Conservation Biology Intern

Love nature? Then you’re going to love The Nat.

The San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) was founded by amateur naturalists in 1874 and has played a major role in the conversation of our region. The Museum recently celebrated its 150th anniversary and completed a strategic plan focused on encouraging a love for nature, levering science and collections for conservation, and using our own voice to be here for nature.

The Nat has an opening for a part-time, temporary Conservation Biology Intern.

Jacob’s Center of Science and Conservation DeBeer STEM Internship Program: 

The Nat’s JCSC DeBeer STEM Intern Program provides training and mentoring in research, databasing protocols, analysis, outreach, curation, and collections management to students, which can translate to career pathways in research, conservation, biological consulting, and related STEM careers.

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The intern will contribute to initiatives in San Diego and Baja California, Mexico focused on understanding the current state of biodiversity in regional urban canyon greenspaces. The intern may work on a variety of field, office, or laboratory tasks such as collecting, compiling, and sharing data that support biodiversity research, habitat assessment, and conservation planning. Interns are expected to create a final report or presentation on their work and will receive instruction, guidance, and follow-up for all tasks assigned.

Responsibilities:

Primary responsibilities include: 

• Online research and data collection
• Digitization
• Data management
• Assisting coordination and execution of outreach events
• Developing outreach materials

Responsibilities may also include: 

• Field site visits/biodiversity surveys in San Diego and Baja California, Mexico

Qualifications:

• Interest in conservation and natural history
• Strong communication skills with attention to detail
• Ability to work some weekends and evenings (with prior notice)
• Experience using GIS software a plus
• Proficiency in Spanish strongly preferred

Eligibility:

• Applicants must attend a community college or university (or recently graduated in the past year)

Time Commitment:

• Hours: Up to 225 hours total. Interns can work up to 29 hours/week.

• Ideal start date: August/September

Location: On-Site. Some remote work may be possible. Some fieldwork may be possible.

Pay: $20/hour. 

Employees enjoy free admission into all of Balboa Park’s museums as well as free admission to the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. Learn more about the Museum’s benefits here.