Summer environmental internships are waiting for you

We are right in the midst of summer internship search season.  Some deadlines have passed, but many continue into February, with some in March and April.

If you are interested in an internship position related to field biology or environmental science you should be on the EVS group email list maintained by Dr. Saunders.  Contact her to be added.  If you are not on that list here are some great internship opportunities you may have missed hearing about:

• Various internships in Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• A number of openings in the Cleveland Metroparks, including at the Zoo
• Summer conservation program at the University of Washington
• The Yosemite Environmental Science Training Program
• Internships with the Ohio EPA
• Camp counselor and Outreach Programs Supervisor at Chincoteague Bay Field Station in Virginia
• Field Ecology internship at Fordham's field station in New York

This list just scratches the surface of what is available.  Do your own searches on Google, watch the halls of Kettering for posted notices, and get on Dr. Saunder's email list!

Ashland Biology graduates becoming Physican Assistants

We have seen a growing interest in physician assistant (PA) careers amongst students in our science departments.  Two of our graduates have recently completed PA programs and are now serving patients.  Charlie Davis (Biology '12) graduated at the top of his class from Mount Union University's PA program this past year, passed his State of Ohio board exams and is now practicing in Orthopedics, Family Medicine and Sports Medicine with Avita Health System.  Charlie notes that his undergraduate research experience helped to set him up for his career success.

Katie Manocchio (Biology '11) completed the PA program at the University of Toledo and is now practicing with Samaritan Regional Health System specializing in Emergency Medicine.  Katie worked in the emergency room at Ashland City's Samaritan Hospital while an undergraduate student.

Three other Ashland biology graduates are currently in PA programs at Baldwin Wallace University and Mount Union.  You can find out more about preparation for PA programs on our wiki advising pages.

Environment Lecture Series begins with dam removal

The first event in this year’s Environmental Lecture Series will be a presentation by Bill Zawiski, an environmental scientist with the Division of Surface Water, Ohio EPA.  That presentation will be Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 pm in the Ronk Lecture Hall, COE.

Zawiski’s talk is titled “Dam Removal in Ohio: A fish is swimming upstream and hits its head and what does it say...?”

Deconstruction of Mill Dam, Cuyahoga Falls, OH (credit: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency).

Zawiski will focus initially on the ecology of streams influenced by dams and will discuss the decision-making process for evaluating sites, as well as the process for removing a dam in Ohio. He also will discuss some specific projects and the consequences of removal on stream ecology.

Bill Zawiski, environmental scientist, Division of Surface Water, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency showing off a small-mouthed bass (Micropterus dolomieu)

Zawiski has been with Ohio EPA for more than 25 years and focuses on surface water quality assessments and facility regulation. In addition, he was a lecturer at the University of Akron for 12 years, teaching classes in Water Resources and Environmental Regulation.

Zawiski has been a co-author on several peer-reviewed publications that reported research into Ohio fish and mussel communities, pollutants and the effects of dam removal. His interest in the aquatic realm started in the Rocky River, was important throughout his education, and continues to this day.

This year’s Environmental Lecture Series explores “People and Environment: Restoration and Rehabilitation of Natural Areas,” with perspectives from experts in dam removal and urban rehabilitation. The series will explore different examples of projects intended to restore or rehabilitate the natural functions of habitats that have been heavily affected by development projects. 

Spend your summer on Lake Erie

Last week we posted about several paid summer research internship opportunities at locations where Ashland science students have been accepted in the past.  Here is one more local field biology opportunity that has been very popular with our students.

Stone Laboratories is The Ohio State University's freshwater research and teaching facility on Gibraltar Island across from Put-In-Bay.  It is the oldest freshwater biological field station in the country, founded in 1895.  The lab has announced a number of summer opportunities including:

• A Research Experience for Undergraduates program that pays you to conduct research and take a class at Stone Labs while providing room and board.  This year's projects include invasive goby work, Lake Erie birds, water snakes, and nutrient loading. The application deadline is February 20th.
• The lab has posted two job opportunities for Summer Student Positions and a Biological Field Station Assistant Position.  Application deadline is March 6th.
• Stone Labs also hosts several courses each summer.

Check out a past student's experience at Stone Labs in this post.

Follow the path of past Ashland science students to a summer internship

Application deadlines for summer research internships are popping up over the next few months.  There are hundreds of internship sites nationwide, many at research Universities, and most come with a stipend and free room and board.  A great place to start looking for possible internship sites is right here on the Ashland Science News.  The "Summer Research Internships" tag on this site will show internship announcements from past years, most of which are also likely offered this year.

You can also find places were Ashland science students have done internships in the past.  Here are a few to investigate:

• Two of our students have been part of the internship program in the Molecular Biosciences program at UNC-Chapel Hill.  You can read about the program here, which comes with a $5000 stipend, room, meals and travel expenses.  Review of applications begins February 2nd.  Our graduates who took part in this program are now both pursuing their PhD degrees.
• Another two students have been part of the Chester Scholars program at MetroHealth Hospital in Cleveland.  This program provides both a research and clinical experience, provides a stipend of $2500 and applications are due by February 13th.  One of our past Chester Scholars is pursuing her DO degree while the other is serving in the Peace Corp and plans to apply to medical school.
• Another student spent the 2012 summer in a plant genomics research lab at Michigan State University.  The Director of this program recently wrote us to spread the word about their program for this coming summer.  Students receive a $5250 stipend, room, meals and travel expense.  The application can be found here and is due February 18th.

There are also many environmental science-related internships to explore.  A great way to hear about these opportunities is to ask Dr. Patty Saunders, our Environmental Science Program Director, to add you to the EVS Angel community so that you receive internship email alerts.