Are you an undergraduate at the University of Florida looking to enhance your connection to Florida’s environment?
The University of Florida (UF) Thompson Earth Systems Institute (TESI) is hosting an Environmental Leaders Fellowship where students can gain hands-on experience in research, education, and civic engagement, all while fostering a sense-of-place in our own backyard.
Funded with support from the National Academies, TESI will select up to ten fellows to participate in this internship program for the Spring 2026 semester.
Benefits of the Program
Selected Fellows will leave the program with the following:
- Stipend of $1,200 awarded upon completion of the internship
- Enhanced understanding of the ecology, uniqueness, and importance of Florida’s environment
- Hands-on experience in research and science communication
- Network of peers and colleagues interested in the environment
- Opportunity for class credit if desired
Program components
- Cohort meetings: Fellows will meet and connect with peers to exchange ideas and work on professional skills.
- Seminars: Fellows will have opportunities to engage and connect with professionals, researchers, and other stakeholders connected to Florida’s environment.
- Field days: Through guided tours and hands-on experiences, Fellows will learn about and connect with the local environment in Florida.
- Communication: Fellows will take part in environmental engagement activities and develop communication resources for the UF community about museum science, ornithology, and the local environment.
Program expectations
The spring 2026 Environmental Leaders Fellowship begins on January 9, 2026 and ends on April 16, 2026. Fellows will contribute approximately 80-100 hours of time to the program over the course of the semester. Students will be able to complete the required hours around their class schedule. Interns are required to participate in all program components which include:
- Program orientation: January 9, 2026
- Bird banding experience: January 10, 2026
- Spring break field experiences: March 16 – 18, 2026
- Monthly cohort meeting: Fridays, 9 am – 10 am
- Monthly seminar: Fridays, 9 am – 10 am
- Independent project time and further experiences
- Final presentations and celebration: April 16, 2026, evening
Fellows will write a final reflection of the internship in the form of a blog post related to the UF Bird Observatory and deliver a final presentation to the TESI team and their cohort peers.They will also complete a program evaluation about their experience.
Minimum qualifications
- Strong writing skills, with attention to appropriate spelling, grammar, and mechanics
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Background or strong interest in science, or science communication
- Sense of curiosity about Florida’s environment
Program eligibility
Sophomore, junior, and senior University of Florida undergraduate students from any major (science, pre-law, communications, political science, etc.) with an interest in learning and communicating about Florida’s environment.
Selected interns must be in good academic standing in accordance with the University’s policies and must be enrolled full-time at UF. Interns must also comply with all University regulations, rules, and codes of conduct governing students on campus.
Program partnership
The spring 2026 Environmental Leaders Fellowship will be partnering with Dr. Glaucia Del-Rio, Assistant Curator of Ornithology at the Florida Museum. This cohort will have a focus on outreach and engagement through the lens of ornithology and connecting with birds in the community. Opportunities will include (but are not limited to) bird banding training with the UF Bird Observatory and seminars on avian research and conservation.
In addition to this ornithological theme, the fellowship will provide opportunities to engage with environmental topics such as water resources or environmental conservation; fellows will have opportunities to share their interests, so that the opportunity can be enriching in many areas of environmental education.
Deadline:
Applications will be considered as they are received, however the final deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2025.
To apply:
Please apply online by visiting the following link: Spring 2026 ELF Application
*If you would like to first preview all questions, visit the following link to view a PDF version of the application: Spring 2026 ELF Application Preview
If you have any questions about this fellowship, contact Dr. Megan Ennes at mennes@floridamuseum.ufl.edu.