The words Now Hiring are superimposed over a photo of a campus rain garden.

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) program, in cooperation with the National Park Service at Indiana Dunes National Park and Urban Rivers in Chicago, is offering two internship opportunities to support conservation policy efforts. Sea Grant’s national Community Engaged Internship (CEI) program aims to broaden participation in coastal, ocean, Great Lakes, and marine sciences providing training and mentorship to the next generation of scientists, decision-makers, and citizens. The program will do so by recruiting, retaining and engaging students in place-based research, extension, education, and/or communication that respects and integrates local ways of knowing.

The IISG interns will be part of a national cohort of students. Each intern is expected to participate in all aspects of the CEI program: 

  • On-the-ground learning experience through an 8-10-week internship over the summer months, including:
    • Completion of a project that extends the knowledge of community members to address a coastal, marine, or Great Lakes issue of environmental, economic, and/or social importance, and
    • Participation in all CEI professional development and training opportunities
  • Mentoring by Sea Grant professionals, Sea Grant-funded researchers, and Knauss Fellows
  • Virtual professional development sessions
  • Peer discussions with other interns in the cohort through virtual platforms

These paid, full-time summer internships will be ten weeks long, depending on the intern’s availability, starting no later than June 2, 2025. 

The application deadline is March 17, 2025. For full internship details, eligibility criteria and how to apply, please visit the Community Engaged Internship page. For questions about this opportunity, email Angela Archer at amcbride@purdue.edu.


Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer. In partnership with the University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant brings science together with communities for solutions that work.

 

 

IISG Instagram

Join is in welcoming our new research and reporting coordinator, Laura Esman, to the team! In her new role, Laura will oversee research competitions and manage IISG’s research portfolio. She will also spearhead IISG data collection and lead the program’s annual reporting process.Esman brings over 30 years of experience in research, project coordination and grant administration. Her most recent positions include managing director of the Indiana Water Resources Research Center, and lab manager and research associate in the Natural Resources Social Science Lab in Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.Full story at the link in bio.
There’s still time to register! Educators are invited to join the Great Lakes Region Place-Based Education Institute starting this February and dive into hands-on strategies that connect students with their communities and local environments. Don’t miss this powerful professional learning opportunity!Learn more & register at the link in bio.
🎉 Congratulations to our IISG Knauss Fellowship finalists! We’re proud to announce Anupama Chandroth (@iubloomington) and Laura Gray (@illinois1867) as Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s finalists for the 2026 Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship.They’ll join a national cohort of 48 finalists placed in executive and legislative branch offices in Washington, D.C., contributing scientific expertise to federal decision-making on marine, coastal, and Great Lakes issues.Full story at the link in bio.