Student Volunteer Internship
Economics and Data Systems
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 Masters degree. The preferred candidate will have
interest and background in a field related to economics, econometrics, data analysis, and/or GIS.
The intern will be exposed to diverse topics both within and outside of the field of economics. As
an economics intern, applicants will be tasked with a specific project commensurate with
interest, education and ability. Examples of topical areas that the project may be associated with
include:
• the intersection between environmental stressors, public health, and US demographics;
• how the public defines, values and perceives water quality;
• measuring demand for beach and other water based recreational or ecosystems services;
• how water quality and ecosystem health is empirically modeled and defined;
• calculating benefits and costs of building resilience to extreme weather; and/or
• how EPA approaches the costs and benefits of policy options.
The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to summarize economic research and
concepts, have strong analytical and problem solving skills, possess good writing and
presentation skills, and have experience with Microsoft Excel and Word.
The appointment will be for a minimum of 12 weeks, 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 short writing sample (maximum 5 pages), and resume to:
Trombley.michael@epa.gov. In the subject line, please reference ‘Student Internship:
Economics’.
ABOUT THE EPA OFFICE OF WATER
The EPA Office of Water 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.