[Coral-List] 'Internships'

[Alicia Strous]

Hi all,

Some very valid points have been raised already. Reef and science
'internships' are often marketed like ecotourism packages, where
participants (sometimes) pay to cover accommodation and food costs, or pay
their own way but are expected to donate to the the organisation a large
fee of several thousand. These can take away jobs from locals, conduct very
poor studies, and some even make a profit. While not all such organisations
will be this bad, there are undoubtedly many groups taking advantage of
tourists and young scientists hoping to make a difference or gain
experience somewhere fun.

As a graduate that would not be able to afford this type of experience, in
an area of Aus with few marine science jobs around, it is likely I will
have to move to get a job or even related experience. I feel like these
internships are generally have a negative impact on the quality of science,
and the local area and people.

One question I leave you with: if all internships are in tropical places,
and this becomes the normal way to conduct cheap research, then how are
temperate and polar oceans going to be studied?

Ali

On 18 Mar 2017 5:27 AM, "Dennis Hubbard" <dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu> wrote:

> Hi all:
>
> I've been seeing a lot of posts on this topic and was wondering where the
> discussion might be headed; sorry if I missed that entry. Do we have the
> power to determine a legal definition for an internship or to influence
> what those offering them can call such instruments.
>
> Dennis
>
> On Fri, Mar 17, 2017 at 1:36 PM, Lili Jones <Acropora at protonmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Nicole Crane said, "Ok everyone, please provide YOUR exact definition of
> > an internship."
> >
> > We could start with the definition Wikipedia gives for "Internship"
> >
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internship
> >
> > or the online dictionary definition,
> >
> > http://www.dictionary.com/browse/internship?s=t
> >
> > I know some of us don't like Wikipedia, but if you take a look at the
> > references, that's a pretty good place to follow up the reading of the
> > article.
> >
> > What might be interesting is if some of you academicians for marine
> > laboratories got together at one of the big science conferences and
> > declared a formal definition to be adopted by all marine laboratories.
> The
> > Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean and other similar
> > organizations could be in on the meeting, too. In addition to
> "Internship,"
> > other similar (but misleading, at times) suggestions for nomenclature
> might
> > be adopted. Maybe there would be subgroupings of internships so as to
> make
> > the designation clearer for the proposed activity.
> >
> > Or maybe coral-list is where we decide this?
> >
> > Lili
> > ...................................................................
> >
> > Subject:Re: [Coral-List] 'Internships'
> > From:Nicole Crane <nicrane at cabrillo.edu>
> > Date:3/17/17, 11:59 AM
> >
> > To:Will Nuckols <wnuckols at erols.com>
> > CC: "steven.carrion" <steven.carrion at knights.ucf.edu>, "
> > s1681966 at sms.ed.ac.uk" <s1681966 at sms.ed.ac.uk>, Coral -List <
> > coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >
> > Ok everyone, please provide YOUR exact definition of an internship.  I
> > have yet to find one that meets these criteria (below).  Mentored, unpaid
> > or minimally paid work in marine stations or with organizations serving
> > marine causes around here (Monterey and Santa Cruz California) are
> > advertised as internships often.  Those are usually unpaid but do not
> > require students to pay.  But WAIT.  Those students still need to pay for
> > their gas, food, their own rent and any other expenses.  Why is that
> > different than offering the exact same type of experience but in a remote
> > location where they ALSO have to pay those costs, but they happen to be
> > more expensive.  If we take the actual work they do, the description of
> the
> > actual internship out of those costs, I am still not sure how they
> differ..
> > Will, you offer some fancy distinctions below between different kinds of
> > activities.  Honestly, if a student came to me looking for resume and
> skill
> > building opportunities, I would not know how to wade through them.  This:
> > "If a student undertakes an opportunity and supports themselves while
> > giving to a worthy cause, that is an act of charity, not an internship”.
> > Really?  always? What if they support themselves through an unpaid job
> > experience that is also a worthy cause, also builds a resume, also
> provides
> > valuable skills, and hey, how about one that also provides units? (Our
> > school specifically has internships, some of which are PAID and through a
> > special agreement with employers also provide units towards their
> degree)..
> > How do we define those?
> >
> > I suggest we not try and define these by things like “an act of charity’
> > implying in a way that students who do these might be among the wealthy
> who
> > just want to participate in charity programs to make themselves and
> perhaps
> > their family feel good.  That feels so insulting.  I have many students
> who
> > participate in exactly these kinds of activities who are UNDERserved but
> > benefit immensely from the skills, and the exposure to potential jobs
> they
> > may not ever have been exposed to.
> >
> > These opportunities, ALL of them, are about opening up doors for young
> > people.  Please let’s do whatever we can to open as many of those doors
> as
> > possible?
> > Nicole
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coral-List mailing list
> > Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> > http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
>
>
>
> --
> Dennis Hubbard
> Chair, Dept of Geology-Oberlin College Oberlin OH 44074
> (440) 775-8346
>
> * "When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the wrong stop"*
>  Benjamin Stein: "*Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the Dream*"
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