Job Shadow in Environmental Science & Engineering (Tucson, AZ)
The National Science Foundation's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale observation facility operated by Battelle and designed to collect long-term open access ecological data to better understand how U.S. ecosystems are changing. The comprehensive data, spatial extent and remote sensing technology provided by NEON will enable a large and diverse user community to tackle new questions at scales not accessible to previous generations of ecologists.
NEON collects environmental data and archival samples that characterize plant, animals, soil, nutrients, freshwater and atmosphere from 81 field sites strategically located in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems across the U.S.
The host for this opportunity is Abraham Karam, the Manager of Field Science for NEON!
At the beginning of the shadow, students only need to drive themselves to the office. NEON will then drive the students in field vehicles to the site.
Students interested in learning more about NEON's instrumentation systems will accompany two field technicians as they conduct preventative maintenance on an instrumented tower and soil array at Santa Rita Experimental Range (~30 miles south of Tucson). Climbing the tower will require a safety briefing and wearing a harness. Maintenance includes cleaning all instruments and trouble shooting any problems. The day will last between 6-8 hours.
Students interested in learning about NEON's terrestrial or aquatic observation systems will accompany a team of 2-4 technicians as they conduct sampling at either Sycamore Creek (near Phoenix) or Santa Rita Experimental Range. Protocols will vary by day though students can choose from plants, insect sampling, and aquatic sampling. The work day will last between 4-8 hours.
PLEASE specify which shadow day you would like in your cover letter! Our schedule is fixed, and depends on weather conditions, thus please choose dates according to area of interest:
1/6: Plant phenology sampling at Santa Rita Experimental Range (4 hours)
1/7: Surface Water Chemistry and Stream Discharge sampling at Sycamore Creek (8 hours)
1/8: Surface Water Chemistry lab analysis in Tucson (3 hours)
1/13 and 1/14: Instrumentation Preventative Maintenance, Santa Rita Experimental Range (6 hours)
Students who might benefit from this shadow would be those interested in science and engineering. If you're passionate about working outside, in sometimes difficult conditions, and furthering the field of ecological monitoring, the NEON Project is a great place to gain experience. The project is based out of Boulder, Colorado and there are numerous opportunities to work (temporary or full-time) throughout the network. Tucson is home to one of 18 offices within the NEON network. Students should also bring their own lunch.
This opportunity is ONLY available for the following dates:
- Monday, January 6
- Wednesday, January 8
- Thursday, January 9
- Monday, January 13
- Tuesday, January 14
This is part of the UA Job Shadow Program (JSP). The JSP is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to gain first-hand exposure to a career field and be mentored by actual professionals. Unless otherwise noted, the experience is one day long and will take place sometime during late Winter Break, January 2-14, 2020. This is not an employment opportunity and future employment with the organization is not associated with this program. You may apply to no more than 5 JSP opportunities, and if accepted, you must attend a JSP orientation before receiving the contact information for your host. For more information, please visit http://career.arizona.edu/job-shadow-program