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Microplastics Institute: Education or Research Intern

Seaside Sustainability, Inc.
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Microplastics Institute: Education or Research Internship

 

Company Description

Seaside Sustainability is a nationally recognized, award-winning 501(c)3 charitable organization dedicated to environmental conservation, education, and community engagement. The organization’s mission is to protect and restore oceans by raising awareness of environmental issues, promoting sustainable practices, and inspiring advocacy and hands-on action. Collaborating with schools, municipalities, technology companies, and individuals, Seaside Sustainability aims to secure the health of aquatic ecosystems worldwide. The organization is also a leader in environmental and STEM education, offering project-based learning, meaningful internships, and volunteer opportunities for all ages. Students and participants gain practical experience and leadership skills to contribute to the stewardship of our planet.


 

Department Description: 

The Microplastics Institute, a Seaside Sustainability initiative, is an integrated research, education, and community engagement organization dedicated to advancing the understanding, monitoring, and prevention of microplastic pollution and its implications for ecosystems and human health. Microplastics are increasingly recognized as a widespread environmental contaminant, with particles detected across aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments. As scientific understanding continues to develop, there is a growing need to better understand where microplastics occur, how they move through the environment, how people and ecosystems may encounter them, and what these exposure pathways may mean for environmental and human health.


 

The Institute brings together scientific research, environmental monitoring, education, community participation, workforce development, and professional services within a single coordinated framework. Rather than treating these areas as separate efforts, the Institute connects them so that research informs education, education builds scientific capacity, community participation expands environmental monitoring, and professional services help sustain the infrastructure needed to support long-term environmental science. This integrated model is designed to make meaningful participation in environmental science accessible to students, educators, volunteers, researchers, organizations, businesses, and communities. There are three sub-teams: Education (interns), Research (interns), and Development (volunteers).


 

Education Subteam: 

The Microplastics Institute (Education) team is responsible for curriculum development, educator certification, school partnerships, citizen science implementation, educational resources, and program growth. Interns gain professional experience by supporting the development, implementation, and growth of the Microplastics Institute. Interns complete structured projects under the supervision of the Department Manager while collaborating with other members of the team.

 

Position Summary:

Program & Curriculum Intern: This position is responsible for building and improving the educational aspects of the Microplastics Institute program.
Job Duties & Responsibilities

  • Develop and refine microplastics curriculum for different grade levels.
  • Create lesson plans, student activities, teacher guides, and training materials.
  • Help standardize sampling and testing protocols.
  • Work with educators to make sure materials are practical in real classrooms.
  • Collect teacher and student feedback and improve the program over time.
  • Help organize pilot programs, workshops, and classroom implementation.
  • Coordinate with scientific advisors to maintain accuracy and consistency.


 

Sponsorships, Grants & Development Intern: This position is responsible for securing external funding support (including in-kind sponsorships) that is needed to expand the Microplastics Institute program. 

Job Duties & Responsibilities:

  • Research grants related to STEM education, environmental education, plastics, water quality, public health, and youth science.
  • Maintain a grant opportunity calendar and funding pipeline.
  • Assist with grant proposals, budgets, supporting materials, and reporting.
  • Identify corporate sponsors for equipment, student programs, teacher training, or school participation.
  • Develop sponsorship packages and outreach materials.
  • Research foundations, businesses, philanthropic organizations, and corporate giving programs.
  • Help build relationships with companies that may donate equipment, supplies, services, or funding.

 

 

Research Subteam:

The Microplastics Institute (Research) team builds and maintains collaborations that advance microplastics research, environmental monitoring, education, and community engagement. The team develops relationships with schools, universities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, businesses, and community partners to expand the reach and impact of the Microplastics Institute. The Microplastics Institute (Research) team supports research initiatives, grant-funded projects, environmental monitoring efforts, public outreach, and strategic partnerships while helping create opportunities for collaborative environmental stewardship. 

 

Position Summary:

Partnerships, Outreach & School Engagement Intern: This position is responsible for implementing the Microplastics Institute program into schools, and building relationships to help expand the program. 

Job Duties & Responsibilities: 

  • Identify schools, districts, universities, libraries, nonprofits, camps, and youth organizations that could use the program.
  • Conduct outreach to teachers, administrators, science departments, and community partners.
  • Develop partnerships with water organizations, environmental groups, laboratories, municipalities, and universities.
  • Help recruit pilot schools and participating educators.
  • Maintain a partnership database and track outreach, meetings, and follow-ups.
  • Help organize presentations, demonstrations, teacher training, and community events.
  • Collect testimonials, success stories, and program outcomes from participating schools.


