Student Internships

USC Sea Grant provides undergraduate and graduate internship opportunities in coastal, ocean, climate, and sustainability science education. These opportunities are an investment in workforce development related to fostering healthy coastal ecosystems, safe and sustainable seafood, and resilient communities and economies. Undergraduate teaching, graduate research investment, and fellowship opportunities help students prepare for careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and other disciplines critical to local, regional, and national needs.  USC Sea Grant supports building capacity by matching students with active researchers and by providing direct mentoring in activities in programs such as law internships for coastal issues, and AdaptLA climate change workforce training initiatives.

USC undergraduates and graduate students participate in workforce training internships with USC Sea Grant staff in providing outreach and education to schools and in developing outreach and educator resources related to, among others,  climate resilience, aquaponics, and marine protected areas (MPAs).

Providing multiple entry points into careers in the sciences is crucial in addressing the disparity of resources afforded to lower-income communities. For many years there has been an expectation that many entry-level skills be gained by volunteering, and this is especially true in the aquarist field. While volunteer opportunities may be invaluable learning opportunities, lack of financial resources and proximity to host facilities affect accessibility. USC Sea Grant partners to provide paid internship opportunities to make these experiences available to under-resourced communities. USC Sea Grant has a long-standing relationship with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC), an environmentally focused youth development non-profit organization. LACC offers paid work experience on green community projects, innovative after-school programs, and secondary and vocational education programs to build resilience in the youth and young adults of Los Angeles. 

In the summer of 2022, USC Sea Grant educators launched a pilot aquarium internship in partnership with the LACC, the Heal the Bay Aquarium, and USC Viterbi K-12 STEM Center to provide education and hands-on training for two young adults employed by the Corps. We collaboratively refurbished an old mobile touch tank to fulfill the demand for in-person programming at summer school sites operated by the Corps. The two young adults led summer touch tank presentations and gained aquarist skills for a six-month period. 

The second cohort of four interns in 2023 built on past work to develop a new partnership with Heal the Bay that provided workforce development opportunities in practical aquarist skills. These interns conducted weekly visits to both the Corps’ after-school program sites and to schools that are part of the mission science program offered by USC Viterbi K-12 STEM Center. 

USC Sea Grant is an active participant in the national Sea Grant Community Engaged Internship (CEI) program, which has provided oceans and coastal-related training and mentorship since 2020 for undergraduate students from under-resourced, underrepresented, Indigenous, and tribal communities. Undergraduate students are matched with local partner organizations to undertake place-based research, extension, education, and/or communication-related positions that respect and integrate local ways of knowing.

USC Sea Grant will continue to seek funding opportunities to support future paid community-engaged interns.