Internships in Environmental Studies
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Due to the interdisciplinary character of Environmental Studies, students can find internships in incredibly diverse areas. From farming to environmental consulting, you can find an internship that suits your personal interests.
News and Stories: ES Internships
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I spent two weeks of my summer working for a new, non-profit, environmental education organization based out of Casco Viejo, Panama. The purpose of my trip was to meet up with Chris Del Vecchio, a graduate from Brandeis University, and help her out with a program that she recently created. -
During the summer I interned at the environmental consulting corporation ENVIRON in Sydney, Australia. While I was there, I researched air quality management best practices for coal mines and conducted a survey of air quality management practices across 9 coal mine complexes from two continents. Also, I assisted ENVIRON’s energy auditors in conducting energy audits of several commercial buildings. These audits, combined with a sub meter tool that I developed, allowed us to identify and price energy efficiency opportunities.
ES majors have also had internships in:
Ecological Habitat Restoration and Environmental Education
Erika Rodriguez ‘12 has had an internship for two summers at Lake Forest Open Lands, a privately funded land trust based here in Lake Forest that manages 800+ acres of open, preserved space.
Erika says: “as a restoration intern, I had the opportunity to contribute to the understanding of the health of our local ecosystems by doing water quality monitoring as well as butterfly monitoring. Another very important aspect of this internship was environmental education. We had weekly education days where we mostly learned about the career opportunities in the field of environmental science. Some of the locations we visited this summer include: the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; Barnswallow, a bird rehabilitation center; an inside tour of the Field Museum; Volo Bog, and more. Not only were we learning in the field or on a trip everyday of the internship, but we also had the opportunity to teach others about what we do. We spent several afternoons throughout the internship with elementary school children, teaching them about our work and leading them in their own restoration workday.”
Conservation Communities
Steve Yena ‘11 worked at Prairie Crossing Institute on a variety of projects: assisting beginning farmers assemble seed and wash areas, building plastic barriers and chicken coops, helping fix water lines, and conducting a survey of all the community gardens in the Lake County area.
Steve says: “This internship has given me the basic foundation to help in leading Lake Forest College in starting up its own garden, and has allowed me to network and obtain vital contacts that I can look to for guidance or advice. For example, I met and interviewed the woman that runs Green Town’s community garden in Waukegan, Illinois and she donated over 7,000 seeds to Lake Forest College’s garden and has been extremely helpful in guiding me through the different issues I am facing with the garden.”
Environmental Consulting
Alyssa Wintermute ‘11 researched legislation in Canada (federal and provincial) for E.K. Gillin & Associates Inc. and performed Air Quality Testing and Waste Audits.
Alyssa says: “my internship with EKG Inc. has given me a great understanding of everything consulting firms must do to ensure that their clients are in compliance with environmental legislation. After performing environmental testing at clients’ worksites and being educated in both provincial and federal legislation, I know that I have acquired vital skills that will allow me to succeed in any career I choose in the future.”
