Every early-career scientist needs this, and our Internship Program provides it

Seed crew intern Rachel Livingston finds that keeping weed seeds out of native seed collections is important (and prickly) work!

Intern Eva Brod and Crew Lead Miranda Geller take a moment to enjoy the view, (catch their breath), and discuss fire ecology at Pickett Creek near Grants Pass.

Interns Rose Parham and Erica Hunter tending to Willamette daisies. The plants will be used in pollination experiments to support this endangered Willamette Valley species.

Interns Rose Parham and Erica Hunter monitoring at Fern Ridge Reservoir. Near the Kincaid's lupine on the right, you can see some golden paintbrush, a species once extirpated from the Willamette Valley, and now on its way to recovery.

Interns Eva Brod and Cia Crowe investigate a rubber boa at Oak Basin, near Brownsville, Oregon. This upland prairie is host to an array of native flora and fauna.

Interns Eva Brod (back) and Cia Crowe (front) at Lower Table Rocks near Medford, Oregon. Results from this work have changed management to reduce trampling on this sensitive habitat, home to an endangered fairy shrimp and rare plant species.

To convey their work to the community, IAE staff and interns hosted an Intern Showcase at the Corvallis Arts Center as the interns wrapped up their field season. Each intern prepared a poster presentation, and IAE members and supporters were invited to come see and interact with them about what they’ve learned. On a very warm July night, dozens of supporters gathered to hear an overview of the program and ask questions directly of the 2019 interns. “This is their event, and a chance to show everyone the skills they gained at IAE, and where they’d like to go next,” says Matt Bahm, IAE Conservation Research Program Director and Internship Program lead. “This is their opportunity to share their experiences.”

2019 Intern Eva Brod discusses her poster on plant-insect interactions with IAE Board Member Shinji Kawai

IAE Executive Director Tom Kaye presented about the Internship Program and other IAE events to the community

The interns showcased work they’d done, experiences they’d had, and what they learned during their season at IAE. Intern Eva Brod presented an “Interspecies Relationships” poster about native plants and their insect hosts. Golden paintbrush project interns Rose Parham and Erica Hunter presented about how they surveyed this threatened species. Cia Crowe bridged art and science in her poster, titled “Who Said Science and Art Don’t Go Together?” And Rachel Livingston presented a poster on her season as a seed collection intern. Guests were intrigued, and great conversations were had over refreshments in the beautiful Arts Center gallery.

IAE is training the next generation of ecologists to steward our natural areas into the future, and you can become involved. Please consider a donation to our Internship Program.  Funds will go directly to support enrichment activities,  including the intern showcase poster session, botanical and pollinator identification training, opportunities to network with local science and natural resource professionals, curriculum vitae building, mock interviews, and guidance for pursuing graduate school. If you’d like more information or to donate, please visit our Internship Program webpage.

Intern Rose Parham discusses her golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) work and shares her poster with IAE Ecologist Rob Fiegener

Rachel Livingston discusses her seed collection internship poster with IAE staff and community