MarineLab
Internship Opportunities
General Information | Download
Packet | Download
Application
Marine Resources Development Foundation's MarineLab program
is a non-profit environmental education field school where outdoor
exploratory adventures are supplemented by laboratory activities
and discussions. Training
in snorkeling skills and boat and aquatic safety is part of each
program. The
complexity and fragility of several tropical/subtropical habitats
are introduced in a lecture/discussion format and then experienced
first-hand during snorkeling field adventures.
Program participants range from 4th graders to teachers.
Programs are conducted seven days a week and activities are
on-going from
8 AM
to
10 PM
including meal breaks.
Internships
available:
Internships are available to college sophomores, juniors and seniors
during the summer in an eight week session.
Duties include assisting staff instructors as they teach and
supervising students during field and laboratory activities.
Interns are responsible for lab set-up and maintenance, snorkel gear
maintenance and inventory, supervision of student snorkeling activities, and
preparations for group arrivals. Interns
may be called on to assist with almost all phases of the MarineLab
environmental education program and therefore develop a comprehensive
understanding of the operation of such a program.
PREREQUISITE
SKILLS AND TRAINING:
CPR and First Aid certification; Open Water SCUBA certification;
completion of at least two semesters of college level biology with a grade of
B or better; comprehensive health insurance.
Room and board and a small stipend are provided.
Interested students should read the complete packet, complete the
application form and send with requested attachments to:
Jessica Pulfer
MarineLab
PO
Box
787
(305) 451-1139
51 Shoreland Drive
(305) 451-3909 FAX
Key Largo
,
FL
33037
email: jessica@marinelab.org
General
Information
Overview of Program and Facilities
Marine
Resources Development Foundation's MarineLab program is a
non-profit environmental education field school where outdoor
exploratory adventures are supplemented by laboratory activities
and discussions. Almost
all field trips are conducted aboard MRDF’s 26' boats and
involve snorkeling (SCUBA, however, is an option for participants
who are certified). Training
in snorkeling skills and aquatic safety is part of each program.
The complexity and fragility of tropical/subtropical
habitats are introduced in a lecture/discussion format and then
experienced first-hand during field adventures.
Habitats explored include seagrass beds, mangrove forests,
hardbottom shoal areas, hardwood hammocks, patch reefs and coral
reefs.
Program
participants range from 4th graders to teachers. February through
mid-August involve elementary, middle school and high school
students. July hosts science teachers and the autumn months are
occupied with the young students.
Programs are conducted seven days a week and activities are
on-going from
8 AM
to
10 PM
including meal breaks.
The
MRDF facility accommodates up to ninety participants and includes
dormitories, cafeteria, student laboratories, assorted
meeting/lecture areas and eight 26' outboard field boats.
Also on-site, and often used for programs involving SCUBA
trained participants, is the MarineLab Undersea Laboratory.
This underwater laboratory houses three divers and is
air-conditioned and equipped with refrigerator, microwave oven,
toilet and assorted science supplies.
Responsibilities
and Rewards of Internship
Interns
may be called upon to assist with almost all phases of the
MarineLab environmental education program, and therefore develop a
comprehensive understanding of the operation of such a program.
Assisting the staff instructors as they teach and supervise
students during the field and laboratory activities is the
intern's primary responsibility.
Equipping boats with supplies specific to the scheduled
field trip, leading in-water snorkeling tours of an observation
site, keeping a visual overview of a group as they snorkel, and
encouraging and answering questions would keep an intern busy
during field activities. Setting
up/cleaning up equipment for a laboratory activity, instructing
and supervising a student group during the activity, and again,
encouraging and answering questions are areas in which an intern
can offer assistance during a laboratory program.
Less academically structured activities in which the intern
might be involved are the facility orientation tour as the group
arrives and issuing/return of snorkeling equipment.
At times when a group is not in residence, interns would
assist with preparatory logistics such as inventories of boat
supplies, lab equipment and snorkel gear.
Time will be made available for the intern to access the
MRDF reference library to enhance their understanding of topics in
the program academic areas.
An
intern should benefit from their MarineLab experience in many
ways: first hand knowledge of the unique Florida Keys environment;
application of college science classroom content; "people
skills" from lecturing to listening; professional and
personal contacts; and practical experience in career options of
teaching, research, recreation and administration.
The interaction, in a relaxed, professionally social manner
with students from fourth graders to senior citizens, provides a
challenging dynamic equilibrium between learning and teaching.
Whether presenting a lecture, supervising a swim test,
conversing over lunch or channeling excitement during a lab,
rewards will be derived from both sides of this equilibrium.
General
Information Regarding MarineLab Internships
*
an internship is an eight week commitment that should be
scheduled according to the following approximate guidelines:
May - July
*
approximately 30 hours of "on-duty" activities
will be expected of the intern each week.
*
room is provided and meals, when the cafeteria is
operating, are provided (when groups are not in residence and the
cafeteria is closed, interns must provide for their own meals).
*
interns are expected to provide their own snorkeling
equipment including wet suit for the cooler months of November -
March. (SCUBA gear
such as regulator, BCD, weights and tanks will be provided if the
diving is an internship assignment).
*
a $100 per week stipend will be paid biweekly.
*
although much is within walking distance, a car would be
useful for off-duty activities.
Prerequisite
Skills and Training
The
following must be completed and documented as current prior to
beginning a MarineLab internship:
*
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Adult CPR)
*
Standard First Aid
*
Open Water SCUBA certification or higher level of
certification (with log book that verifies at least four dives in
the last 12 months)
*
College sophomore standing or above with an overall GPA of
at least 3.0
*
Completion of a least two semesters of college level
biology or zoology with a grade of B or better
*
Comprehensive health insurance
*
Lifeguard certification is highly desired, but not required
Internship Application Procedures
1.
Complete enclosed application form. Assemble
and send documentation of the prerequisite training (or describe
plans to acquire the training) along with the completed
application form.
2. MRDF will contact
the references provided, select the candidate and an alternate,
and notify all applicants as soon as a selection is made.
3. Completion of all
prerequisite training must be documented at least one month prior
to the start of the program.
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