The Earth Systems Internship
Finding an internship | Internship Approval | Assignments/internship requirements | Grading
The Earth Systems internship requirement is a 9 unit (270 hour) supervised field, laboratory, or private sector project. The internship may consist of:
- Directed research under the direct supervision of a Stanford faculty member
- Participation in one of several off campus Stanford programs
- An approved non-Stanford program relevant to the student’s interdisciplinary Earth Systems studies
The Internship is required of (and restricted to) all declared majors. It is commonly undertaken between the Junior and Senior years.
It is each student’s obligation to find an internship relevant to his or her course of study. There are abundant resources in the Earth Systems office to help with this process. The work must be academically rigorous, mentored by someone who is qualified to lend expertise when needed, interdisciplinary in perspective, and allow you take ownership of a piece of the overall project.
Finding an internship
Earth Systems staff and student advisors are great resources in finding an internship. Please watch your email for opportunities sent via the esmajors e-mail list, and meet with staff. Student Advisors can also share tips on how they secured internships.
Some examples of prior Earth Systems internships include:
- Supervised independent research
- Policy analysis with local, state or federal government departments
- Environmental consulting
- Curriculum development in environmental education
Please note: advocacy or lobbying work, public surveys, canvassing, trail maintenance, or work as a laboratory technician or office assistant cannot be used to meet the ES internship requirement.
Internship Approval
An internship project must be pre-approved by Earth Systems to meet the internship requirement. Once an internship is secured, submit the internship request for approval form to Kristin Tewksbury. This form can be found on the program website. The proposal will be reviewed by Earth Systems leadership. Criteria for approving an internship include relevance to Earth Systems; appropriateness of the internship project, organization, and mentor; and the potential for the student to have a significant learning opportunity through the internship.
Assignments: The Internship Paper, Supervisor and Self Evaluations
Upon completion of the internship, each student must submit a 15-page technical paper. The paper is due by the last day of classes during the quarter following the internship. The paper should be submitted to Kristin Tewksbury (electronically) and to the internship supervisor, if applicable. Formal review of the paper, with comments for revision, will come from Katie Phillips, Richard Nevle, or Kevin Arrigo (and from the internship supervisor if appropriate).
The internship paper is meant to be a technical paper written for an expert audience by an expert (you) on your internship topic. Papers may take many forms depending on your internship topic, for example, students who have done science research projects will most likely use a standard research paper format: introduction, methods, data and analysis, discussion, conclusions. Students who have done a more policy-focused project may have a format that includes a review of current policies, what is and isn’t working with those policies and why, a presentation of literature review, interviews, and other research discussing new approaches, and, perhaps, a recommendation for a new policy that might work better. Students who have worked for a company or non-profit might use a format that includes background on their organization, its mission and goals; details on their particular project or research within that organization; and how that work fits into the organization itself and also a broader, environmental framework. These are just a few examples - your paper may take a completely different form or be a combination of those listed above.
Supervisor and self evaluations are also due by the last day of classes of the quarter following the internship. Please use the Earth Systems Internship Supervisor and Self Evaluation Forms.
Internship papers, Supervisor and Self Evaluations must be submitted to:
Kristin Tewksbury
Y2E2, Rm. 127, 473 Via Ortega
Stanford, CA 94305-4215
Email: ktewks@stanford.edu; Fax: 650.725.0958
Grading
To earn internship credit on your record, please enroll in EARTHSYS 260 for 9 units. If you choose to do so, you can enroll in these units by distributing them over multiple quarters.
All internships will carry a mandatory S/NC grade option. Assignment of the “S” grade will be based on the acceptance of the internship paper and the completed evaluations. An “N” grade will be assigned to your internship units until then (the “N” grade at Stanford designates a work in progress).
You will not receive an internship grade until all internship components have been completed:
- Approved initial proposal
- Final paper approved
- Supervisor and self evaluations submitted
