Begun in 1996, CERC's summer internship program for undergraduates avails students of a wide range of research projects run by scientists working at CERC consortium institutions. Students do real fieldwork with an experienced researcher and CERC scientists gain highly motivated, exceptionally knowledgeable assistants. Supporting vital research efforts around the world and providing students with a unique training experience, the internship program grows every year, with new projects and an expanding pool of applicants. CERC interns have studied dolphins in Argentina, blue monkeys in Kenya, and the ecology of corals in Belize. Besides helping ongoing projects, students carry out their own research projects, collecting data that will be analyzed and written up as the senior thesis in the next school year.
Students benefit in a variety of ways.
Not only do they have an opportunity to develop a professional working relationship with a respected researcher from one of the premier institutions dedicated to conservation research, they experience firsthand the realities of field work and the challenges of conducting original research under various constraints. Many interns found these experiences pivotal in choosing a career path. Eligibility and Applying These internships are required for undergraduate majors in Environmental Biology who have completed their junior year. They are open ONLY to CERC undergraduates currently enrolled in the environmental biology major at Columbia University. CERC does not provide internship opportunities to students from other universities.