U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Emergency Management 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.
PLEASE NOTE for this internship: A security check required to receive a Common Access Card (CAC) (required to use computer and access systems).
Interns must be U.S. citizens.
Description of the Agency and an Internship Overview:
The mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is to deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our Nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk.
Do you want to experience how the Federal government’s oldest disaster response agency plans and prepares for natural disasters and other emergencies? The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was established in 1802, and its missions have supported the Army as well as many complex civilian needs of the Nation ever since, from engineering, water resources, environmental and disaster relief missions, and others, as appropriated by Congress or to respond to national or international needs.
The South Pacific Division, Emergency Management (SPD EM) Team manages all hazards preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation activities throughout the region and in coordination with district (field) offices in San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Albuquerque, and with national Headquarters USACE in Washington, DC.
In addition, the team coordinates with other USACE divisions and FEMA Regions across the United States and its territories. Some of the programs overseen by the SPD EM staff include Continuity of Operations/Business Continuity, Catastrophic Planning, rapid provision of engineering services under USACE authorities (P.L. 84-99), The Stafford Act / National Response Framework (DHS/FEMA), and Defense Support of Civil Authorities.
The intern will provide support in flood and All Hazards disaster preparedness training and exercises, to include preparation of briefing slides, geospatial products, data management, after action review reports, and analysis on infrastructure assessment, debris management, temporary emergency power, temporary housing, and other potential public works and engineering missions issued by FEMA following a natural disaster.
Given its rise as a viable tool for managing data, we expect some Artificial Intelligence applications will be researched and used by national working groups.
Because of the short nature of this internship, all work will be from the SPD Headquarters in San Francisco (not a deployment), and possibly with occasional nearby project site visits (from a few hours to a full day).
- Write After Action Reports following disaster response and recovery efforts or exercises,
- Support preparation of Emergency Plans and Exercises,
- Use existing visual geospatial platforms and provide feedback for improvement,
- Support Emergency Operations Center preparations and activations through upward reporting (e.g. Powerpoint),
- Tracking status of levee repair projects throughout the region,
- Interface with internal USACE data and information systems to research and present ongoing issues
Internship Work Environment:
It is an in-person internship with 95% office work and 5% outdoor/field work at the South Pacific Division office in San Francisco, California.
The intern will be part of a team under Chief John Beldin-Quinones, and directly in support of Deputy Chief Jessica Fischer, but also with staff from the division: Josh Jimerfield, John Cheng, Wendy Michibata, and other civilian members of South Pacific Division. There will be some limited interaction with Chief of Staff, Mr. Rodney Rose, and Army officers Colonel James Handura and Lieutenant Colonel Angela Delwiche, as well as others who rotate through in their military career.
Work hours are generally from 0800-1630, with a morning check in. Most of the work will be face-to-face in San Francisco, with some field visits. The team is a hybrid of in-office staff as well as remote staff (including other time zones).
There will be structured recurring meetings, time for mentoring, and time for the intern to work independently, with their own work cube in the office work area, with direct access to two to three senior staff in the office.
Transportation: It is not necessary to have a car; public transportation options are available in San Francisco.
A car is not necessary for the intern’s job duties. Public transportation is best for commuting as the cost of parking in downtown San Francisco is high and there is no free parking available to USACE employees. If the intern will be residing in San Francisco, it is recommended they research the MUNI system stations and bus lines, and the cost of using a Clipper Card for the duration of the internship. If they will be residing outside of San Francisco, it is recommended they research BART or CalTrain or other bus line options. All public transportation costs are the responsibility of the intern.
The intern will not need to drive a Government vehicle, as they will be with Federal employees at all times if transport is required to visit offsite locations.
Housing is not provided.
Location: San Francisco, California.
- Write After Action Reports following disaster response and recovery efforts or exercises. Interface with internal USACE data and information systems to research and present ongoing issues
- Support preparation of Emergency Plans and Exercises
- Use existing visual geospatial platforms and provide feedback for improvement
- Support Emergency Operations Center preparations and activations through upward reporting (e.g. Powerpoint)
- Track status of levee repair projects throughout the region
Bill Lane Center internships are part of Cardinal Quarter opportunities and students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. The opportunities are full-time (40 hours a week) for 9-10 consecutive weeks during the summer.
Specific start and end dates during the summer 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.
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 for this internship: A security check required to receive a Common Access Card (CAC).
Interns must be U.S. citizens.
Upperclass or master's students from the following majors (or minors) would be applicable or helpful:
- Civil engineering, environmental engineering, hydrology, meteorology, geology, physics, environmental science, natural resources management, construction management, emergency management, computer science, GIS.
The applicant must be comfortable representing the service mission of USACE with integrity.
Required Skills:
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Excel, Powerpoint, Word
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Good communication, writing and public speaking skills
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Organizational skills
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Time management skills
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A good attitude: enthusiasm for learning and trying new things, and a willingness to ask for help when needed.
Desired Skills:
- Survey 123, ArcGIS, data management and AI applications.
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.
