C-StREAM Fellowship: Summer Field Technician

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 NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) and Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) seek a summer intern for late May through mid-August 2025 (12 weeks) to assist with NCBO’s field-based science and observation efforts. The Chesapeake Bay is a dynamic ecosystem with highly variable environmental conditions. To monitor, understand, and forecast these conditions, data needs to be continuously collected, quality-controlled, and delivered to stakeholders. NCBO collects, processes, and delivers observations data in support of research, management, and protection of Bay habitats. Healthy habitats are a vital part of maintaining healthy fish stocks. 

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Field Team is seeking a summer Fellow to support:

• Poplar Island restoration fish community monitoring, 
• oyster restoration post construction bathymetric surveying, and
• Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System operations and maintenance.

The selected Fellow will also have the opportunity to use a range of data while working alongside NCBO staff furthering both theirs and our understanding of bay habitats. 

Opportunities 

This fellowship provides a unique opportunity to contribute to large-scale, long-term ecological research critical to understanding Chesapeake Bay habitat and living resources. This position provides insights into careers in marine science and ocean engineering, and exposure to government agency culture. In addition, the fellowship experience will provide a background in restoration science, oceanography, and ecology. The position will also provide an opportunity to expand the Fellow’s knowledge of Chesapeake Bay flora and fauna and the technologies related to field research and ecosystem monitoring. 

Responsibilities and Deliverables 

• Active participation in NCBO’s field data collection operations.
• Database maintenance.
• Logistical support and equipment/facility maintenance.
• Identify two to three personal professional development goals to achieve during the internship, determine steps to achieve those goals, and report on that progress. Examples of professional development goals include developing professional skills, learning particular topics related to NOAA, developing a broader professional network, or attending professional and/or academic conferences.
• Develop a novel analytical project or product to work on with CBO field staff and report out on the outcomes of the work.
• 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 

• Willingness to engage in physically demanding work, typically taking place outdoors on a boat, with expectation of occasional adverse conditions and partial water immersion. Prior experience working on vessels a plus.
• Willingness to handle living organisms.
• Timeliness and ability to adhere to planned work schedules.
• Ability to maintain open and frequent communication with mentors using Google Workspace applications.
• Basic knowledge of data structures such as spreadsheets and tables required. Experience with database and statistical software such as MS Access and R or with visualization tools such as GIS a plus.
• Knowledge of and/or comfort in using reference sources on flora and fauna of the Chesapeake Bay.
• Scientific curiosity.
• 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 

We envision that this position will be an in-person position and will be based out of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office in Annapolis, Maryland or the Cooperative Oxford Lab in Oxford, 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 a NOAA computer, email and in-office phone services.

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 NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office 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 high-performing 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 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.

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.