Applications Open for Harvard Graduate Student Remote Internships

OCTOBER 2024 UPDATE: These projects are no longer accepting applications.

Applications are now open for 2 remote, part-time graduate student internships, open to enrolled Harvard graduate students in Fall 2024. 

• Remote graduate internship: Eastern Woodlands Raptor Ecology and Indigenous Forestry (application deadline: September 20 - note: this project is open for wintersession internship applications at https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/winternships)

• Remote graduate internship: K-12 Climate Education (application deadline: September 6)

Graduate Student Internship: Eastern Woodlands Raptor Ecology and Indigenous Forestry

The Eastern Woodlands Raptor Ecology and Indigenous Forestry intern at Harvard Forest field station will work in fall 2024 as part of an Indigenous-led team to create research protocols for conducting raptor observational research, with a focus on the southern New England region, beginning in 2025. Leveraging Indigenous and non-Indigenous methodologies, the protocol will focus on birds of prey (particularly raptors), their habitats, and the ideal ecology that sustains them within a forested ecosystem. The foci of this study will include raptor behavior such as hunting, nesting, mating, spring and fall migrations for migratory species, as well as the health of other species in relation to raptors (rodents, aquatic species, insects, human and otherwise). Understanding the connection of water sources in forested areas is at the core of this research. The study will also include forest connections regarding tree health and tree-ring research as applicable. Utilizing Eastern Woodlands Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge and cultural guidance, this study seeks to further engage the connections between sky and land worlds. This research seeks to center tribal community in the observational monitoring, bird counts, botanical plot identifications, tree identifications, etc. This research is meant to be restorative of all species. This research's purpose is to learn the ideal natural environment in which hawks habitually use, in addition to identifying and understanding the ecological role hawks have in Eastern Woodlands Indigenous sociocultural contexts, forestry, and climate research.   

Project tasks may include:

• Identifying potential study sites at Harvard Forest (forest, pasture, wetland systems) based on fall 2024 raptor sightings and habitat characteristics
• Communication with nonprofit, academic, and governmental professionals (Mass. state agencies, Audubon Society, conservation orgs etc.) to pull together northeastern data on ideal hawk environments in forests – habitat, food, relation to ecology 
• Working with GIS shapefiles to update existing geo-located raptor maps
• Contributing to a plan for data organization/storage that centers Indigenous sovereignty
• Writing up a research protocol and creating field data sheets for a seasonal hawk research protocol
• Create/design signage for study observation locations

A successful candidate will possess some or all of the following skills:

• A passion for field research and experience within forested settings
• Comfort with outreach to environmental organizations
• Comfort with GIS tools and other mapping techniques 
• Digital art (data visualization/science illustration, etc) 
• Technical writing, with a focus on research methodology
• Facility with Microsoft programs such as Excel
• Experience with encrypted communications (Signal, ProtonMail) 
• Interest in Free Pre Prior Informed Consent and practice  (learn more: https://www.fao.org/indigenous-peoples/our-pillars/fpic/en/)
• Interest in Migratory Bird Laws and international conservation strategies 
• Interest in Indigenous ecological sovereignty and intellectual rights 
• Interest in counter-research, decolonial STEAM 
• Interest in the social sciences and environmental sciences coexisting  

MENTORS and DETAILS:

Research Lead: Keshia De Freece Lawrence (M.A), Ramapough Lenape Munsee, Harvard Forest 
Research Mentor: Dr. Maria De Freece Lawrence, Ramapough Lenape Munsee, Rhode Island College 

This internship is open to enrolled Harvard University graduate students in fall 2024. The internship duration is the fall semester, for a total of 55 hours (5-6 hours per week), almost entirely remote. The position will be paid a total stipend of $1650. Tentative start date is October 7, 2024. The internship will also include two in-person day trips (transportation and meals provided) to Harvard Forest (70 miles west of Cambridge, Mass.), to be mutually scheduled by the intern and mentors after hiring. There is a possibility that this paid internship can extend into future semesters, including wintersession 2025.

TO APPLY:

Candidates interested in the raptor research internship should submit a COMBINED PDF of a resume, past project sample (map, artwork, field journal, cultural creation), and a document answering the additional questions below, via Crimson Careers online, or directly to Keshia De Freece Lawrence, Indigenous Education Specialist at kdefreece@fas.harvard.edu, by September 20, 2024.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR RAPTOR RESEARCH APPLICATION: 

1. What is your current major, minor or trajectory of study at Harvard? 
2. How does the research align with your personal and professional goals? 
3. What is your pedagogy for working with community scientists and Indigenous epistemology? 
4. Have you ever worked with Indigenous communities or Indigenous-led organizations? Y or N 
5. Have you ever worked with citizen scientists? Y or N
6. Have you had experience doing ecological research in the field before? Y or N 
7. Do you have experience creating research documents like research reports? Y or N  

Graduate Student Internship in K12 Climate Education (remote)

The Schoolyard Ecology Program at Harvard Forest is a nearly 20-year-old citizen science project that has engaged over 40,000 students participate in authentic data collection in their local schoolyards. We seek a graduate student to assist in the development of K-12 classroom curricular materials to support teachers and students as they engage with our custom database of student-generated data. A successful candidate will possess familiarity with national and state educational standards, and have facility with graphing and data visualization software.

The internship duration is the fall semester, for a total of 55 hours (approximately 5 hours per week), fully remote. The position will be paid a total stipend of $1650. Tentative start date is October 1, 2024.

There is an option for a day trip (transportation provided) to Harvard Forest (70 miles west of Cambridge, Mass.).

This internship is open to enrolled Harvard University graduate students in fall 2024.

TO APPLY:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume (or any questions!) directly to lead mentor, Katharine Hinkle, Youth Education Manager at Harvard Forest, at katharinehinkle@fas.harvard.edu, or via the posting on Crimson Careers, by September 6, 2024.