Research Project Description

Urban Waters Program & Federal Partnership
Internship Program Opportunity
Office of Water
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC

EPA Water 2013-266

Project Description:

A postgraduate internship project is available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water. This internship will be located with the Immediate Office, Urban Waters Program.

The Urban Waters Program seeks to support communities – especially underserved communities – in restoring the water quality of their urban waters. This program supports efforts that provide opportunities for communities to have equitable access to and benefit from their urban waters and the surrounding land.

The intern will be trained in several ongoing projects such as identifying water quality policy and implementation issues that assist EPA’s Regional offices and communities. The intern will also be involved in ongoing projects with stakeholders (e.g., Urban Waters Federal Partnership, grantees, co-sponsors, etc). Team activities may involve:

• Formulating and implementing new approaches to address water quality restoration in urban waters.
• Discovering innovative communication tools for diverse audiences to disseminate information about uses, restoration, and opportunities associated with urban waterways.
• Evaluating community progress toward water quality restoration in ongoing urban waters projects, and identifying success stories to spotlight through publication of printed materials and/or on the Urban Waters website.

Through this internship, the selected individual will have the following educational opportunities:

• Learning how science informs the implementation of the Clean Water Act, including familiarity with processes and procedures used to implement national water regulatory programs (e.g., Total Maximum Daily Loads, Water Quality Standards, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits).
• Learning how green engineering controls (i.e., green infrastructure) when used to manage stormwater can result in restoring the water quality of urban watersheds, and other multiple environmental benefits, leading to more sustainable communities.
• Gaining technical knowledge in water pollution regulations, water quality monitoring, and stormwater management.

The intern will learn about water quality regulation implementation and science in executing urban waters programs under the Clean Water Act.  S/he will gain excellent exposure to novel and complex environmental issues that urban watersheds face, and will have the opportunity to be an integral part of the program team and gain experience from on-the-ground practitioners.

Qualifications:

The applicant should have received a bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemistry, geology, biology, environmental sciences, engineering, or a closely related discipline within five years of the desired starting date, or completion of all requirements for the degree should be expected prior to the starting date. Students currently enrolled in a U.S. college or university who are pursuing a graduate degree are also eligible to apply.  Proof or enrollment will be required each semester. Knowledge or practical experience regarding the Clean Water Act is highly desirable.

The appointment will be full-time for a one-year and may be renewed for up to three additional years upon recommendation of EPA and subject to availability of funds. Coverage under a medical insurance plan is both required and the responsibility of the applicant; coverage may be obtained through ORISE, if desired. The participant does not become an EPA employee.

The program is open to all qualified individuals without regard to race, sex, religion, color, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, or status as a Vietnam era or disabled veteran. U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status is preferred (but can also hold an appropriate visa status, however, an H1B visa is not appropriate).

Technical Questions:

The EPA contact person for this project is Ji-Sun (Sun) Yi, who may be emailed at yi.ji-sun@epa.gov.

How to Apply:

The Internship Program for EPA Water is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). Please reference Project # EPA Water 2013-266 when calling or writing for information. For additional information and application material contact: Internship Program - EPA Water, Attn: Gina Wampler - MS 36, ORISE, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 Phone: (865) 241-6467 Fax: (865) 241-5219 email: gina.wampler@orau.org.

An application can be found at http://www.orau.gov/partform/EPA/EPA_Application.pdf.