Smithsonian Institution, Prairie Dog & Black-Footed Ferrets Internship, Summer 2024
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 the summer 2023 cohort of 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.
PLEASE NOTE: The selected individual will be required to undergo a recruitment process with the Smithsonian Institution to allow them field vehicle privileges and sponsored travel (additional travel within the bounds of the internship).
Description of the Agency and the Internship:
The Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, encompasses 21 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research centers. The Smithsonian is a national and world treasure and is dedicated to its founding mission, “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”
The Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) plays a leading role in the Smithsonian’s global efforts to save wildlife species from extinction and train future generations of conservationists. NZCBI spearheads research programs at its 3,200-acre headquarters in Front Royal, Virginia, and satellite locations in Washington, D.C., field offices in Hawaii, Montana, Gabon, Kenya, and Peru, and at field research training sites worldwide. NZCBI explores solutions to issues such as reproduction in captivity, conservation ecology, and biodiversity through scientific research and through collaborative arrangements with other conservation organizations, zoos, and governmental entities nationally and abroad.
This internship will be part of the Great Plains Science Program at NZBCI whose mission is to safeguard and enhance the world's diverse grassland ecosystems through innovative research, conservation initiatives, and collaborations. The position will work with the team on its efforts to enhance the conservation and management of black-tailed prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets.
The black-tailed prairie dog is a keystone species that plays a critical role in promoting the health and biodiversity of grassland ecosystems. The black-footed ferret is a federally endangered species and a specialist predator that preys primarily on prairie dogs. The current research is designed to first improve methods to monitor and study these elusive species and then use those methods to answer specific research questions intended to guide conservation and actions. This is a collaborative effort with contributions from several partner organizations and agencies.
This internship will assist with several ongoing projects designed to integrate advanced technological solutions into management and conservation efforts for prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets. The projects the intern would participate in include developing a novel method for tracking fine-scale movements of prairie dogs, combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV; aka. drones) surveys to count and detect prairie dogs, and developing technologies to assist with disease management efforts for prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets.
The major of the work would occur at the field site at American Prairie in northeastern Montana. The intern may also be asked to join the team at a second site located near Fort Collins, Colorado for a small portion of the internship.
The day-to-day work of the position will include assisting with efforts to live-trap prairie dogs, serving as a visual observation during UAV flights, reviewing and annotating imagery collected from UAVs, reviewing video footage of prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets tagging trials, conducting traditional methods of assessing prairie dog populations including burrow boundary mapping and visual counts, assisting with basic data entry and organization tasks, and helping with maintenance of survey equipment. The intern will work closely with the team of research ecologists, Ph.D. students, and contractors.
Internship Work Environment:
This is an in-person internship. The intern will work as part of a small team. This will include a combination of outdoor and indoor work. Outdoor conditions will expose candidates to various challenges associated with working in a prairie ecosystem including biting-insects (lots of them), rattlesnakes, extreme heat, sun-exposure, and primitive road conditions. All candidates must be prepared to handle these challenges and maintain a positive attitude throughout the duration of the internship.
Housing:
Intern housing is provided at American Prairie, Philips County, Montana, forty miles south of Malta, Montana.
No family housing is available for this internship. Housing is in a shared setting with common living room, kitchen, and bathroom facilities in a furnished house or small dormitory-style building. Interns may be expected to share a bedroom with one other person. Each person is responsible for cleaning their own space and common areas, as well as removal of all trash and recycling. There are laundry facilities onsite. Pets are not allowed in shared housing.
This is a REMOTE location, so candidates should be prepared to live and work closely will a small group in an isolated setting, including other interns who may be working on different projects. Trips to town (Malta, Montana) will be limited. Cell phone and internet service will be available.
Transportation:
Once in Montana, the candidate does not need to have a personal vehicle, as a work vehicle will be provided. However, a candidate may wish to have a personal vehicle to increase opportunities to explore the surrounding area during off-time.
Please note that roads to the field location are primitive and an AWD or 4WD vehicle is recommended.
Malta, Montana is the nearest town. Malta has most of the major amenities of a small town including, gas stations, grocery store, drug store, bank, restaurants, bars, churches, library, hotels, and post office.
Location: American Prairie, Montana (forty miles south of Malta, Montana).
A portion of this internship may occur at our second field site near Fort Collins, Colorado. Travel and lodging will be provided.
- Assist with live trapping efforts for prairie dogs
- Serve as visual observer for UAV flights; Annotate aerial imagery collected by UAVs
- Review video footage of prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets
- Perform traditional survey methods for assessing prairie dog populations
- Enter and organize data; Assist with maintenance of equipment
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:
PLEASE NOTE: The selected individual will be required to undergo a recruitment process with the Smithsonian Institution to allow them field vehicle privileges and sponsored travel (additional travel within the bounds of the internship).
This is a very remote internship so students must be independent.
The program is designed for undergraduates beginning to explore career options, and frosh through seniors are welcome to apply.
Required Skills:
-
Interest in pursuing a career in zoology, wildlife sciences, or conservation.
-
The intern must be able to live and work in a remote setting with a small group.
-
The intern must be prepared to work outdoors in challenging conditions including biting-insects (lots of them), rattlesnakes, extreme heat, sun-exposure, and primitive road conditions.
-
Physical activity includes a lot of walking in challenging outdoor conditions, lifting and carrying heavy equipment, bending, and cleaning.
-
The intern must be willing to wear a protective mask and other safety equipment when near live animals.
Desired Skills:
-
Some knowledge of prairie ecology and wildlife conservation is recommended.
-
Some experience using and collected data using handheld GPS is preferred.
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.