 

Program Operations, Procurement & Expansion Intern: This position is responsible for determining the logistics of delivering the program, and at an affordable scale.

Job Duties & Responsibilities:

  • Research suppliers and negotiate wholesale or bulk pricing for program equipment and consumables.
  • Identify vendors for microscopes, pumps, filters, sampling bottles, lab supplies, protective equipment, and educational materials.
  • Develop standardized microplastics kits for schools.
  • Calculate cost per kit, classroom, school, and student.
  • Manage inventory, purchasing, shipping, and replacement supplies.
  • Explore partnerships with filtration companies and environmental-product manufacturers.
  • Help design pricing models for schools, districts, camps, nonprofits, and other customers.
  • Develop systems for bulk orders and recurring consumable purchases.
  • Help evaluate how the program can expand regionally and nationally without costs becoming unmanageable.



 

Microplastics Institute: General Qualifications and Skills:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience (e.g., business, environmental science, HR, marine science, sustainability, or related fields).
  • Exceptional organizational and multitasking abilities, with the capacity to manage multiple projects across various sub-teams.
  • Excellent communication, motivational, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
  • Proficiency in Google Workspace and project management tools.
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a remote, dynamic environment.
  • Proactive communication among team members and managers, with the initiative to introduce new tasks and projects and expand current procedures.
  • Strong attention to detail, ensuring that team members are consistently on-task and submitting quality work.
  • Proven experience in a leadership or supervisory role with a strong track record in team management, project oversight, and impactful contributions.


 

Work Environment:

  • This is a remote/in-person internship position, and all interns work from their individual home offices across the globe.
  • Interns must have access to a computer, tablet, or mobile device with an internet connection to perform duties, attend meetings, and communicate effectively.
  • Interns are expected to commit at least fifteen hours per week and meet weekly deadlines set by their supervisors.

 

Duration and Compensation:

  • Duration: 5 months (flexible start and end dates).
  • This is an unpaid position.


Learning Outcome:

  • Develop practical leadership and project management skills.
  • Gain experience in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and team management.
  • Enhance communication and collaboration skills in a dynamic, remote work environment.

 

Equal Opportunity Statement for Employment: Seaside Sustainability Inc. offers internship opportunities to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. Seaside Sustainability prohibits workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.


 

 

“Sustainability, Education, Action”

What is Seaside: Seaside Sustainability is a nationally recognized, award-winning 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to community engagement, public education, and environmental conservation. Seaside aims to be a leader in environmental and STEM educational programs and recognition initiatives. We help by promoting public awareness about the importance of environmental health, providing resources to develop problem-solving skills, and chances to get engaged as part of a community to take action. We organize our works and initiatives around these areas: plastic mitigation, marine citizen science, sustainability education, and solar energy in the community.

Why Intern at Seaside: Seaside’s internship program is hands-down one of the best in the area! With its roots firmly seated in education and hands-on learning, there is no doubt that that is why we have more than 50 interns at any given point throughout the year. Our programs and initiatives encourage members of the community, young and old, to build and nurture a relationship with local land and seascapes. An internship at Seaside allows you to explore a myriad of internship opportunities, relevant to almost any future interest. Join Seaside Sustainability for any season, or during breaks in your school schedule. We are looking for part-time interns in high school, college, and beyond to work on a diverse and challenging array of projects and initiatives. We are accepting applications for unpaid internships, with hours available any day of the week and practically any time of day: weekdays, weekends, and evenings included. We prefer to have our local interns work in person at the office in Gloucester, and we also invite interns from all over the United States and internationally to apply. Seaside Sustainability provides interns with real and meaningful work, and internships are available in any season with flexible time schedules.

Mission: Advocate, educate, and deliver tangible solutions to advance environmental stewardship.

Vision Statement: Seaside’s programs and initiatives encourage members of the community, of all ages, to build and nurture a relationship with local land and seascapes. We believe that environmental challenges can be overcome by instilling ethical and social responsibility into our existence. And we address these challenges by illuminating the heavy costs of environmental degradation by providing resources to develop skills, solutions, and community involvement.

What Interns Do at Seaside Sustainability: Our interns are not limited to just one role; we encourage each intern to take advantage of the opportunity to explore a variety of roles and responsibilities. Our interns are never bored as they’re always given real and meaningful work that is essential to the day-to-day operation of the company. As an intern with Seaside Sustainability, you will be asked to perform a myriad of tasks, most of which can also be found at https://www.seasidesustainability.org/intern-details. 

