The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) Summer Internship Program provides undergraduate students opportunities to help address issues impacting coastal communities by combining social and environmental conservation sciences. Through this program, IISG’s interns will gain knowledge and skills in practices that help Lake Michigan coastal communities make more informed decisions about resource management and everyday activities. These paid internships may include research, communications, and/or outreach activities. Applicants may have the opportunity to participate in activities (e.g., attending a professional conference) outside of their specific internship duties.

The following internships are offered:

• Aquatic Invasive Species Education: The AIS education intern will work with the IISG AIS team to develop tools that can be used by outdoor youth education programs (e.g., at summer camps and museums) to teach students about AIS impacts and prevention. The intern will also deliver these tools to programs and conduct educator follow-up. Tools could take a variety of forms including, but not limited to, educator lesson plans, coloring books, or youth-oriented applications or websites.
• Green Stormwater Infrastructure: The student intern will support state-wide green stormwater infrastructure extension programming efforts for Illinois Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Working with the Water Quality and Stormwater Specialist, the intern will promote green stormwater infrastructure, including the Red Oak Rain Garden.
• Sustainable Communities: The student intern will support sustainable communities extension programming efforts for Purdue Extension and IISG. Working with program staff, the intern will collaboratively develop extension education and training materials (fact sheets, excerpts of guidebooks, web pages, online modules, reports, and database updates) related to public spaces, rain gardens, land use, and environmental planning topics. The intern will also interact with community groups and program partners through meetings, workshop/program delivery, and trainings in collaboration with extension specialists.
• Water Affordability: ISG is seeking a water affordability intern to work remotely with the IISG water resource economist. Candidates should have a strong interest in one or more of the following areas: water policy/governance, utility rate setting, data management, and urban planning.
• Youth Education: The successful applicant will have an interest in youth education, have an interest or skills in editing and creating videos, and be comfortable on social media. The intern will assist with expanding The Familiar Faces Project, developing Lake Michigan curriculum, assisting with future IISG projects, as well as leading and developing recruitment and outreach events with the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Interns in the IISG program will be paid $17.00 per hour and work up to 37.5 hours per week for a minimum of eight weeks (June 3–July 26).

Eligibility

• Undergraduates currently enrolled in any 2- or 4-year accredited U.S. community college, college, or university.
• Applicants should be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or have an active F-1 visa.
• Those who have previously participated in the IISG Summer Student Internship or Community Engaged Internship programs are not eligible.
• Each intern is responsible for the cost of housing plus transportation to and from their workplace. See each project description for information on whether the position is remote, in-person, or hybrid.