Posted: January 18, 2017
The Arboretum at Penn State is offering two paid ($12/hour) internships for undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates interested in career paths in environmental education.
Opportunity: The Arboretum at Penn State is offering two paid ($12/hour) internships for undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates interested in career paths in environmental education.
- Full-Time Summer Internship: (40 hour/week) position with a 14-week term
- Part-Time Summer Internship: (20 hour/week) position with a 14-week term
- Start and end dates are negotiable if not tied to internship requirements.
Experience: This internship provides a hands-on introduction to outdoor, place-based education in a children's garden setting. You will work under the guidance of the coordinator of children's educational programs as we develop nature-themed programs and activities related to central Pennsylvania geology, history, and culture. Learning about local wildlife and bird identification, pollination, and gardening from seed to table, the native people of our region and planting and harvesting a vegetable, flower, and herb garden are just some of the possible themes to develop in one summer season. It will be an outdoor learning experience that will also expose interns to the world of public gardens, integrating event planning, donor support, and public relations skills with the educational mission of the children's garden.
Responsibilities:
- Develop, facilitate, and evaluate outdoor learning experiences, educational activities, materials, and programs for children (ages 3-12).
- Research the history of our regional geographic landscape, native plants, and wildlife in order to share your learning with garden visitors.
- Provide garden education related to the specific varieties of herbs, flowers and vegetables in our harvest gardens.
- Supporting tours and events held in the Arboretum and children's garden for visiting school groups, community tours and university functions.
- Act as a "garden guide" for informal visitors of all ages.
- Coordination of volunteers and organization of weekly programs and activities in the children's garden.
Qualifications: Applicants should be graduates or currently enrolled students in a B.S. and/or M.S. degree program in Education, Health and Human Development, Recreation and Parks Tourism Management, Environmental Education or fields of study related to garden and outdoor education. Applicants should have strong written and personal communication skills, a demonstrated willingness to work in a team environment, and a strong work ethic. Highest preference will be given to candidates who have a demonstrable interest in education and can explain how this opportunity will help them to reach their career goals.
Requirements: Current (within one year) Pennsylvania Child Abuse and Criminal History Clearance, FBI Fingerprint Clearance, two letters of recommendation, health appraisal and TB test, completion of the PSU Building a Safe Penn State on-line training. Information and guidance on clearance requirements can be provided. Individuals must have the ability to work 20-40 hours across a seven-day week (Sunday-Saturday). Some weekend and/or evening activity is anticipated and schedules will be adjusted according to the events and programs of the garden. Work is primarily outdoors but will involve weekly planning and evaluation meetings, material preparation and some garden maintenance. Opportunities for field trips and educational programs will also be provided.
Application: Applications must be submitted electronically via the Penn State Jobs website at psu.jobs. This position is listed as Job #68661. Please make certain to include a cover letter and resume in application materials. Instructions for using the PSU Jobs website are available at psu.jobs/faq.
Qualified applicants will be contacted for interviews to be scheduled in March 2017.
