Summer Intern Program

Summer Internships for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Primary Funding by the Link Foundation

https://www.fau.edu/hboi/education-and-outreach/summer-internship-program/

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) at Florida Atlantic University offers a Summer Internship Program to qualified undergraduate and graduate students interested in ocean engineering and marine science related fields. The major portion of the funding for this program is provided through the generosity of the Link Foundation. The Gertrude E. Skelly Charitable Foundation provides major support for interns in marine biomedical research.

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin A. Link established the Link Foundation in 1953. It is the policy of the Link Foundation to make grants to qualified non-profit organizations interested in the mastery of the air and sea and in the development of energy resources and their conservation. For more information on the Link Foundation:

https://www.binghamton.edu/link-foundation/

For over five decades, the shared vision of founder J. Seward Johnson, Sr. and inventor Edwin Link to explore, protect, and wisely use the oceans’ resources shaped the work at Harbor Branch. Today, articulated as Ocean Science for a Better World™, this same vision drives over 200 Harbor Branch scientists, engineers, and support staff to be leaders in ocean-related innovation, exploration, research, education and conservation.

The internship program is designed to give qualified undergraduate and graduate students experience in a research environment. The areas of study may include, but are not limited to: aquaculture and stock enhancement, biomedical and biotechnology, marine ecosystem health, ocean dynamics and modeling, ocean engineering and technology, outreach and informal education.

Each year the application deadline March 1. Awards are announced by April 1.

HBOI ( https://www.fau.edu/hboi/ ) is internationally known for its research in marine science, biomedical marine research, aquaculture and ocean engineering.

HBOI is located between Vero Beach and Fort Pierce, Florida, on the western bank of Indian River Lagoon, the estuary with the highest biodiversity in the United States. The nearby habitats include seagrass beds, mangrove forests, salt marshes, mud and sand flats, beaches, rock ledges and nearshore reefs.

Undergraduate Interns: Open to students currently enrolled in a full-time program who at the start of the internship will have completed at least the equivalent of two years of college and are currently seeking a four-year degree.

Graduate Interns: Open to currently enrolled graduate students or to graduating seniors who have been accepted and are pre-registered for a graduate program.

All applicants must be in good academic standing as evidenced by submission of a current official transcript. Official transcript must be mailed in a sealed envelope to:

Harbor Branch at Florida Atlantic University
5600 US 1 North
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
Attn: Summer Intern Program

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and have or obtain a social security number.

Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must have a current visa with authorization to receive compensation. The University can provide assistance with the visa application and process however students are responsible for all visa fees and associated costs.

Upon acceptance, additional information will be communicated regarding the hiring process. This includes but is not limited to: successful completion of a criminal background check (required for all new hires), online temporary employee application, “onboarding process” in Workday, Florida Atlantic University’s Human Capital Management (HCM) System, and providing supporting unexpired I-9 documentation.

Interns will be assigned to an HBOI-FAU staff member as a mentor in an appropriate area of interest. See https://www.fau.edu/hboi/education-and-outreach/summer-internship-program/ for a list of potential mentors. A project of mutual interest to the intern and mentor will be established and a plan of action developed. Interns are not required to take any prescribed courses, nor are they required to provide any services to the Institution in return for their internship. The Harbor Branch Education program provides interns with orientation and presentation workshops.

At the completion of the program, each intern is expected to submit a comprehensive written report on his or her project and give an oral presentation. Copies of the written report are also provided to the intern’s mentor and the Summer Intern program director. Each intern communicates the results of the project to the HBOI community in a 15- minute oral presentation as part of the annual summer intern symposium during the last week of the program.

Salary is $7,000 for the 10-week program and is based on full time participation. Salary is subject to applicable taxes which may include but are not limited to Federal Income Tax, FICA Alternative and Medicare. For details on FICA Alternative, see the following link: http://www.fau.edu/hr/Benefits/FICA_Alternative.php.

Interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation arrangements and costs. Furnished housing, with cooking and laundry facilities, is available on campus, on a first-come, first-served basis. Current housing costs and other details are provided to interns accepted into the program. Housing fee may be paid by credit card and is due in full prior to move-in.

The Harbor Branch Library and Information Center is an open-stack research library with collections and services developed and maintained for the support of Harbor Branch researchers, students and visiting investigators. The library is located in the Link Building and open to Harbor Branch summer interns. Collaboration study rooms for sharing research and practicing presentation skills are available in the library.

The library collection includes more than 17,000 volumes and online access to more than 500 current periodical subscriptions through Florida Atlantic University’s Library web page at https://library.fau.edu/hboi. Approximately 20 journals can be found in print form in the HBOI Library with emphasis on the biological, environmental, medical and oceanographic sciences. The library provides photocopy and scanning equipment, computer workstations for the FAU and HBOI networks with full Internet access, an online catalog, and access to a variety of electronic publications.

To be considered a complete application for review by the intern selection committee, the following materials must be submitted for this program:

1. Completed application form https://www.fau.edu/hboi/education-and-outreach/summer-internship-program/
2. Brief (single spaced, no more than one-page) essay outlining experience and career/research interests
3. Resume
4. Three (3) letters of reference submitted by Faculty members who are familiar with you. Faculty may send their reference directly to HBOIintern@fau.edu
5. Official copy of college transcript, sealed envelope mailed to HBOI address below
6. Graduating seniors must submit proof (copy of registration and letter of acceptance to graduate school) of continuing education

Official transcripts must be mailed to HBOI:

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University
5600 US 1 North
Fort Pierce, FL 34946

All other application materials must be sent in one email* with each item an individual attachment. *If attachments exceed the size for one email as allowed by your service provider, an additional email is permitted. Email to: HBOIintern@fau.edu.