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Microplastics Institute Internship

Seaside Sustainability, Inc.
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Microplastics Institute Internship

 

Company Description

Seaside Sustainability is a nationally recognized, award-winning 501(c)3 charitable organization dedicated to environmental conservation, education, and community engagement. The organization’s mission is to protect and restore oceans by raising awareness of environmental issues, promoting sustainable practices, and inspiring advocacy and hands-on action. Collaborating with schools, municipalities, technology companies, and individuals, Seaside Sustainability aims to secure the health of aquatic ecosystems worldwide. The organization is also a leader in environmental and STEM education, offering project-based learning, meaningful internships, and volunteer opportunities for all ages. Students and participants gain practical experience and leadership skills to contribute to the stewardship of our planet.

 

Department Description: 

The Microplastics Institute (MI), an initiative of Seaside Sustainability, brings together research, education, environmental monitoring, community engagement, workforce development, and professional services to advance the understanding, monitoring, and prevention of microplastic pollution.MI connects scientific research with meaningful opportunities for students, educators, researchers, volunteers, organizations, businesses, and communities to participate in environmental science. Research informs education, education creates opportunities for participation, and participation generates data and builds greater understanding of microplastic pollution and its potential impacts on ecosystems and human health.

Interns join one of four primary sub-teams; (1) Marketing & PR; (2) Education; (3) Research; or (4) Operations & Development and complete meaningful projects that support the continued development and growth of the Institute.


(1). Marketing & PR Sub-Team: The Marketing & PR Sub-Team communicates the work, research, programs, and impact of the Microplastics Institute to broader audiences. Interns help strengthen MI’s public presence through digital communications, storytelling, social media, video, outreach, and The Plastics Report.

Responsibilities

  • Develop content and communications that increase awareness of MI and its programs.
  • Research, draft, edit, and support publication of The Plastics Report, MI’s scientific article newsletter.
  • Translate microplastics research and environmental topics into accurate, accessible content for general audiences.
  • Create social media content, promotional materials, campaigns, and other digital communications.
  • Develop and edit short- and long-form videos, interviews, reels, educational pieces, and promotional content.
  • Maintain consistent messaging, branding, and visual presentation across MI communications.
  • Identify opportunities to expand audience engagement and program visibility.
  • Collect and develop stories, testimonials, program accomplishments, and other content demonstrating MI’s impact.
  • Collaborate with the Education and Research teams to ensure communications are accurate and aligned with MI’s mission.


(2). Education Sub-Team: The Education Sub-Team develops and expands MI’s educational programming for students, educators, schools, and community participants. Interns help create practical, scientifically accurate learning experiences that connect STEM education with hands-on environmental science.

Responsibilities:

  • Develop and refine microplastics curriculum for different grade levels and learning environments.
  • Create lesson plans, student activities, educator guides, presentations, and training materials.
  • Support educator training and certification resources.
  • Help translate scientific sampling and testing protocols into practical educational experiences.
  • Identify schools, districts, universities, libraries, camps, nonprofits, and youth organizations for program participation.
  • Support outreach to teachers, administrators, science departments, and educational partners.
  • Help coordinate pilot programs, classroom implementation, workshops, demonstrations, and educator training.
  • Gather feedback from students and educators and use it to strengthen programming.
  • Collaborate with the Research Sub-Team and scientific advisors to maintain scientific accuracy and consistency.
  • Help expand Scholastic Microplastics and other MI educational opportunities regionally, nationally, and internationally.

 

(3). Research Sub-Team: The Research Sub-Team supports MI’s scientific research, environmental monitoring, standardized protocols, and collaborative research network. Interns contribute to projects that strengthen the collection, organization, analysis, and communication of microplastics research and environmental data.

Responsibilities:

  • Research current scientific literature related to microplastics, plastic pollution, environmental monitoring, and emerging areas of study.
  • Support the development and refinement of standardized sampling, testing, documentation, and research protocols.
  • Assist with environmental monitoring and microplastics research initiatives.
  • Support the organization, documentation, and interpretation of research and environmental data.
  • Help maintain consistent research practices, documentation, and quality standards across participating projects.
  • Research and develop relationships with universities, laboratories, environmental organizations, municipalities, government agencies, and other scientific partners.
  • Support collaborative research involving students, educators, community scientists, and professional researchers.
  • Assist with research-related presentations, reports, educational materials, and scientific communications.
  • Help identify opportunities to expand MI’s research and environmental monitoring network.
  • Collaborate with the Education and Marketing & PR teams to ensure scientific information is communicated accurately and responsibly.
     

(4). Operations & Development Sub-Team: The Operations & Development Sub-Team supports the overall strategy, growth, coordination, and sustainability of the Microplastics Institute. Serving as a bridge across MI’s six divisions and internship sub-teams, the team helps ensure that programs remain organized, connected, and aligned with the Institute’s broader goals. Interns approach MI from a business and organizational perspective, supporting operations, partnerships, sponsorships, strategic planning, business development, and long-term growth.

