Description: The CEI intern will work with the Conservation Action team at Shedd Aquarium to identify a priority community in Chicago and develop resources for preventing and mitigating plastic pollution to be used at outreach programs, education activities, beach cleanups and in digital communications. The intern will research current trends and policies that are driving change around single-use plastics and incorporate these into messages for use in tools to support local restaurants and community members in the Let’s Shedd Plastic program. This program focuses on reducing plastic use and encouraging sustainable practices. Additionally, the intern will support Shedd’s plastic reduction efforts at Action Days’ beach cleanups by incorporating educational elements that connect plastic pollution removal in Lake Michigan to efforts to prevent plastic pollution in general. This will involve assisting and leading community science projects with groups of volunteers and interpreting the data collected to share with Shedd’s wider audiences.

Qualifications: 

• Familiarity with South and West sides of Chicago
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong interest in working with a diverse audience to encourage and advance sustainable practices
• Experience and interest in science communication
• Ability to commute to Shedd Aquarium or off-site locations for programming
• Desire to work outside/comfort working in the outdoors in all weather conditions
• Multilingual skills desired

Location: The intern will work a hybrid work schedule and will need to travel to Shedd up to three times a week.

Salary: CEI-Shedd Aquarium intern will be paid $17.00 per hour and work 40 hours per week for up to 10 weeks, starting no later than June 3, 2024, and ending no earlier than August 9, 2024. 

Application: 

• Cover letter, please tell us about yourself and how you fit into the goals of the CEI program, and how this internship will help you with your career goals. Please include one or two ideas for how you would deliver messaging on the importance of plastic pollution prevention in a program with an audience of various levels of education on the subject.
• Curriculum vitae or resume detailing education and work experiences (2 pages maximum).
• Unofficial transcript(s) from universities and/or colleges.
• One letter of recommendation; which can be sent directly to amcbride@purdue.edu on your behalf or included in your application (1 page max). Letters from employees from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant or Shedd Aquarium will not be accepted. 

Value Statement 

Just as the aquatic world encompasses a vast spectrum of diversity, Shedd Aquarium is committed to celebrating the individual differences that make us spectacular. We practice values of diversity, equity and inclusion comprehensively through Shedd culture, workforce, workplace, vendor selection, programs and experiences.

It will take all of us working together to build a world thriving with aquatic life, sustained by people who love, understand and protect it.

Description: Since its founding in 1996, the Alliance has regularly held an event called the Congress. At the Congress, partners and other interested parties reaffirm their commitment to a shared Green Vision, network and build new professional contacts, and discuss the region’s most pressing environmental challenges. Congress 2024 will be held at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Indiana, on November 15. More than 600 people will be invited. Congress 2024 will spotlight the Calumet region’s approach to collaborative conservation. Planning and organizing this event will be a pivotal part of the internship.

Working with the Alliance coordinator, program assistant, and communications consultant, the intern will perform data entry, manage digital assets, create social media posts (both writing and graphic design), assist with meetings, and perform other business tasks. The intern might also support the Alliance’s Green Vision Initiatives by creating newsletter, website, or social media content.

During the CEI program, a series of four professional development trainings, hosted by National Sea Grant, will be offered with topics that may include crafting an application, building partnerships, exploring career pathways or building your brand. Opportunities to participate in other professional development modules and weekly coffee breaks, through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, are available to the CEI intern, as their schedule allows.

Qualifications:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Professionalism in social media management
• Ability to assist with digital asset management
• Ability to work independently and remotely
• Strong organizational skills
• Multicultural competency welcomed

Location: Remote, with the opportunity for in-person meetings if in the Chicago area.

Salary: The intern will be paid $17.00 per hour for 37.5 hours per week for 8 weeks. Start and end dates are flexible depending on the student’s academic schedule; however, the position will start no later than June 3, 2024. Work schedule is generally Monday through Friday (7.5 hours per day), however flexible hours can be discussed.

The intern will be a student employee of Purdue University.

Application: Applicants should submit the following application materials. All questions should be directed to Angela Archer, amcbride@purdue.edu.

