San Francisco Estuary Institute, Resilient Landscapes Program Internship, Summer 2025
Every summer, The Bill Lane Center for the American West offers many opportunities for Stanford undergraduates (including graduating seniors and co-terms) to work with organizations throughout the West. Through these internships, students can explore careers in natural history, conservation, land use, museum curation, resource management, energy and more.
All internships are full-time for nine to ten weeks during the summer. They are fully funded by the Lane Center with stipends ranging from $7,500 to $10,000.
The Lane Center has placed hundreds of interns in positions across the West since 2005. It has developed strong relationships with host organizations and works hard to ensure interns have successful and enriching experiences.
For more information about the internship program, please visit the FAQs page, or email Education Manager Corinne Thomas.
Details about previous summer student interns and their placements can be found here.
Student reflections about the internship experience can be found by visiting the Out West student blog and the Lane Center Instagram channel.
Stipend Information:
The Bill Lane Center will provide a base stipend of $7,500 with additional funding for student financial aid and location, if applicable, up to $10,000. The stipend is provided to cover living expenses and, if applicable, part of the summer earnings expectation of the Office of Financial Aid.
The stipend is not intended to be, and is not, a paid, hourly wage. An internship is an educational and experiential learning opportunity intended for the student to apply their academics and gain real-world experience.
Description of the Organization and the Internship:
The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) provides independent science to assess and improve the health of the waters, wetlands, wildlife and landscapes of San Francisco Bay, the California Delta and beyond.
SFEI’s Resilient Landscapes Program is a multidisciplinary team of scientists dedicated to developing innovative ecosystem restoration and management strategies to sustain thriving human and ecological communities. These strategies are helping integrate natural and human infrastructure to create systems that are more adaptive to climate change and other stressors.
Depending on SFEI’s projects and the intern’s qualifications and interests, the intern could contribute to a range of different ongoing projects. Examples include:
- Historical ecology projects focused on collecting, compiling, and synthesizing archival data to reconstruct and map the physical and ecological characteristics of past landscapes in various regions throughout California;
- Urban ecology projects evaluating ways to enhance the biodiversity support and ecosystem services provided by urban environments;
- Efforts to develop management and restoration strategies for adapting to sea level rise around the San Francisco Bay;
- Multi-benefit stream management projects aimed at developing strategies to improve flood protection, restore floodplain and riparian habitats, and enhance channel functioning;
- “Visioning” projects to develop management and restoration strategies to enhance ecological resilience at the landscape scale.
Depending on the intern's preferences, there is generally flexibility for the intern to either contribute to multiple projects spanning a range of focus areas or to focus more intensively on 1-2 primary projects.
Internship Work Environment:
This is a hybrid or fully in-person internship.
The internship is 95% indoor/office work. Possibility for occasional field work.
The intern will be working closely with an interdisciplinary team of ~35 scientists within the Resilient Landscapes Program. The internship will include a combination of independent and collaborative work, with regular meetings with the supervisor.
This internship is hybrid with at least 2 days in the SFEI office per week. The internship is primarily indoor/office based, though may include a small amount of field work or in-person office visits (likely <10% time).
The intern will meet regularly (often weekly) with project teams on projects they are working on, and may meet more frequently with individual staff members to collaborate on particular tasks.
The intern will have weekly meetings with their supervisor to discuss current/upcoming priorities and ensure projects are meeting the intern’s goals for the internship. There are also weekly Program meetings, monthly all-staff meetings, and periodic lunch/social gatherings, brown bags, and trainings that the intern will be invited to attend.
Day to day work varies depending on the intern’s projects, but often involves a mix of research (e.g., literature review, database searches), data analysis (using software tools like R and Excel), geospatial analysis and mapping in ArcGIS, writing, graphics/slidedeck development, team meetings, and occasional larger meetings or presentations with stakeholders, advisors, and other partners.
Transportation:
A car is not necessary, but may be helpful for transportation to/from office. SFEI's office is located approximately 1 mile from El Cerrito Plaza BART station.
Housing:
No on-site housing is available. SFEI would be happy to provide advice regarding a housing search and inquire with staff about housing options.
Location: Richmond, California
- Use GIS or other geospatial tools to manipulate spatial data and map/analyze landscape characteristics
- Conduct literature reviews and summarize relevant ecological information
- Conduct archive visits and internet-based research to collect data on historical landscape conditions, species distribution, land use changes, or other topics
- Research, write and edit sections of technical reports and publications
- Develop visualizations and graphics to convey information for scientists and stakeholders
Bill Lane Center internships are part of Cardinal Quarter opportunities and students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. The opportunities are full-time (35-40 hours a week) for 9-10 consecutive weeks during the summer.
Specific start and end dates can be coordinated directly with the supervisor.
All undergraduates of any year, including graduating seniors, are eligible. Graduating seniors are eligible only if they are graduating in spring quarter. Students who have already graduated, e.g., fall or winter quarter of this academic year are not eligible.
Coterms are eligible only if they hold undergraduate status.
For more application advice, please visit the BLC’s FAQs page.
Please note:
- Students are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, or volunteer opportunity (whether funded by Stanford or otherwise) during this full-time, summer internship.
- Student athletes should confirm the impact of any awarded stipend on their athletic eligibility by contacting the Compliance Services Office prior to committing to an internship.
- New Stipend Policy per the U.S. Department of Education: A stipend is considered a resource and it may have an impact on a student’s financial aid. To comply with US Department of Education regulations, student payments, awards, prizes, and gifts that are made available to the student because they are a Stanford student, must be reported to the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office is responsible for the disbursement of stipend funds to undergraduates. For more information, please visit the Financial Aid Office's webpage about the student stipend policy.
Application Guidelines for this Internship:
Students with more experience (juniors, seniors, and co-terms) are preferred, though the internship may be appropriate for qualified frosh and sophomores as well.
Required Skills:
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Some background in an environmental science field (e.g., earth systems, geology, biology, ecology, environmental engineering) or other field related to landscape and environmental planning (e.g., urban planning, landscape architecture, or environmental policy)
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Experience conducting independent research
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Strong verbal and written communication skills
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Ability to work both independently and with a close-knit team
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Self-direction and the ability to manage tasks with minimal supervision
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Data analysis skills and experience using analytical software tools such as Excel and R
Desired Skills:
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Experience using ArcGIS or other GIS programs to create maps and/or analyze geospatial data
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Design or data visualization skills and experience using graphic design tools such as Adobe Illustrator
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Experience with historical archival research
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Experience working on projects that translate science into applied management (e.g., internship or class project working with government staff or NGOs)
Selection of applicants:
Complete applications are screened and finalists are contacted for a first-round interview with staff from The Bill Lane Center for the American West.
The top candidates for the position are then forwarded to the organization for second-round interviews with their potential supervisor and other staff.
Host organizations will then notify the Lane Center of their preferred candidate and that applicant will receive an internship offer from the Bill Lane Center by email.
The applicant is expected to respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to the offer or the offer will be rescinded.
Once an applicant accepts an offer, they are required to promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and withdraw their candidacy from those other opportunities.