Responsibilities:

  • Support the overall coordination and operations of the Microplastics Institute and its programs.
  • Help maintain communication, continuity, and collaboration across MI’s divisions and sub-teams.
  • Identify and develop corporate sponsorships, strategic partnerships, and other opportunities that support MI’s growth.
  • Research and conduct outreach to businesses, foundations, universities, nonprofits, government agencies, and prospective partners.
  • Assist with business development strategies, sponsorship proposals, partnership materials, presentations, and external outreach.
  • Develop and update business plans, growth strategies, SWOT analyses, and other strategic planning materials.
  • Research new markets, audiences, partnerships, and opportunities for regional, national, and international expansion.
  • Support budgeting, pricing, procurement, program logistics, and operational planning.
  • Help develop sustainable models for MI programs, services, equipment, and educational offerings.
  • Track organizational priorities, projects, partnerships, and follow-up activities to help ensure work moves forward across the Institute.
  • Identify operational challenges, gaps, and opportunities for greater efficiency and collaboration.
  • Work closely with MI leadership and the Marketing & PR, Education, and Research Sub-Teams to ensure projects support the Institute’s overall strategy and mission.
     

General Job Duties & Responsibilities: 

Note: All Microplastics Institute Interns Are Expected To:

  • Complete assigned weekly projects and deliverables.
  • Attend scheduled departmental and team meetings.
  • Collaborate with interns, volunteers, staff, and project partners.
  • Maintain organized project files and documentation.
  • Communicate progress, questions, and challenges regularly with supervisors.
  • Meet established deadlines and quality standards.
  • Take initiative and contribute ideas that can improve projects, programs, and processes.
  • Support Institute-wide projects and initiatives as needed.

General Qualifications and Skills:

  • Current college student, recent graduate, or individual with relevant education or experience in environmental science, marine science, sustainability, education, communications, marketing, business, STEM, or a related field.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Excellent organization, time management, and attention to detail.
  • Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative team.
  • Strong research, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple responsibilities and meet deadlines.
  • Comfortable working in a dynamic and primarily remote environment.
  • Proficiency with Google Workspace and willingness to learn additional project management and communication tools.
  • Proactive communication and willingness to take initiative.
  • Interest in microplastics, environmental science, STEM education, sustainability, environmental communication, nonprofit management, or related fields.

Work Environment:

  • MI internships are primarily remote, with opportunities for in-person work depending on location and project needs. 
  • Interns work with team members located throughout the United States and internationally. 
  • Interns must have reliable internet access and a computer or other device necessary to complete assignments, attend virtual meetings, and communicate with their teams. 
  • Interns are expected to commit approximately 15 hours per week, participate in scheduled meetings, and meet agreed-upon deadlines.

Duration and Compensation:

  • Duration: 5 months (flexible start and end dates).
  • This is an unpaid internship position.

Learning Outcome

  • Gain hands-on professional experience within a growing environmental organization.
  • Develop skills in research, communications, education, business development, operations, project management, and leadership.
  • Apply academic knowledge to real-world environmental and organizational challenges.
  • Gain experience working with educators, researchers, businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
  • Strengthen collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and project-management skills.
  • Build professional experience while contributing to the growth and impact of the Microplastics Institute.
  • Develop a deeper understanding of microplastics, environmental science, sustainability, and the connections between scientific research and environmental action.

 

Equal Opportunity Statement for Employment: Seaside Sustainability Inc. offers internship opportunities to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. Seaside Sustainability prohibits workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

 

“Sustainability, Education, Action”

What is Seaside: Seaside Sustainability is a nationally recognized, award-winning 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to community engagement, public education, and environmental conservation. Seaside aims to be a leader in environmental and STEM educational programs and recognition initiatives. We help by promoting public awareness about the importance of environmental health, providing resources to develop problem-solving skills, and chances to get engaged as part of a community to take action. We organize our works and initiatives around these areas: plastic mitigation, marine citizen science, sustainability education, and solar energy in the community.

Why Intern at Seaside: Seaside’s internship program is hands-down one of the best in the area! With its roots firmly seated in education and hands-on learning, there is no doubt that that is why we have more than 50 interns at any given point throughout the year. Our programs and initiatives encourage members of the community, young and old, to build and nurture a relationship with local land and seascapes. An internship at Seaside allows you to explore a myriad of internship opportunities, relevant to almost any future interest. Join Seaside Sustainability for any season, or during breaks in your school schedule. We are looking for part-time interns in high school, college, and beyond to work on a diverse and challenging array of projects and initiatives. We are accepting applications for unpaid internships, with hours available any day of the week and practically any time of day: weekdays, weekends, and evenings included. We prefer to have our local interns work in person at the office in Gloucester, and we also invite interns from all over the United States and internationally to apply. Seaside Sustainability provides interns with real and meaningful work, and internships are available in any season with flexible time schedules.

Mission: Advocate, educate, and deliver tangible solutions to advance environmental stewardship.

Vision Statement: Seaside’s programs and initiatives encourage members of the community, of all ages, to build and nurture a relationship with local land and seascapes. We believe that environmental challenges can be overcome by instilling ethical and social responsibility into our existence. And we address these challenges by illuminating the heavy costs of environmental degradation by providing resources to develop skills, solutions, and community involvement.

