The Department of Environment is offering summer internships for students, ages 15 and over, who live in Grand Cayman and are interested in gaining experience in marine science, terrestrial ecology, sustainable development, and related fields.

The application deadline is Thursday, 30 March and internships will be offered in July and August. Internships are unpaid volunteer positions and cover a variety of activities within the department – including fieldwork, office work such as data entry, laboratory work, and administration.

Internships for high school students last one week in order to accommodate the number of students who apply each year. In 2016, 27 high school and university students interned with the DoE.

According to DoE Research Officer Bradley Johnson, ‘We look forward to working with high school and university students every summer. DoE internships are an excellent way for students to learn about careers in science and with DoE. We aim to involve students in a broad range of projects so that they can gain an understanding of the work we do’.

DoE Research Officer Janice Blumenthal explained, ‘Depending on research schedules, students might help DoE researchers survey coral reefs or protect turtle nests, join Conservation Officers on marine or terrestrial patrols, test water samples in the lab, enter and analyse data, or assist with writing educational materials’.

For more information, contact DoE at [email protected]. There will be an application form to fill in as this is a competitive placement.

IMAGE:  credit DoE Photo: 2016 DoE intern Lorenzo Currie assisting with the department’s annual conch survey.