Get Hands-on Experience Through an Internship and/or Volunteer Opportunity

These organizations can be helpful if you're looking for an internship or volunteer opportunities during the school year or summer. It is also possible to receive work experience credit by signing up for units with our department. Contact the department chair or any of our faculty for more information.

Do a search on what's available.

  • -- Dedicated to educating the public on conservation issues affecting San Francisco Bay and all marine environments.
  • -- Designed to explore some of the physical impacts of human activities on Bay-Delta waterways. Ranger-guided tours of the model for groups of ten or more are available.
  • -- Provides tours and classes. Coyote Point Museum is an environmental educational museum featuring live animals in natural habitats and gardens. Indoor exhibits include an aquarium and an aviary. Outdoor facilities include beach access, walking trails, picnic areas, and playgrounds.
  • -- Dedicated to helping people understand the richness of marine environments, particularly the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, and the need to protect them. Outdoor nature walks, demonstrations, lectures and special slide programs available
  • -- Dedicates itself to being a natural refuge for plants and animals adapted to live at the edge of the ocean. Volunteer Docent and paid opportunities.
  • -- Establishes public trails and provides open space for area residents. Field trips for school groups and the public, outreach programs, and classes are available.
  • -- Dedicated to fostering a living connection between people and wildlife in order to create a deeper commitment to the welfare of the natural world. Outreach to schools, public classes, field trips and lectures available, as well as guided tours of the museum for school groups.
  • -- Dedicated to ensuring the survival of marine mammals and the conservation of their habitat. They provide rescue, rehabilitation and release programs for threatened and endangered species, and collect valuable data from diagnosis and treat the animals housed on the premises. On-site and outreach classes, school tours and animal care volunteer training are available.
  • -- Provides volunteer opportunities, from event organization and photography to office work and outreach.
  • -- Provides information about volunteer habitat projects in the SF Bay Area
  • -- Seeks to preserve, protect and restore the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento/San Joaquin Estuary as a healthy and biologically diverse ecosystem.
  • -- (415) 665-4155 (Surfrider hotline); Advocates ocean pollution-prevention and also offers plenty of hands-on activities through chapters all over the country. Surfrider's San Francisco chapter leads monthly cleanups at Ocean Beach.
  • -- Investigate and promote the understanding of the history of life and the diversity of the Earth's biota through research and education.
  • -- Creates and carries out involvement and outreach programs on creeks, wetlands and watersheds for the general public and educators in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • -- Provides numerous volunteer and class opportunities as well as paid . Includes Steinhart Aquarium.
  • -- Creates a culture of learning through innovative environments, programs, and tools that help people nurture their curiosity about the world around them. Outreach programs, field trips and classes for children and teachers available.
  • -- Dedicates itself to the conservation of our natural resources. Focusing on wetlands and wildlife preservation, they fight for clean air and water and for stabilizing populations. Golden Gate Audubon hosts public field trips.
  • -- Provides volunteer opportunities including removing non-native plants, growing native plants, working in one of the park's nurseries, restoring historic structures and protecting endangered species.
  • -- Provides interdisciplinary science programs to help students develop a responsibility for the natural environment and our human communities. The Institute provides a variety of on-site and off-site classes. Lead 4-hr-long student trips on board their research ship 鈥 dredge bottom for sediment type and benthic life 鈥 tow for fish 鈥 plankton tow 鈥 Paid.
  • -- Inspire conservation of the ocean. Provides volunteer, class, and internship opportunities.
  • -- Ames Community College Education and Development Program (ACCEDP) -- the ACCEDP initiative supports the NASA Education Framework by addressing the shortage of college students engaged in and pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and NASA Mission Support (STEM-M). To this end ACCEDP has begun building partnerships with all Bay Area community colleges to recruit talented students to participate in internships with NASA researchers. By offering students the opportunity to work with NASA scientists and engineers, ACCEDP expands career horizons for those students and allows them to acquire technical knowledge and critical skills.