Market Research Weekly Work: In order to fulfill our mission, we need to communicate with educators who are passionate about sustainability. To meet our weekly goals of outreach to these educators, all interns are required to spend no more than 2-hours a week collecting this critical and game changing information. When you are researching these educators, you are literally selecting the people who will be changing the lives of their students by taking part in our programs. This role is one of the most important parts of working here at Seaside. You will gain so many useful skills such as how to be a more effective researcher and how to remain organized all while playing a key role in expanding the size and scale of Seaside. As Interns join Seaside’s leadership, they take on increasing responsibilities and are not required to do weekly information collection.

Course Credit: Students may receive course credit for this internship. Staff will work with the intern’s school/advisor on achieving desired learning outcomes and completing all necessary paperwork.

Check with your school's Internship Coordinator BEFORE accepting the hiring offer to determine if this position satisfies the criteria for receiving academic credit.

Requirements: Seaside Sustainability requires interns to work at least 15 hours per week.  

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement: Seaside recognizes that environmental issues are human issues, and therefore everyone has a right to be a part of the solution. Seaside is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment that welcomes all participants irrespective of their gender, race, sexuality, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, or socioeconomic status. The demographics of our internship program directly reflects the composition of our national outreach while the composition of our board more reflects the local composition of our communities. With the understanding that Environmental Issues disproportionately affect low income communities, minority communities, and communities of color, we are actively seeking to ensure that our environmental work, our projects, and programs are crafted in a way that both reflects and aids in combating the plight of minorities, of people of color, of economically challenged, and other disadvantaged individuals.

General Skills Needed:

  • Passionate and dedicated to making a difference in the environment
  • Good virtual communication skills
  • Comfortable working in teams
  • Good time management skills
  • Willingness to learn and work outside of their comfort zone
  • Basic knowledge of communication technology (G-Suite, Zoom, Email)
  • Leadership skills

Management Roles

Advisors

Seaside Sustainability’s Community Advisory Team members work directly with our Executive Director, Eric Magers, and work alongside Board members, Intern Directors, Management Fellows, other Community Advisors and a large cadre of interns organized in teams to further advance the organization’s goals. Common Advisor duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Leading implementation of new management and organizational processes and procedures across the program. Delegating tasks to appropriate team members. Working closely with the Human Resources team to manage and oversee recruitment for future internship sessions. Collecting and analyzing feedback from interns throughout the program to gauge satisfaction and success. Skills Needed: Good communication with people of all walks of life, Leadership skills, Experience coordinating groups of people, A strong desire to facilitate a positive, hands-on internship experience.

Strategic Assistants

Seaside Sustainability’s rapid growth is requiring the organization to look for enthusiastic students who wish to take their passion for the environment to the next level. To promote this, Seaside will provide Strategic Assistant with a professionally guided internship that assists with intern management strategies and supports their aspirations for career development. SAs take the lead on more than 10 Seaside projects working with 3-4 departments simultaneously. Being a SA is truly a win-win situation: the environment benefits, interns benefit, and SA gains invaluable experience. We are actively seeking to recruit college students, graduate students, and those with leadership experience to fulfill the role of a SA. Interns at Seaside Sustainability may be promoted to the position of a SA by exemplifying the characteristics of a model intern. Skills Needed: Project development, Task delegation, Superior organizational and communication skills

Management Fellows

A Fellow exemplifies organization, leadership, and communication skills and has the opportunity to lead a team of 12-15 interns within one of our departments throughout their internship. This position is more demanding and requires someone with the ability to check emails and make phone calls outside of regular working hours. The duties of this position include interviewing applicants, onboarding new interns, meeting with interns 1:1 every other week, reporting to the Advisor, and ensuring the success of both interns and projects. Skills Needed: Project development, task delegation, superior organizational and communication skills.

Department Manager

Similar to a Fellow, a Department Manager also exemplifies organization, leadership, and communication skills but focuses on leading a sub-team within a department. A Department Manager has the opportunity to lead a team of 5-8 interns, ensuring that their sub-team's projects align with the department's goals. This position requires the ability to check emails and make phone calls outside of regular working hours. The duties include interviewing applicants, onboarding new interns, meeting with interns 1:1 every other week, reporting to the Fellow or Advisor, and ensuring the success of both interns and projects. Skills Needed: Project development, task delegation, superior organizational and communication skills.

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Make Sure To Follow Seaside on Social Media!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seasusinc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seasusinc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/seasusinc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDqPZWdPIQG37aaSC7NShOg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seaside-sustainability-inc/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4lfTZpbv0ELrkU2po8SRfo

And remember to check out our partner organization National STEM Honor Society www.nstem.org for another great internship opportunity!