[Coral-List] Mosaics in Science coral restoration summer internship in Biscayne National Park

Bourque, Amanda amanda_bourque at nps.gov
Thu Jan 4 09:59:59 EST 2018


The Mosaics in Science Diversity Internship Program provides college
students and recent graduates 18-35 years old that are under-represented in
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) career fields with
on-the-ground, natural resource science-based, work experience in the
National Park System.  One Direct Hire Authority Resource Assistant
(DHA-RA) internship will be based at Biscayne National Park during
July-September 2018. The intern will support a project entitled “Restoring
protected coral species in Biscayne National Park”.

Project Introduction:

An extensive and thriving coral reef ecosystem was a key factor in the
creation of Biscayne National Park. Nearly fifty years later, reef health
in the park mirrors regional and global patterns of demise. Coral reefs are
in severe global decline due to multiple factors including thermal stress,
disease, and ocean acidification linked to climate change, overfishing,
coastal development, and more.  Coral populations in the park have been hit
particularly hard in the past few years by disease and bleaching, and were
further impacted by Hurricane Irma in 2017.

An ongoing project to implement active coral population enhancement
measures aims to build resilience in and promote the survival and recovery
of protected coral species in the park. Project objectives include
increasing the abundance, density, and genotypic diversity of target
species, thereby restoring reef community composition and ecosystem
function. Enhancement will encompass multiple methods, including but not
limited to:

• Reattaching wild coral colonies and fragments found detached from the
reef substrate
• Propagating and outplanting coral tissue derived from wild and/or
nursery-reared corals
• Collection of coral gametes during annual spawning events, followed by
larval propagation, settlement, and outplanting

The Internship:

The internship will involve field, laboratory, and office duties in support
of the coral restoration project. Fieldwork will involve assisting with
field collection of coral fragments, in-situ coral nursery work, field
collection of coral gametes during the annual spawning event in August
2018, and outplanting of wild- and nursery-reared corals. Laboratory work
will include all aspects of rearing coral larvae from fertilization through
settlement, and sectioning coral fragments for nursery propagation. Office
duties will include entering, processing, and analyzing project data, and
preparing written and graphical content for a variety of technical,
management, and public audiences. The intern will shadow the PI in the the
Coral Restoration Consortium, a community of practice that comprises
scientists, managers, coral restoration practitioners, and educators
dedicated to enabling coral reef ecosystems to adapt and survive the 21st
century and beyond. Finally, the intern will be expected to orally present
project results to a local (south Florida) audience of NPS staff, members
of the coral restoration community, and other interested parties. The
intern will also be required to assist with other projects in the Division
of Resource Management. In addition, all park staff and interns participate
in general park operations on an as-needed basis.

DHA-RA interns who successfully complete the internship requirements become
eligible to be non-competitively hired by DOI agencies for two years from
the date of their degree. Note that successful completion of the
internship does
not guarantee that the participant will be hired in to a federal position,
nor that federal positions will be available at the host park.
How to Apply:

Learn more, see other Mosaics in Science internships available around the
country, and apply through the following link:

http://www.mosaicsinscience.org/internships/

Applications are due 4 Feb 2018.
*Amanda Bourque, Ph.D.*
*Ecologist, Habitat Restoration Program*
*Biscayne National Park*
*9700 SW 328 Street*
*Homestead FL 33033*
*786-335-3626 office*
*305-230-1190 fax*


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