ALPENA, MICH—The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS) is one of only two national marine sanctuaries selected to partner with the Greening Youth Foundation and NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey to offer a paid internship to an undergraduate, recent graduate or masters student.

“We are so excited to have this opportunity,” said Sarah Waters, Education Coordinator for the sanctuary. “The Greening Youth Foundation and Office of Coast Survey had great success in piloting this program with the National Parks Service a few years ago. Their decision to include the national marine sanctuaries this year, Thunder Bay and Stellwagon Bank (Massachusetts) is great news for students looking for experience protecting our nation’s most unique water resources,” Waters added.

The internship is paid, and includes housing allowance and a strong professional development component through webinars and a final week in the Washington, DC area to share experiences.

The position description notes that the internship for TBNMS is a 10-week summer internship. The “Community Outreach Intern” will work within the Sanctuary Visitor Center campus assisting with operations, programs and community outreach activities. Assignments will include providing tours and delivering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)/marine technology programs at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena, Mich.

“The demand for our education programs continue to grow each year, offering incredible learning experiences for our elementary, high school and community college students. Expanding our capacity is critical to sustaining this growth,” said Sanctuary Superintendent Jeff Gray. “The ability to offer internships to attract talented up and coming environmental educators, scientists and maritime archaeologists has been a goal for the sanctuary for some time,” Gray added. “We are so grateful to the Greening Youth Foundation and NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey for making this possible.”

Students interested in applying for the internship should visit http://serve.gyfoundation.org/community-outreach-intern/ to access the position description and application requirements.

Applications are due by February 22.