  • -- Introducing a new partnership between the National Park Service, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, San Francisco State University and City College of San Francisco. Available only to students currently enrolled at SF State and 萌翻导航. 
  • -- Educates the public about the history of San Francisco Bay and the development of the shipping and fishing industries. Overnight living history programs, teacher workshops, boat building classes and a maritime library are available.
  • -- Increases public awareness about the Estuary's natural resources and the need to protect them. The Estuary Project provides training for teachers, naturalist led walks for children, internship and volunteer opportunities.
  • -- Protect, restore, increase and enhance all types of wetlands, riparian habitat and associated uplands throughout the San Francisco Bay region to benefit birds, fish and other wildlife.
  • provides scholars with a research experience in a School of Earth Sciences laboratory or research group. SURGE also prepares scholars for the process of applying to graduate school, and introduces scholars to career opportunities in the geosciences. SURGE will provide a rich experience of cultural, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity for a select group of students from Stanford and other U.S. Institutions.
  • -- Provides volunteering assignments in the Alaska State Parks range from campground host, archaeological assistant, backcountry ranger assistant, museum assistant, natural history interpreter, ranger assistant, trail crew, and more! Most positions offer housing and an expense allowance.
  • -- Program introduces students to research under the guidance of seasoned research mentors at Caltech and JPL. Students experience the process of research as a creative intellectual activity.
  • -- Learn more about us as a potential employer while we learn more about you. Our internship opportunities enable you to use what you鈥檝e learned, expand your knowledge and benefit from invaluable on-the-job experience. They鈥檙e a great way to explore the career choices that lie ahead of you.
  • Department of Energy -- -- Deadline -- January. Appointments are available for a variety of disciplines at participating DOE facilities nationwide. The DOE Scholars Program presents you with the opportunity to explore a federal career with DOE at various stages in your education.
  • -- Deadline: Jan. 10 -- This program places students from community colleges in paid internships in Science and Engineering and Technology at any of several different DOE Laboratories, including Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore and Stanford Linear Accelerator Labs
  • -- Provides the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) for students interested in global change research activities.
  • -- Provides excellent summer opportunities are available through the EPA such as their National Network for Environmental Management Studies, and Student Environmental Associate Program and Diversity Initiative. Both programs involve hands-on work in a range of environmentally-related fields.
  • -- The Geological Society of America鈥檚 鈥淕eoCorps America鈥 program offers short-term, paid geoscience positions on America鈥檚 public lands, including National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management sites. These positions include GeoCorps Diversity Internships, GeoCorps American Indian Internships, and new 鈥淎stroCorps鈥 (astronomy-related) positionsenvironmentally-related fields.
  • -- Each year the Keck Geology Consortium has undergraduate research opportunities for approximately 51 undergraduate students in a wide variety of geological/environmental science sub-disciplines and locations. The program includes 4 weeks of summer research (field and/or lab work depending on the project), continuing research during the academic year (jointly advised by a project faculty member and a research advisor at the students home institution), attendance at the annual Keck Geology Consortium Symposium, and a publication in the annual Keck Geology Consortium proceedings volume. Students receive a $1,500 stipend and typically all travel and living expenses are provided for. Opportunities and details can be found here: .
  • -- Provides interdisciplinary science programs to help students develop a responsibility for the natural environment and our human communities. The Institute provides a variety of on-site and off-site classes. Lead 4-hr-long student trips on board their research ship 鈥 dredge bottom for sediment type and benthic life 鈥 tow for fish 鈥 plankton tow 鈥 Paid.
  • -- The MATE Center is national in scope, but works through regional partnerships and provides student internships. One of the Center's main goals is to collect information from employers as to what skills, knowledge and abilities are needed for select marine related occupations. We have developed industry-driven skill and knowledge guidelines for several occupations including: ship-board (research) technician, remotely-operated vehicle technician, hydrographic survey technician, oil spill response technician, and aquaculture technician.
