EcoIslands LLC Internship Program Description and Requirements

EcoIslands is always excited to promote education at all levels, and nothing promotes better learning than experience.

EcoIslands has an internship program in place with Penn State Altoona available to all eligible students.  The internship summary that follows has been written specifically with PSU Altoona in mind but all institutions are heartily invited to apply.

EI Internship Completion Requirements

To be eligible a student must satisfy the following requirements:

• Provide a resume, references, and cover letter
• Be accepted into their major
• Have a 3.0 GPA
• Be at least in the Junior Year of their degree
• Have passed with at least a C in the following classes (or equivalent):

o      Econ 2 or 4

o      Biology 110 (or BiSci 200 for non Bio, Ag, or Envst majors)

o      English 15 or 30

o      Envst 100 (or a solid familiarity with current environmental concerns)

o      CAS 100

A Student Intern will be required to do the following to complete their 3 Credit (120 hour) Internship:

• Penn State Altoona College:

o      Complete 120 hours within the required time limit as determined by Penn State Altoona Internship Co-coordinator Tom Shaffer and the student’s Faculty Advisor.

o      Complete any papers, journals, etc… required by the Faculty Advisor and Internship Coordinator.

• EcoIslands LLC:

o      A student will be required to complete 1 Capstone project during their 120 hours.  The project can be broadly based and is partially dependent on the student’s Major and Internship Goals.  Projects can include the launching of a large modular island, completing a research project, or creating, promoting, and managing a symposium or large event based on Floating Islands, Biomitigation, or a relevant environmental concern.

§       Because of the student’s limited time (2-4 months) we realize that some very worthy projects can’t be seen to conclusion by the student. This will be taken into account during the project planning phase and must be approved by the Faculty Advisor.

§       A presentation of the internship to a local non-profit organization will be required at the end of the Interns 120 hours if the students Faculty Advisor does not require one.

o      In addition to the Capstone project, the following tasks are also a part of the intern’s duties:

o      Maintain all social networking sites ran by EI including Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Youtube.

§       1-3 Posts will be required for each site (dependent on the media format) each week, to keep up with our social advertising strategy.  Posts will include the Students personal thoughts about EI and the Bio-mitigation industry, links to professional articles, dates and times for programs, classes, or workshops presented by EI and many other environmental organizations, locally and nationally.  The purpose of a strong social media presence is to foster public awareness by creating a hub of information that is first focused then funneled to interested parties.

o      Give Power Point Presentations to any organization or group that requests one.  Examples include Non-profit organizations such as the Sierra Club, the Little Juniata River Association, or the Juniata Valley Audubon, Local municipal water authorities and private citizens.  Presentations will last at max 20 minutes, though the question and answer section can go as long as is needed to satisfy the audience’s curiosity.

o               Island Launching and Maintenance are primary parts of our business and will take up a “growing” portion of the student’s time.  Launches can be moderately strenuous, sometimes requiring long days working on hands and knees.  There is also an excellent chance they will get soaked, so proper comfortable working clothes that dry quickly are preferred when in the field.  Also, due to natural conditions, allergy concerns must be made clear to EcoIslands (poison ivy, stinging nettle, etc…).  We get Poison Ivy too, so please tell us.

§       Ability to paddle canoes is useful, but if the student doesn’t know how we will be happy to teach them.

o      Water Quality Testing and biological Analysis of samples as well as proper documentation and field collection techniques.  Biological analysis includes work with microscopes, wetland plants and animals or macro-invertebrate biodiversity surveys.  Chemical Analysis will include testing for metals, pH, temp, and flow rate.  Fairway Labs in Altoona, PA will handle the heavier lifting such as BOD (Biological O2 Demand).

Past Interns have worked on our Coke Oven research facility doing sampling and upkeep, given presentations, done a lot of reading, and kept the business machine moving fluidly.  

Fair and honest consideration will go into the student’s evaluation by the staff of EI at the completion of the 120 hours.