Student Opportunities
The Center for Environment & Society creates meaningful opportunities that provide graduate level and real world, hands on experiences to our students.
Get Involved
The Center for Environment & Society seeks to create meaningful internship experiences and job opportunities for Washington College undergraduates. These opportunities provide graduate level and real world, hands on, experiences to students.
In the past, CES has offered internships for students interested in campus sustainability, climate action, coastal ecosystems, conservation, ecology, and archaeology. Some of the regular and ongoing CES positions include:
- Bird Banding Intern at the Foreman's Branch Bird Observatory
- Grasslands Summer Research Intern
- Natural Lands Project Intern
- Social Media Intern
CES Internships for Spring 2024 also include:
CES strives to collaborate with other organizations to provide a wide range of internships across a wide range of disciplines. In the past, CES has collaborated with Echo Hill Outdoor School, Horn Point Laboratories, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, ShoreRivers, Sultana Projects, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, National Aquarium, and Friends of Eastern Neck.
For Spring 2024, External Partnership Internships include:
More information on summer internships with CES partnerships will be announced in
January. Current summer partners include:
- Adkins Arboretum
- Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
- Carlisle Academy Integrative Therapy & Sports
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- ShoreRivers
- Various GIS activities for several environmental nonprofits
Through the Chesapeake Semester, CES provides students with hands on opportunities and vast networking that sets them up for successful internships and careers. The Chesapeake Semester engages a select group of 12 students in a 16 credit interdisciplinary study of North America’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. Participants study the complex history, ecology, and culture of the Chesapeake as a microcosm of the challenges and transitions confronting coastal communities around the world.
Each year, the Center for Environment & Society offers select first-year students membership into the Environment & Society Fellows program. These students must demonstrate a commitment to their academics as well as an interest in the world’s diverse environments and the people that live in them.
If selected, students receive a renewable yearly scholarship of $3,000, and priority application consideration for CES internships and our flagship Chesapeake Semester program.
Admitted students who have experiences as a birder, wildlife enthusiast, or conservationist are encouraged to apply for the Ornithology Scholarship. Students who receive the Ornithology Scholarship will be included in all CES Fellows opportunities including priority application consideration for CES internships and the Chesapeake Semester program.
A $1,500 tuition scholarship will be offered to three students, renewable annually for four years.
Admitted students from Maryland's Eastern Shore or of Eastern Shore heritage who are interested in a major in environmental science or studies are encouraged to apply for the Eastern Shore Society Scholarship. Students who receive the Eastern Shore Scholarship will be included in all CES Fellows opportunities including priority application consideration for CES internships and the Chesapeake Semester program.
A $3,000 tuition scholarship will be offered to three students, renewable annually for four years. Additionally, the chosen scholarship recipient will receive a one-time grant of $2,000 to offset the cost of the Chesapeake Semester.
Just confirmed your acceptance to Washington College? The college has some great explore orientation opportunities for incoming freshman. Why not learn more about the Center for Environment & Society by participating in one of our awesome trips! To learn which trips are led by CES staff, please contact us at environment_societyFREEwashcoll.
Learn more about our Summer Programs:
The Young Environmental Stewards' Conference is designed to introduce you to the magic of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Led by staff at the Center for Environment & Society (CES), this four-day conference includes kayaking, wildlife habitat conservation efforts, underwater exploration and more – all while living on our beautiful campus! The Chester River is a tributary of our beloved Chesapeake Bay and is one of Chestertown's most important resources. At the Young Environmental Stewards' Conference, you'll have the opportunity to get on the Chester River and explore the unique local environment with other like-minded students.
Have you wondered what that red bird is in your yard? Do you know the birds at your feeders, but want to learn more about them? Do you wonder if you're the only teen around who likes nature? We have just the program for you. Washington College's Center for Environment & Society is pleased to announce the Avian Conservation and Ecology Summer Program for 2022. You will join a group of rising 10th-12th graders to explore regional habitats from marshes to grasslands to forests. We will discover the birds that call these habitats home, consider the threats to each ecosystem, and discuss with biologists and professional researchers how to best conserve them. Our guest lecturers will also discuss career options relating to birds and wildlife.
The Geospatial Discoveries Conference is an interactive and dynamic in-person experience with a wide range of out-of-the-box activities and technology used to explore the world. Led by staff at the Washington College Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program, this four- day conference gives participants a practical introduction to the systems that connect satellites, drones, data analysts, mobile apps, and websites in modern life. Take part in a college classroom experience and participate in experiential learning activities designed to take you outdoors. Faculty and staff will guide lessons on imagery and how drones and satellites take those concepts in different dimensions. Experience the power of remote sensing through a presentation of a 46-foot research vessel and see how sunk shipwrecks can be detected even when completely buried in mud. Learn to create your own spatial data using mobile applications. Build out your experience using cutting-edge data visualization tools to embed maps, applications and multimedia data into an online story! You will see GIS technology used in environmental research, historical and cultural discoveries, crime analysis and mapping. Spend time in our GIS Lab working beside our undergraduate interns and see them put their skills in action to tackle real world problems. Discover the adventure of geospatial technologies at work outdoors, in the classroom, and in your life!
The 3rd Annual Young Environmental Stewards Conference: Virtual Edition will challenge you to discover the place you call home: "who" shares the outdoor space with you, how eco-healthy is your "neighborhood", what can you do to become an #environmentalinfluencer?
Spend the week exploring the connections between you and your place. Each morning session will prepare you for an outdoor connection. You will still have an opportunity to "get in the field" with this conference, but instead of exploring George Washington's backyard and the Chester River, you'll explore your own! This experience will take you beyond your computer screen and into your neighborhood to practice data collection, observe local trees and birds, explore the concept of environmental justice, and put stewardship into action.
How will you do all this? Included in the $250.00 cost of the conference, you will receive a materials kit and a journal to facilitate your experience a few weeks before the conference begins.
Grasslands Research
Hannah McCarthy '23, Environmental Studies major, was one of three students who studied the breeding biology of Field Sparrows in the experimental grasslands at the River and Field Campus this past summer. These students are investigating whether older more experienced sparrows make “better” parents than first time breeders. Summer field experiences like these allow students to collect actual data used for scientific analysis, building skills that will serve them well should they pursue a career in field biology.
Migration Monitoring
Sara Canas ’23, a double major in Biology and Environmental Science, is a part of the Eirik A. T. Blom Internship program, in which student interns assist in monitoring spring and fall migrations at WC's Foreman's Branch Bird Observatory (FBBO). There, students learn to identify and handle wild birds under the guidance of federally-licensed staff, untangling birds from mist nets, measuring birds, and recording data. Interns gain insight into the uses of bird banding data, which is collected for use not only at FBBO, but also at USGS' Bird Banding Laboratory, where the data is made available to all researchers.
LEARN ABOUT THE EIRIK A. T. BLOM INTERNSHIP
Bird-Safe Glass Testing
Libby Witham ’23, a double major in Biology and Environmental Science, interns with CES' Bird-Safe Glass Testing Program. In partnership with American Bird Conservancy, WC runs an official test site for the American Bird Conservancy, hosting one of only two tunnels designed to approve products that will reduce glass collisions, a leading cause of bird death worldwide. In just the first season, the College ran over 2,500 test flights and sent critical data back to ABC that helped gain approval for 10 new bird-friendly glass designs, which are in use by manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world.