  • -- MTS plays an active role in helping students get involved in marine technology at a young age. Through MTS scholarships and internships, travelships, and information about student competitions around the world, MTS works to present and highlight opportunities for students interested in a career in marine industries. MTS also provides opportunities for students at institutions of higher learning to network with each other and with professional members through its many Student Sections, each of which is guided by a faculty councilor.
  • -- Provide education and data on marine systems pertinent to U.S. waterways.
  • -- dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, fisheries management, enforcement, and habitat conservation. NOAA Fisheries is a leading voice for commercial and recreational fisheries and continues to focus its efforts on sustaining our marine resources as we face the challenges that the new millennium brings.
  • -- Provides an excellent opportunity for undergraduates to join research projects each summer in the earth sciences, ocean sciences, as well as other fields. The projects vary from year to year, and are located everywhere from Alaska to Atlanta!
  • -- Protects our national heritage and saves our last great places. To meet the challenging conservation goals, TNC seeks the help of qualified and motivated student interns. In return, interns are provided with meaningful projects and experiences that transfer into desired skills as these students pursue careers in science, conservation, law, forestry and a wide array of other professions.
  • The , 鈥淓xploration of Marine Biology on the Oregon Coast鈥 (EMBOC) offers fellowship opportunities for undergraduate students from both 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities to participate in ongoing marine science research at the University of Oregon鈥檚 marine lab during the summer months. In addition to conducting research at OIMB, students will participate in weekly.
  • -- a summer internship program for community college students interested in developing research and outreach skills through hands-on experience working with marine scientists, practitioners, and marine informal educators. Two types of internships are offered through the program: Science experience, and Science Communication and Outreach.
  • -- Explores, enjoys, and protects the wild places of the Earth. They seek to accomplish this by the education and promotion of the responsible use of the Earth鈥檚 ecosystems and resources. Internships are located in Washington D.C., San Francisco, and other offices around the country.
  • -- Provides scientific information for conserving and managing U.S. and World fisheries, populations of protected marine species and their habitats. Research is conducted to estimate the biological, environmental and economic impacts of different fisheries management options. The Tiburon lab conducts research needed to manage the region's productive salmon and ground fish resources and to protect endangered fish stocks (such as Sacramento winter-run Chinook salmon) and their habitats.
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  • The University of Colorado invites current sophomore and junior undergraduates to apply for a summer Research Experience for highly motivated students interested in solar and space physics. Students will work with scientists at the University of Colorado鹿s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) or at the National Center for Atmospheric Research鹿s (NCAR) High Altitude Observatory (HAO), NOAA鹿s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), or North West Research Associates (NWRA) on projects spanning the field of solar and space physics, from instrument hardware to data analysis to modeling of the Sun-Earth system. Financial support: $500/week - In addition, participants will be provided with dorm housing and a food allowance. A travel stipend of $500 will be provided.
  • United States Geological Survey (USGS) and National Association of Geoscience Teachers -- -- Started in 1965, the NAGT-USGS Cooperative Summer Field Training Program is the longest continuously running internship program in the earth sciences. Over the past fifty years, more than 1800 students have participated in this program with an impressive number of these individuals becoming full-time employees of the USGS.
  • University of California, Santa Cruz -- -- A two-year program and life-long network that serves students with the highest potential to make sustained contributions as conservation innovators and leaders and to increase the racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of the conservation field. The program is looking for 20 passionate, creative undergraduate students from any major, currently in their freshman or sophomore years or with at least two more years of college left.
  • (WHOI) -- "Project topics span the vast spectrum of research in ocean sciences and engineering conducted in WHOI鈥檚 science departments and the Woods Hole Field Station of the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). Fellowship recipients have the opportunity to attend and participate in a busy schedule of talks, seminars and a hands-on, one-day, ocean sampling cruise onboard the R/V Tioga focusing on data collection and sampling methods with advanced oceanographic technology and instruments."