USDA Forest Service Science Communication and Public Affairs Fellowship

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

USDA Forest Service Office/Lab and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) within the Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) located in Fort Collins, Colorado. There will be opportunities for professional development including travel.

The Forest Service aims to sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. This stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. The USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management. 

Rocky Mountain Research Station is one of five research units within the Research and Development Branch of the USDA Forest Service. We cover 12 states in the intermountain region of the US, although our scientists conduct research globally. We have 15 facilities and 14 experimental forests and science spanning many natural resources including watersheds and fisheries, wildlife, wildfire, forests and grasslands, and wilderness, social sciences and human interactions in decision making and assessing risks, and impacts of climate change. Basic and applied research conducted by RMRS supports science-based planning on forests and grasslands throughout the U.S. You can learn more on our website: https://research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs. This opportunity is within the Science Application and Communication group, which serves the entire station in disseminating scientific information in plain language and usable forms to resource specialists and land managers, as well as the general public and elected officials. 

Research Project: The USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) is offering a fellowship in science communication and public affairs. This fellow will collaborate closely with RMRS communication and research staff and Forest Service Research and Development to share relevant science with practitioners, the media, elected officials, and other target audiences.

The fellow would be exposed to a wide variety of science communication participation activity in support of science produced by the Rocky Mountain Research Station. The fellowwould be mentored by the Station’s Public and Legislative Affairs Lead, Lisa Bryant. This selected candidate would also collaborate closely with the station’s science delivery team. Depending upon the fellow's interests and skills, the participation activity could vary from developing social media and website content, writing press releases, feature stories, fact sheets, press kits, assisting in podcasts and recordings of science materials and other written and audio communications. Other opportunities include developing visual communications such as infographics and figures and collaborating with high quality photographs and video. We would expect this person to receive training an exposure to a wide variety of job experiences in the field of science communication. Additional experience in organizing all employee meetings and developing messages for internal communication from the station’s executive leadership team can expose this intern to higher levels of leadership within the organization

We also collaborate with legislative staff and policy makers and this opportunity will have exposure and possible support roles in the station's legislative affairs program. While this opportunity may not directly interact with media, they will have opportunities to develop press kits, arrange interviews for scientists, develop key messages and other strategic communication materials.

The fellow will engage on a wide variety of science topics including climate change, forestry, wildlife, agriculture, and rangelands. The fellow will learn how to connect science with media and the public, as well as managers, decisionmakers by developing communication materials such as briefing papers, web content, social media, news releases, presentations, and webinars. In-person workshop support, field tour planning and implementation could also be part of this fellowship portfolio.

The fellow will report to the RMRS Public Affairs Lead and be mentored by a vibrant and dedicated team. This fellowship offers a unique opportunity to build skills in STEM, science delivery and translation, public relations, communications, and outreach. With guidance from an experienced mentor, the participant will gain skills in collaborating with a wide variety of federal, state, and local agency, university and private stakeholders and science users.

This opportunity is excellent for those interested in natural resource management, participating with an agency like the Forest Service and interested in science and science communications.

Learning Objectives: Specifically, the participant will gain experience by:

•   Drafting communication materials including website content, fact sheets, infographics, podcasts, and newsletters, with guidance from mentor.
•   Developing and delivering content for social media, organizing social media campaigns.
•   Learning about internal messaging from Station Director and other leadership to employees.
•   Developing and/or editing multi-media products such as videos and audio clips.
•   Evaluating outreach effectiveness by analyzing web metrics to enhance communication strategies.
•   Assessing existing communication materials and refining communications plans.
•   Synthesizing existing research and developing region-specific and audience-specific content and products to help managers, landowners, industry, and other stakeholders utilize RMRS science.
•   Learning about planning, logistics and implementation of field and virtual workshops.

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Lisa Bryant (lisa.bryant@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 15, 2024.  Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year but may be extended upon recommendation of USDA Forest Service and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The stipend range is between $65,000 - $75,000 yearly.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USDA Forest Service. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USDA Forest Service, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.USFS.RMRS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master's or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or is currently pursuing.

Preferred skills:

• Passionate about natural resources, science, and communication.
• Strong writing and communication skills, demonstrate creativity and teamwork, and solid organizational skills, as the participation activity can be demanding with multiple competing priorities - time management and prioritization are useful
• Experience in science writing and/or developing plain language science communication products in written, audio, or graphic forms is helpful or the candidate should have a strong foundation and interest in building these skills.
• The ability to read and synthesize scientific information or willingness to gain this skill
• This is focused on graduate level applicants, but we would consider high performing undergraduates who intend to enroll in a graduate program upon completion of this internship.

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
• Overall GPA: 3.00
• Academic Level(s): Graduate Students, Post-Bachelor's, Postdoctoral, or Post-Master's.