Share Sustainability with the World

Science communication and storytelling is an essential skill in the 21st century. As society grapples with challenges at the intersection of environment and society, science communicators help move research out of the laboratory and into the minds and hearts of decision-makers, the public, and a new generation of change-makers.

The Wrigley Institute’s Environmental Communications Internship supports USC undergraduates to build skills at this intersection of disciplines, collaborating with leading researchers to amplify their work.

2025 dates: June 2-August 8, 2025

Application deadline: March 7, 2025

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How it Works

The environmental communications internship is a paid, full-time internship lasting 10 weeks (2025 dates: June 2-August 8). The program offers a mix of Los Angeles-based and virtual options, along with one internship at the Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) on Catalina Island.

Students are matched with USC faculty and other leading researchers to help them translate and communicate their work for public audiences. The internship also includes mentoring and professional development with Wrigley Institute staff and practicing environmental communications professionals.

Award Details

Most interns receive a $6,000 stipend for the summer. The WMSC internship covers 14 weeks (2025 dates: May 19-August 15) and includes a stipend of $7,000, plus free room and board on the island.

Eligibility

This internship is open to all USC continuing undergraduate students. In order to qualify as a continuing undergraduate, students must be enrolled on the USC campus for the spring 2025 semester and NOT graduating in spring 2025.

The experience is especially appropriate for students who are interested in science communication or who have a demonstrated interest in the environment, sustainability, and public audiences.

Environmental communications intern Yannick Peterhans holds a large underwater camera rig in his hand as he stands on a concrete ramp leading into an ocean cove. He is wearing a wetsuit and holding white flippers in his other hand.

2025 Mentors & Projects

See the list below for the 2025 internship projects. This year’s options offer a range of experiences and skill-building opportunities. Interns will work on website construction, graphic design, social media management, photo/video production, and more.

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  • Mentor: Kathryn Royster, USC Wrigley Institute

    Location: Santa Catalina Island, CA (fully in-person)

    (**Note: This position’s dates are May 19-August 15, running 14 weeks instead of 10; it includes a stipend of $7,000, plus room and board on the island)

    Based at the Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) on Catalina Island, this internship focuses on producing professional-quality photos, and possibly videos, of research and educational activities taking place in and around Catalina Island throughout the summer. The intern will function as part of the Wrigley Institute’s in-house communications team, and work products will be used in Wrigley Institute marketing and communications activities. This intern may also provide occasional support to WMSC summer programs, such as Maymester and Storymakers.

    Applicants should have a meaningful photo portfolio to share and must provide their own DSLR camera kit. As this position involves capturing field activities, applicants must be willing and able to participate in hikes, boat rides, and other excursions in rugged areas as appropriate.

  • Mentor: Kathryn Royster, USC Wrigley Institute

    Location: UPC/hybrid (mix of in-person and remote work)

    This internship focuses on producing professional-quality content about Wrigley Institute-supported research projects and activities. Projects may include short-form video interviews with researchers; public-facing, explainer-style videos about research findings; photo shoots of graduate fellows in the field; and more. The intern will function as part of the Wrigley Institute’s in-house communications team, and work products will be used in Wrigley Institute marketing and communications activities, especially on social media and YouTube.

    Applicants should have a strong portfolio of relevant work to share and must provide their own DSLR camera kit. This intern may also travel occasionally to help document summer programs on Catalina Island or at other nearby locations around Los Angeles.

  • Mentors: Sydney Rilum and Dr. Karla Heidelberg, USC Sea Grant

    Location: UPC (fully in-person)

    USC Sea Grant is looking for a communications intern to help us raise awareness of marine debris and its damaging effects on marine life and coastal communities. As an intern, you will participate in activities such as developing engaging web-based and social media content, assembling curriculum into an annotated database, and assisting with public outreach events to spotlight the need of reducing plastic pollution. Through hands-on experience in campaign strategy and community engagement, you will gain valuable skills in environmental advocacy and communications.

  • Mentors: Dr. Karla Heidelberg, USC Sea Grant

    Location: UPC/AltaSea campus in the Port of Los Angeles (fully in-person)

    This NOAA-funded Community Engaged Internship (CEI) offers an immersive opportunity to learn about kelp forest stewardship off the California coast by respectfully integrating the Tongva/Gabrielino people’s traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary scientific research. The intern will participate in a collaborative project at AltaSea in the Port of Los Angeles, working alongside Tongva/Gabrielino elders and culture bearers, USC archaeology professor Lynn Dodd, and kelp ecology scientists from KelpArc. Through this experience, the intern will develop communication materials and produce a short video that documents and honors the Tongva/Gabrielino community’s contributions and partnership with KelpArc.

    Applicants must have their own transportation to AltaSea, as the location is not served by public transit. This internship also includes a NOAA-paid 4-day trip to North Carolina at the end of the summer for a CEI cohort meeting.

  • Mentor: Dr. Carly Kenkel, USC Dornsife Biological Sciences

    Location: Flexible; can be fully in-person at UPC, hybrid, or fully remote

    This internship is funded through an NSF grant and will highlight research on a foundational Caribbean coral species, Acropora cervicornis. Communication interns will learn about coral biology and the role of corals’ physiological flexibility in response to climate change, and in turn will help translate this research for the public through materials such as graphics/illustrations, social media content, or short videos that will be shared widely through both USC’s and Mote Marine Lab’s communication platforms. This summer’s reserach focuses on potential reproductive trade-offs, with opportunities to showcase coral spawning research.

  • Mentors: Dr. Travis Williams, USC Dornsife Chemistry; Dr. Steve Nutt, USC Viterbi Materials Science

    Location: UPC/hybrid (mix of in-person and remote work)

    The labs of Dr. Travis Williams (USC Dornsife), Dr. Steve Nutt (USC Viterbi), and Dr. Clay Wang (USC Pharmacy) collaborate on chemistry-based projects to increase the life cycles of hard-to-recycle materials such as ocean plastics and carbon-fiber panels. This internship will work with all three labs, providing a unique opportunity to witness interdisciplinary science in action. The intern will complete website updates and graphic designs for scientific papers and presentations. Potential topics include the breakdown of carbon-fiber panels to create raw materials for consumer goods such as golf clubs, the upcycling of ocean plastics to create medicines and laundry detergents, and the creation of green(er) hydrogen using renewable materials.

  • Mentor: Dr. Shannon Gibson, USC Dornsife Environmental Studies

    Location: Remote

    The Gibson Climate Justice Lab studies global and regional climate conferences and how marginalized and underrepresented voices are included (or not) in these spaces. This year’s intern will support the lab’s work through a variety of website and social media projects. These may include: improving the accessibility of the lab’s website, editing and posting blogs, creating social media posts, strategizing and transitioning from Twitter to BlueSky, and compiling and sharing content from Prof. Gibson’s Maymester environmental justice course.

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Past Interns & Projects