Environmental Education Intern (Fall 2025) (2)

• Deadline: Open until filled.
• Employment type: Full-time
• Federal position? No
• Salary: $650 per week plus housing
• Anticipated start date: August 27, 2025
• Duration: 11 weeks
• Location: Edgewater, MD
• Work model: Onsite

Overview

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) is seeking two full-time college-level or graduate-level Environmental Education Interns for Fall 2025. They will support educational programs for K-12 schools, for field trips, teacher professional development, and animal care. Training in interpretation, group management, biophobia, and natural history will be provided.

Help deliver educational programs to K-12 students. Teach about the Chesapeake Bay and SERC research. Other duties will include working with volunteers, providing life support and maintenance to aquaria fish and turtles, supporting teacher professional development workshops, and cleaning and upkeep of program equipment.

Interns must complete an independent project. This will be on a topic that is mutually agreeable.

This is an 11-week (August 27 - November 10, 2025), full-time internship with two Saturdays required.

Qualifications and Requirements

We are seeking applicants with some (but not necessarily all) of the following:

• Experience teaching or working with K-12 students
• Experience in environmental education
• Interest and/or some knowledge of science, nature, and/or the Chesapeake Bay
• The ability to be flexible and adaptable
• Comfort working in nature, getting wet, cold/hot, and dirty
• Comfort getting into hip-deep water with chest waders and handling live fish and invertebrates
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team

How to Apply

Email a resume and three references to Karen McDonald (McDonaldK@si.edu).

About SERC

SERC is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution, located in Edgewater, MD on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, approximately 10 miles south of Annapolis, 40 miles west of Washington DC, and 40 miles south of Baltimore. SERC's 2,650-acre campus is a living laboratory for long-term ecosystem research on forests, farmland, wetlands, shorelines, and estuaries. The SERC campus contains a laboratory and office complex, as well as education and waterfront facilities, dormitories for interns, and guest housing for visitors.

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact WattC@si.edu or CoyleB@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: https://www.si.edu/oeo.