• Cover Letter (2 pages max): Please tell us about yourself, how you fit into the goals of the CEI program, and how this internship will help your career goals. Share what you think are the biggest barriers facing emerging professionals considering a career in conservation in the Chicago and Great Lakes region and how conservation organizations might reduce those barriers.
• Curriculum vitae or resume detailing education and work experiences (2 pages maximum).
• Unofficial transcript(s) from universities and/or colleges.
• One letter of recommendation; which can be sent directly to amcbride@purdue.edu on your behalf or included in your application (1 page max). Letters from employees from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant or Shedd Aquarium will not be accepted.

Chicago Wilderness Alliance
The Chicago Wilderness Alliance values the diversity inherent in the ecological and human communities that it serves. To fulfill our mission, we work to be inclusive of all people regardless of age, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, family status, spirituality, education, geographic location, social and economic class, and physical and mental ability. Learn more at: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/page/EquityAndCulture.

Description: The CEI intern will work with the Great Lakes Research and Education Center (GLREC) staff at Indiana Dunes National Park to conduct research and develop educational/outreach resources for an awareness campaign around the issue of social trails. The intern will work with park staff to research the extent of the problem of social trails at Indiana Dunes, the impacts to natural resources including the federally listed Pitcher’s Thistle, public awareness and perceptions, and approaches taken by other National Parks.

Additionally, the intern may conduct informal communications with park visitors to determine the awareness of the problem of social trails, their understanding of impacts on the resource, the connection to the Park Service’s mission, and the effectiveness of current signage and messaging related to social trails. The intern will be asked to provide input on education, messaging, and signage that might more effectively resonate with visitors and motivate a change in behavior. The materials developed will support Indiana Dune’s efforts to educate the public around science-driven decision making as it relates to management decisions and access restrictions to meet the mission of the National Park Service. This will involve designing and piloting an informational pop-up for outreach/educational events, generating digital and print media, and communicating directly with the park interpretive team and relevant park partners. In addition to these duties, the intern will have the opportunity to participate in research, education, and public outreach activities at the Indiana Dunes National Park and to travel to at least one partner park during their residence at INDU if desired. 

Specific tasks and responsibilities include:

• undertaking basic research and information gathering to identify fundamental data and key communication points around the issue of social trails.
• developing outreach materials (e.g. pop-ups, print, digital) and social media content focused on communicating the science of the issue, advancing science literacy, and promoting resource stewardship

Qualifications:

• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability and interest to communicate and engage with a diverse audience
• Knowledge or strong interest in natural resources, resource management, Indiana Dunes, environmental science, science communication
• Experience and interest in science communication, in particular social media (Facebook, Instagram, media Reels)
• Desire to work outside/comfortable working in the outdoors in all weather conditions
• Bilingual in Spanish and English is preferred. The main language of materials will be English; however, being able to produce materials in Spanish would be welcomed.

Salary: All interns in the IISG program will be paid $17.00 per hour and work 37.5 hours per week for up to 10 weeks, starting no later than June 3, 2024, and end no earlier than August 9, 2024.

The intern will be a student employee of Purdue University.

Location: Hybrid, combining remote work with being on-site at a minimum of two days per week.

Application: Applicants should submit the following application materials. All questions should be directed to Angela Archer, amcbride@purdue.edu.

• Cover Letter (2 pages max): Please tell us about yourself, how you fit into the goals of the CEI program, and how this internship will help your career goals.Please relate your experiences or memories visiting a national park or being out in nature.
• Curriculum vitae or resume detailing education and work experiences (2 pages maximum).
• Unofficial transcript(s) from universities and/or colleges.
• One letter of recommendation; which can be sent directly to amcbride@purdue.edu on your behalf or included in your application (1 page max). Letters from employees from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant or Shedd Aquarium will not be accepted.

Mission Statement: Indiana Dunes National Park was established to preserve certain portions of the Indiana dunes and other areas of scenic, scientific, and historic interest and recreational value in the state of Indiana for the educational, inspirational, and recreational use of the public.