Boots on the Ground: Internships in Panama, 2015
Geology and Paleontology of the Panama Canal
PCP PIRE FIELD INTERNSHIP: SEPTEMBER 2015 – JULY 2016
Deadline to apply: 5PM EDT on July 10, 2015
Two NSF-funded internships are available for the Panama Canal Project (PCP)-PIRE (NSF-funded Partnership for International Research and Education) for United States citizens or permanent residents, undergraduate, post-bac, or graduate students to assist with collecting fossils and other fieldwork in the exposures along the Panama Canal (Panama).
Interns will live in Panama for 11 months (September 2015 – July 31, 2016) conducting fieldwork under the supervision of PIRE PIs and Postdoctoral Fellows at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama City. Experience in Geological/Paleontological fieldwork and some level of bi-lingual (English/Spanish) competency is preferred.
This internship provides an excellent opportunity for students who might be considering taking a year off between their studies to gain valuable research and international experiences.
PCP-PIRE is a U.S.-Panamanian partnership to document the ancient marine and terrestrial biodiversity and global climate change of the New World Tropics (NWT) preserved in the 25-million-year fossiliferous sequence in Panama, and promote international education, collaboration, and exchange. Research foci include the magnitude and timing of diversity change in the NWT; the biogeographic origins, relationships, and dispersal history of the Central American fauna and flora; antiquity of the rainforest; effects of global climate change on tropical biodiversity through time; and other fundamental questions related to the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama and its past on biodiversity.
PCP-PIRE is committed to diversity in education and encourages the application of women and underrepresented minorities.
PCP-PIRE internships include:
- $1,250 monthly stipend.
- Relocation to/from Panama.
- Travel to Panamanian field sites from STRI.
*Note: Interns must secure their own housing and daily transportation to STRI.
Instructions for Application:
- New applicants: Answer the following questions and submit via email in PDF format.
Previous PCP PIRE interns: In lieu of questions 10 – 14, describe your past accomplishments as an intern, how the experience has impacted you, and why you would like to return to the (longer duration) PCP PIRE internship (1 page MAX).
- Submit via email a CV (max 2 pages).
- The one required letter of recommendation should also be submitted via email in PDF format, and must come directly from the person who is recommending you.
- All documents should be sent to Cristina Robins: crobins@flmnh.ufl.edu.
Application Questions:
Tip: copy and paste these questions into a Word document. When you are done with your answers, save as PDF.
- Name
- Contact email and phone number
- Are you a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident?
- Do you have a valid U.S. passport? Please include passport issue and expiration dates.
- List degrees earned and current degree status, including school names, majors, and minors.
- GPA for each degree received?
- Spanish competency level Conversation:
- None
- Beginning
- Intermediate
- Advanced (fluent)
- Spanish competency level Reading and Writing:
- None
- Beginning
- Intermediate
- Advanced (fluent)
- How many semesters/classes of Spanish have you completed?
- Describe previous field experience (up to 2 paragraphs).
- Describe what you would like to learn or gain from a PCP-PIRE internship in the context of your career goals (up to 2 paragraphs).
- Which scientific goal(s) of PCP-PIRE, as described on the website, is/are the most appealing to you and why (up to 1 paragraph)?
- Which of the education and outreach goal(s) of PCP-PIRE, as described on the website, is/are the most appealing to you and why (up to 1 paragraph)?
- Briefly describe any experience working in international settings or with international students or colleagues (up to 1 paragraph).
- Do you have health insurance that would be active and will cover you abroad during your time in Panama?
- Do you have any dietary restrictions or special accommodations that we should know about during the internship?
- One recommendation letter from a current or former faculty member or supervisor (PDF format, sent directly to Cristina Robins).
- Please list contact information (e-mail and phone) for 2 additional references.
- I have read all Frequently Asked Questions ______ (initials)