What Interns Do at Seaside Sustainability: Our interns are not limited to just one role; we encourage each intern to take advantage of the opportunity to explore a variety of roles and responsibilities. Our interns are never bored as they’re always given real and meaningful work that is essential to the day-to-day operation of the company. As an intern with Seaside Sustainability, you will be asked to perform a myriad of tasks, most of which can also be found at https://www.seasidesustainability.org/intern-details. 

Market Research Weekly Work: In order to fulfill our mission, we need to communicate with educators who are passionate about sustainability. To meet our weekly goals of outreach to these educators, all interns are required to spend no more than 2-hours a week collecting this critical and game changing information. When you are researching these educators, you are literally selecting the people who will be changing the lives of their students by taking part in our programs. This role is one of the most important parts of working here at Seaside. You will gain so many useful skills such as how to be a more effective researcher and how to remain organized all while playing a key role in expanding the size and scale of Seaside. As Interns join Seaside’s leadership, they take on increasing responsibilities and are not required to do weekly information collection.

Course Credit: Students may receive course credit for this internship. Staff will work with the intern’s school/advisor on achieving desired learning outcomes and completing all necessary paperwork.

Check with your school's Internship Coordinator BEFORE accepting the hiring offer to determine if this position satisfies the criteria for receiving academic credit.

Requirements: Seaside Sustainability requires interns to work at least 15 hours per week.  

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement: Seaside recognizes that environmental issues are human issues, and therefore everyone has a right to be a part of the solution. Seaside is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment that welcomes all participants irrespective of their gender, race, sexuality, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, or socioeconomic status. The demographics of our internship program directly reflects the composition of our national outreach while the composition of our board more reflects the local composition of our communities. With the understanding that Environmental Issues disproportionately affect low income communities, minority communities, and communities of color, we are actively seeking to ensure that our environmental work, our projects, and programs are crafted in a way that both reflects and aids in combating the plight of minorities, of people of color, of economically challenged, and other disadvantaged individuals.

General Skills Needed:

  • Passionate and dedicated to making a difference in the environment
  • Good virtual communication skills
  • Comfortable working in teams
  • Good time management skills
  • Willingness to learn and work outside of their comfort zone
  • Basic knowledge of communication technology (G-Suite, Zoom, Email)
  • Leadership skills

Management Roles

Advisors

Seaside Sustainability’s Community Advisory Team members work directly with our Executive Director, Eric Magers, and work alongside Board members, Intern Directors, Management Fellows, other Community Advisors and a large cadre of interns organized in teams to further advance the organization’s goals. Common Advisor duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Leading implementation of new management and organizational processes and procedures across the program. Delegating tasks to appropriate team members. Working closely with the Human Resources team to manage and oversee recruitment for future internship sessions. Collecting and analyzing feedback from interns throughout the program to gauge satisfaction and success. Skills Needed: Good communication with people of all walks of life, Leadership skills, Experience coordinating groups of people, A strong desire to facilitate a positive, hands-on internship experience.

Strategic Assistants

Seaside Sustainability’s rapid growth is requiring the organization to look for enthusiastic students who wish to take their passion for the environment to the next level. To promote this, Seaside will provide Strategic Assistant with a professionally guided internship that assists with intern management strategies and supports their aspirations for career development. SAs take the lead on more than 10 Seaside projects working with 3-4 departments simultaneously. Being a SA is truly a win-win situation: the environment benefits, interns benefit, and SA gains invaluable experience. We are actively seeking to recruit college students, graduate students, and those with leadership experience to fulfill the role of a SA. Interns at Seaside Sustainability may be promoted to the position of a SA by exemplifying the characteristics of a model intern. Skills Needed: Project development, Task delegation, Superior organizational and communication skills

Management Fellows

A Fellow exemplifies organization, leadership, and communication skills and has the opportunity to lead a team of 12-15 interns within one of our departments throughout their internship. This position is more demanding and requires someone with the ability to check emails and make phone calls outside of regular working hours. The duties of this position include interviewing applicants, onboarding new interns, meeting with interns 1:1 every other week, reporting to the Advisor, and ensuring the success of both interns and projects. Skills Needed: Project development, task delegation, superior organizational and communication skills.

Department Manager

Similar to a Fellow, a Department Manager also exemplifies organization, leadership, and communication skills but focuses on leading a sub-team within a department. A Department Manager has the opportunity to lead a team of 5-8 interns, ensuring that their sub-team's projects align with the department's goals. This position requires the ability to check emails and make phone calls outside of regular working hours. The duties include interviewing applicants, onboarding new interns, meeting with interns 1:1 every other week, reporting to the Fellow or Advisor, and ensuring the success of both interns and projects. Skills Needed: Project development, task delegation, superior organizational and communication skills.

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Make Sure To Follow Seaside on Social Media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seasusinc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seasusinc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/seasusinc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDqPZWdPIQG37aaSC7NShOg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seaside-sustainability-inc/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lfTZpbv0ELrkU2po8SRfo

And remember to check out our partner organization National STEM Honor Society www.nstem.org for another great internship opportunity!