[SEMCO] Field Research Internship Avail at WBNERR

[Tompkins, Laurie (DCR)]

Field Research Internship (unpaid)
Fall 2012
The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR) in Falmouth, MA (Cape Cod) is one of 28 NERRs around the country whose mission is to promote stewardship of coastal ecosystems through research, education, and outreach. As part of our mission we monitor a number of biological and abiotic parameters: water quality and nutrients, coastal erosion, groundwater, various fish and bird populations, and plant community composition. The Reserve strives to provide interns with a wide variety of experiences that can benefit them in pursuing future employment or education. We provide a dynamic atmosphere interacting with staff and visiting scientists located at a historic estate overlooking Waquoit Bay.
WBNERR seeks a field research intern with a background in environmental science. The candidate should be willing and able to help with biomonitoring fieldwork which may require time spent in the woods, in freshwater, brackish, and/or saline marshes, on boats, or in the Water Quality Laboratory.
The fall projects include, but are not limited to: 1) verifying habitat type and/or plant species for GIS-based estuarine habitat map development; 2) measuring greenhouse gas flux in several local salt marshes with the scientists from the Marine Biological Laboratory and United States Geological Survey as part of our NERRS Science Collaborative project; 3) designing, constructing, and installing deployment stations for various automatic data loggers (water level recorders and conductivity meters); 4) processing Waquoit Bay sediment samples for grain size using a LS13320 laser diffraction particle size analyzer located at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Coastal Research Sediment Laboratory; 5) entry and preliminary analysis of WBNERR Salt Marsh Observatory biomonitoring data.

Duties and tasks:
* Hiking long hours in the field
* Lifting heavy (30-50 lbs) field equipment
* Basic plant identification in estuarine habitats (training will be provided)
* Simple construction of PVC installation devices (experience with basic tools highly desirable)
* Upload/download of data on/off of data logger instruments (training will be provided)
* Using grain size analyzer at facility in Woods Hole (training will be provided)
* Data entry and preliminary analysis (experience with Excel required)

Preferred qualifications: Undergraduate coursework in biological, environmental, or marine science; Experience with Microsoft Office software with additional skills in SPSS highly desirable; Ability to work independently (with oversight) and as part of a team; A strong desire and ability to work outside in sometimes adverse weather conditions for long periods; A sense of humor and adventure are also desirable.

Desired timeframe: 12 weeks September through November, with extensions on either end possible (full or part-time). Preferred hours are 9am-5pm. Dormitory housing on-site may be available.

To apply: Please e-mail resume and cover letter to Ms. Jordan Mora, GIS/Research Technician, at jordan.mora at state.ma.us. For questions, call (508) 457-0495 x 128.



Laurie Tompkins
Event Coordinator
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
P.O. Box 3092
Waquoit, MA 02536
Tel. 508-457-0495 x108
Fax 617-727-5537
www.waquoitbayreserve.org<http://www.waquoitbayreserve.org/>

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