C-StREAM Fellowship: Restoration Science
The Chesapeake Student Recruitment, Early Advisement, and Mentoring Program (C-StREAM) is an inclusive program focused on recruiting, advising, and mentoring college students who identify as people of color, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQAI+ community, persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and first-generation college students who are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree. C-StREAM is designed to advance the participation of students from diverse communities in environmental science, protection, restoration, education, management, and policy careers. C-StREAM endeavors to support this goal by developing inclusive career pathways that result in greater diversity in the environmental workforce.
Project Description
The Center for Ecosystem Recovery (CER) and Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC) seek a summer Fellow with a passion for the conservation and restoration of natural resources for late May through mid-August 2025 (12 weeks) to learn about the principles and practices of ecosystem restoration, and to gain hands-on experience with the process of scientific research.
The fellowship experience consists of the Fellow designing and executing an independent scientific research project from start to finish. Projects and work may include fieldwork outdoors, laboratory work, data synthesizing and processing, and modeling. In addition to completing their research project, the Fellow will also have opportunities to participate in regular nonprofit operations, such as site visits to document restoration projects and monitoring data collection.
Opportunities
The Fellow will have an opportunity to develop and research a question regarding a recently completed stream-wetland restoration in the Jabez Branch Watershed, a cold-water brook trout stream in Millersville, Maryland located in Anne Arundel County. The Fellow’s work will address a pertinent question related to the efficacy and outcomes of ecological restoration associated with restoring Maryland’s only wild brook stream in the Coastal Plain.
A fellowship with CER also offers an opportunity to work in collaboration with interns at Underwood & Associates, a professional ecological restoration company, which employs and mentors interns through its science and monitoring program.
Responsibilities and Deliverables
Duties may include but are not limited to:
- Literature review and research.
- Selection of a scientific question and formulation of a hypotheses.
- Experimental and methodological design.
- Field work and data collection.
- Data analysis and interpretation.
- Data processing and modeling.
- Presentation of findings and creation of a scientific report.
- Presentation in the C-StREAM symposium at the conclusion of the fellowship summarizing the experiences gained and work conducted.
Eligibility
- Must be a college-level student entering sophomore, junior, or senior year of undergraduate study in the fall of 2025 or current seniors graduating in May of 2025.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a US citizen or national, asylee, refugee, or lawful permanent resident and willing to undergo a security background check.
Desired Qualifications
- Possess an interest in and passion for any of the following fields: environmental science, ecosystem restoration, wetland science, ecology, biology, botany, hydrology, geographical sciences, environmental engineering, or similar fields. Prior experience with the scientific process is not required.
- Motivated self-starter with the ability to work proactively and reason independently, consistently share progress updates, and recommend or inquire about next steps toward project completion.
- Ability to work well with others, and to seek out and incorporate feedback into work products.
Work Location and Duration
The fellowship is based in Millersville, Maryland, but there are opportunities available for the Fellow to also perform some work remotely. The fellowship is scheduled to begin on May 19, 2025, and end Friday, August 8, 2025. These are our preferred dates, but the dates can be adjusted to accommodate a student’s school schedule if required.
Compensation
The Fellow will receive a stipend at the end of each month, for a total of up to $6,000 for the equivalent of 12 weeks of full-time activities. Candidates should expect to follow a normal weekday work schedule (roughly 9-5, M-F) with occasional variations for possible field work or other activities. No benefits are provided. A one-time housing and transportation allowance of $1,000 is available to each Fellow to assist with living and transportation expenses. Funds are also available to compensate Fellows for occasional work-related travel and professional development activities.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Chesapeake Research Consortium and Center for Ecosystem Recovery are committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive science-oriented workforce. Our fellowship program endeavors to recruit from a diverse, qualified group of potential applicants to secure a high-performing workforce drawn from all segments of American society. We are strongly supportive of broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. We highly encourage applications from students at any of the above institutions as well as students that identify students who identify as people of color, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQAI+ community, persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and first-generation college students.
Application Instructions
Application instructions, required materials, and the C-StREAM application portal can be found on the C-StREAM website (http://chesapeake.org/c-stream/).
The deadline for applications is February 14, 2025.