Field & Office Ecology Intern

Company Name: Upstream Consulting & Evaluation, LLC

Job Title: Field & Office Ecology Intern

Start Date: May 2025 

Pay Rate: $16-$18/hour depending on experience

Hours/week- varies: Depends on interns interests, skills, learning outcomes, and availability. Ideal commitment would be 5-15 hours/week (depending on the week) during summer semester; may continue with fewer hours during the school year. 

About:

Upstream Consulting & Evaluation, LLC is a small, locally owned business seeking a Field & Office Ecology Intern to join our research team for the summer field season, and possibly into the school year depending on the intern’s interests and skills. This position would include an on-the-job introduction to field research techniques in freshwater environments, data management, and a variety of administrative tasks. This is part of a three-year research project focused on sampling sites throughout the region to better understand the distribution of invasive mollusks and crustaceans in order to inform future early detection and rapid response efforts and priority locations for outreach and education. Work will take place at a variety of sites throughout Vermont and New York, and remotely for office tasks.

Note: Depending on applicants’ goals/interests, multiple interns focused on different tasks may be hired. You are encouraged to apply even if you are unsure whether or not you meet the requirements listed below.

Key responsibilities:

• Administrative tasks such as data entry, proofreading, providing feedback on social media posts, and updating website and interactive map.
• Cleaning, maintaining, and calibrating sampling gear.
• Assisting other members of the research team with in-water and shore/bank searches for mollusks and crustaceans, and other research tasks as needed.

 

Job requirements:

• For field work- ability to swim and be comfortable in various freshwater environments, move gear weighing up to 30 lbs over uneven terrain, and wear a snorkel mask underwater in order to conduct searches and find and identify organisms.
• Basic technology skills (e.g., entering information into an Excel spreadsheet, using Microsoft Word, general familiarity with social media platforms)
• Ability to be outdoors in various weather conditions (sun, heat, rain, etc.)
• Willingness to work a schedule that will vary depending on weather conditions and flexibility for occasional multi-day sampling trips that require camping overnight on location.
• Must have reliable transportation to Richmond, VT Park & Ride (carpool location to meet for travel to sites).

 

Bonus Skills that would be useful for this position:

• Snorkeling experience
• First Aid/CPR certification
• Environmental education and/or science communication experience
• Experience identifying native and invasive mollusks and crustaceans, and/or using dichotomous keys.
• Familiarity with ArcGIS and/or R, or an interest in learning these programs

 

Perks of the job:

• On-the-job training
• Fishing license
• Stipend for wear and tear on personal clothing/gear due to field work

 

How to apply:

Email melanie@upstreamvt.com (Senior Researcher & Evaluator for Upstream Consulting & Evaluation, LLC)  with Subject: “Ecology Intern application” describing:

• Your interest in this internship.
• Any specific academic or career goals that you would like to meet through this internship. (If applicable, note if you will plan to work with your school to receive academic credit for the internship.)
• Previous experience and/or skills you would like to contribute based on the job description.

Include as a .docx or .pdf attachment a brief (one-page maximum) resume with relevant skills/experience.