Internship OPPORTUNITIES
Internships that will advance your career beyond the coast!
Whether you are a current undergraduate or graduate student looking for research support, or a soon to be graduate looking for exciting opportunities that will set the course for your career; Virginia Sea Grant offers a range of internships aimed at helping you achieve your goals while giving you the professional skills to be a leader in your field.
No opportunities are currently available. Please check back soon!
Available Internship Projects
Measure the Muck Community Science Internship
Deadline: May 30, 2025 Before 11:59 PM EST
Location: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Wage: $16.00/hour
Description: Seeking an undergraduate intern to assist with the Measure the Muck community science program at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, VA. Researchers in the Ocean and Earth Sciences department at ODU have been conducting Measure the Muck events since 2017 to study the impact of tidal flooding on water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Past research has shown that a single blue-sky tidal flooding event can deliver more nutrients to the Lafayette River (a sub-tributary of the Chesapeake Bay) than is allocated to the river for the entire year through the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load. Community members and ODU students sample tidal floodwater in September and October. Water samples are tested for nutrients and fecal indicator bacteria. Researchers are currently using this data to determine if there is variability in nutrient and bacteria loading across different watersheds and land uses.
Job duties for this internship may include:
- Preparing outreach materials (e.g., flyers, social media posts)
- Attending outreach events and trainings to recruit community science participants
- Scoping potential flood sampling locations
- Communicating with volunteers and local partners
- Preparing sampling equipment
- Conducting tidal floodwater sampling in the field
- Filtering samples in the lab and conducting Enterococcus and ammonium analyses
- Entering and organizing data in Microsoft Excel
Desired qualifications:
- Conducting an undergraduate degree in the natural or physical sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, geology, oceanography, environmental science)
- Comfortable communicating with the public
- Organized and able to pay close attention to detail
- Interested in environmental science and water quality
The internship will begin in August 2025 and end in November or December 2025 depending on work availability. Work is part-time, and hours are flexible to accommodate class schedules. If you are interested, email a resume and cover letter to Lisa Eddy, Virginia Sea Grant Competitive Research and Education Coordinator, at lmeddy@vaseagrant.org. Include “Measure the Muck internship application” in the subject line of the email.
Related Documents
Internship Announcement(PDF)
The Application Process
If you plan to apply, Virginia Sea Grant (VASG) strongly recommends registering for eSeaGrant at least two weeks in advance of the application deadline. Please review the 2022 Community Engaged Intern from a Virginia Tribe or Underrepresented Community announcement and refer to these instructions as a guide to submit your applications using eSeaGrant. VASG requires that applications be submitted by mail or through eSeaGrant by May 31, 2022 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time.
Your application package should include:
Full Name
Major/Degree program
College or university
Anticipated year of graduation
Tribal or under-represented community affiliation
Resume (1 page max.)
A one-page resume or list of past work, volunteer and community experience (position title, organization, employment start and end date, short description of responsibilities and accomplishments).
Personal Statement (limit of 1,000 words)
Virginia Sea Grant is a multidisciplinary organization and values individuals from a wide range of academic disciplines and career paths. Please describe:
- How this internship contributes to your broader career ambitions;
- Your motivations for participating; and
- Two professional skills you want to gain or refine as part of this program.
Engagement and Experience Statement (limit of 1,000 words)
Based on your experience or knowledge of past projects/partnerships you have seen, learned about, or contributed to directly:
- What opportunities do you see for gathering input from historically marginalized communities concerning natural and cultural resource challenges or climate change impacts to inform community leadership and their local, state or federal partners?
Other Experience
Please include a list of up to four college or university courses, professional development trainings, and/or volunteer or professional experiences that you feel align with this opportunity.
