C-StREAM Fellowship: Tributary Basin Summary

The Chesapeake Student Recruitment, Early Advisement, and Mentoring Program (C-StREAM) is an inclusive program focused on recruiting, advising, and mentoring college students who identify as people of color, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQAI+ community, persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and first-generation college students who are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree. C-StREAM is designed to advance the participation of students from diverse communities in environmental science, protection, restoration, education, management, and policy careers. C-StREAM endeavors to support this goal by developing inclusive career pathways that result in greater diversity in the environmental workforce. 

Project Description 

The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) and Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) seek a CStREAM summer Fellow for late May through mid-August (12 weeks) to provide support to the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Integrated Trends Analysis Team (ITAT) which aims to combine the efforts of the CBP analysts with those of investigators in governmental, academic, and non-profit organizations to identify potential research synergies and collaborations that will enhance our understanding of spatial and temporal patterns in water quality. The Chesapeake Bay Program and its partners compiled tributary basin summaries for 12 major tributaries or tributary groups in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. These documents summarize the following in one place: 1) how nontidal and tidal water quality changes over time; 2) how factors that drive those changes change over time; and 3) the current state of the science on connecting change in aquatic conditions to its drivers. This Fellow will develop a new Tributary Basin Summary StoryMap using a previously developed template that is updated concurrently with ITAT’s Tributary Basin Summary reports. Also, the co-development of Tributary Basin Summary StoryMaps and with updated Tributary Basin Summary Reports helps meet a previously identified CBP science need. The StoryMap(s) produced will serve as work samples for career advancement. Knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software is preferred. Additionally, the Fellow will provide support (i.e., coordinating meetings, soliciting partner input, and organizing outreach) for collaboration, communication, and outreach related to both Tributary Summary Basin products. 

Opportunities 

This fellowship will provide a unique opportunity to contribute to large-scale, long-term natural resource management, and policy development critical to understanding new ways to improve Chesapeake Bay water quality and manage Chesapeake Bay living resources most effectively and efficiently across the 64,000 square mile watershed. The C-StREAM Fellow will gain experience in natural resource management, restoration science, and environmental policy. In addition, this fellowship experience will provide insights into careers in natural resource management, policy development, and science beyond those applied for and allows students to make connections with established environmental management, science professionals, and stakeholders. 

Responsibilities and Deliverables 

• Assisting ITAT in creating a dynamic, online version of a Tributary Basin Summary report in StoryMap form. 

• An initial analysis to better understand the relationship between predicted in-stream nutrient loads and social vulnerability index risk factors so results may be considered for the next iteration of Tributary Basin Summaries. 

• Present project findings to workgroups within the CBP Partnership and develop informational materials to be shared with educators and stakeholder groups. The StoryMap(s) produced can serve as work samples for career advancement. Knowledge of ArcGIS or other GIS software is preferred. 

• Presentation in the C-StREAM symposium at the conclusion of the fellowship summarizing the experiences gained and work conducted. 

Eligibility 

• Must be a college-level student entering sophomore, junior, or senior year of undergraduate study in the fall of 2025 or current seniors graduating in May of 2025. 

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a US citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident and willing to undergo a security background check. 

Desired Qualifications 

• Interest in environmental science, communication, GIS/mapping application, and/or community engagement. 

• Basic GIS experience. 

• Interest in learning more about coordinating partnership input and collaboration on CBP products and deliverables via coordinating meetings, soliciting partner input, and organizing outreach. 

• Motivated self-starter with the ability to work proactively and reason independently, consistently share progress updates, and recommend or inquire about next steps toward project completion. 

• Ability to work well with others, and to seek out and incorporate feedback into work products. 

Work Location and Duration 

This position will be a hybrid position with options for remote work as needed. This in-person and virtual opportunity will be based out of the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office in Annapolis, Maryland. The fellowship is scheduled to begin on May 19, 2025, and end Friday, August 8, 2025. These are our preferred dates, but the dates can be adjusted to accommodate a student’s school schedule if required. We plan on providing Fellows with access to an EPA computer, email, and phone services if this fellowship is offered in person. If the fellowship is virtual, interns will need to have access to suitable internet, computer, and communication resources. 

Compensation 

The Fellow will receive a stipend at the end of each month, for a total of up to $6,000 for the equivalent of 12 weeks of full-time activities. Candidates should expect to follow a normal weekday work schedule (roughly 9-5, M-F) with occasional variations for possible field work or other activities. No benefits are provided. A one-time housing and transportation allowance of $1,000 is available to each Fellow to assist with living and transportation expenses. Funds are also available to compensate Fellows for occasional work-related travel and professional development activities. 

Diversity and Inclusion

The Chesapeake Research Consortium and the Chesapeake Bay Program are committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive science-oriented workforce. Our fellowship program endeavors to recruit from a diverse, qualified group of potential applicants to secure a highperforming workforce drawn from all segments of American society. We are strongly supportive of broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. We highly encourage applications from students at any of the above institutions as well as students that identify as people of color, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQAI+ community, persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and first-generation college students. 

Application Instructions 

Application instructions, required materials, and the C-StREAM application portal can be found on the C-StREAM website (http://chesapeake.org/c-stream/). The deadline for applications is February 14, 2025.