Student Volunteer Internship
Building Resilience to Extreme Weather
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water, Water Policy Staff
Washington, DC
Position DescriptionAn unpaid semester-in-Washington internship is available in Washington, D.C. at the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water. The applicant must be a registered student
fulfilling the requirements of a degreed program. Preferred applicants are either in their senior
undergraduate year or pursuing a Master’s degree.
This position is on the EPA Water Policy Staff working with a team addressing extreme weather and
its effects on EPA water programs, communities, and ecosystems. This positon requires a person
with ability to investigate and assess issues, understand policy options, identify strategic solutions, and develop written materials. The applicant should have an interest in water quality, water infrastructure, watersheds, and/or aquatic ecosystems. Ability to use data systems, modeling tools or GIS systems is a plus.
This positon does not require study in a particular discipline but applicants with coursework or
experience in the following areas may be preferred: environmental studies, environmental science,
environmental engineering, hydrology, hydrological modeling, climatology, geology, GIS, public
administration, etc. The successful candidate will have strong analytical, problem solving and writing
skills.
The specific project will be negotiated with the intern, depending upon her or his knowledge, skills
and interests and relevance to EPA water program priorities. Examples of projects could be:
• Review the scientific literature on causes of, and remedies for treating, harmful algal blooms (HABs)
and develop a white paper documenting case studies of communities facing increases in incidence of
HABs
• Use the EPA HAWQS modeling tool to conduct sample analyses of, for example, effects of changes
in precipitation or temperature on water quality outcomes in selected watersheds.
• Work with EPA staff to plan a training webinar on how to use selected vulnerability assessment tools
and develop communication materials describing appropriate uses for the tool(s).
• Review strategies that communities might use to plan for or rebuild from flooding, drought, and/or
wildfire; write a short whitepaper and brief an EPA workgroup. on findings.
• Etc.
The appointment will be for a minimum of 12 weeks, and 30 hours per week. The participant will not
receive a stipend but a transit subsidy will be provided.
The participant does not become an EPA employee.
How to Apply:
Email a statement of interest, a resume, and a short writing sample (maximum 5 pages) to
metchis.karen@epa.gov. In the subject line, please reference ‘Student Internship: Resilience.’
ABOUT THE EPA OFFICE OF WATER
The EPA Office of Water (OW) guides implementation of the national water program under
statutory authorities such as the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. OW activities are
targeted to prevent pollution and to reduce risk for people and aquatic ecosystems. Within OW, the
Water Policy Staff supports program and policy development, including ensuring quality control in
the regulatory development process, conducting economic analyses, leading cross-Office workgroups, analyzing emerging issues, and developing new programs to address emerging issues.
The participant will gain experience and insight into how national environmental programs are
managed, how environmental policies are developed, and how federal programs interact with state,
local and tribal partners. He or she will become familiar with programs to protect clean water,
drinking water, wetlands, oceans and estuaries, and water infrastructure