an in-depth research project with less staff oversight than first year students.
If Interested Please contact:
Lisa Haltunnen,
360-645-3280-Office
mtceducation@centurytel.net