Master of Professional Science
The Internship
Purpose
The purpose of the internship is to provide students with the opportunity to employ the skills and theoretical knowledge they attain while in residence at RSMAS in a real world setting. Although most of the MPS coursework involves practical training, the internship is the culmination of that training and the forum within which students are able to fully apply their knowledge in a meaningful way. Our students engage in internships with national or international agencies, private corporations, NGOs, and foreign governments, with clearly defined marine and/or atmospheric-oriented programs or activities.
Due to the extensive amount of knowledge and diverse skill-base imparted to our students during their time in residence, MPS Candidates are a valuable resource to hosting organizations. Thus, the relationship between our students and these organizations is mutually beneficial and often instrumental in the management and conservation efforts of the involved agencies. In addition, these positions allow students to further develop the skills they possess, as well as acquire new skills, in conjunction with the refined ability to impart information and implement tasks in their field of interest.
Academic Credit Requirements
The internship may be completed for academic credit provided the student is engaged in a variety of high-level tasks and contributes to the hosting organization in a meaningful, professional way. Thus, in order to achieve credit for an internship, students must be involved in activities such as task analysis, program planning, program implementation, the development of management plans, attendance at meetings or training sessions, evaluating operations, data management and analysis, quantitative analyses, and providing recommendations for future efforts and plans. Students are expected to work independently, or with minimal supervision, during a substantial portion of the internship.
The student intern will document their efforts at the hosting organization with an internship proposal and final report, which are mandatory for acquiring academic credit and the completion of the degree program. The internship proposal will involve a thorough review and synthesis of relevant primary literature, as well as technical reports from government agencies or scientific research groups, working papers from research groups or committees, white papers, and/or preprints. The proposal will also include a clear statement of purpose, a description of proposed methodologies, and a task schedule. The final report is not a summary of involvement but rather a contributory assessment of the experience, including developmental insight and a summary of any research or analyses performed.
Structure of the Internship
Time Commitment
Internships typically involve a 3-month commitment to the hosting organization. These organizations should interview internship candidates approximately one month prior to the proposed start date. Students are expected to contribute a minimum of 20-hours a week, but full-time involvement is strongly encouraged. Specific schedules are determined by mutual agreement between the student and the internship supervisor.
Compensation
A salary, or stipend, for the intern is not mandatory but strongly encouraged. Considering the time commitment involved in a typical MPS internship, unpaid positions create a financial hardship for our students. If paid, interns should receive a stipend equal to, or above, standard student wages. Interns are not expected to receive benefits.
Expectations
Prior to starting the internship, students are expected to meet with their internship supervisors to outline the expectations of the hosting organization. This should include information about specific tasks to be performed, expected entry level skills, normal scheduled hours, the supervisor’s name and position, and the location of the internship. These expectations may be revised to meet the skills and professional goals of the students, as well as the needs of the hosting organization, but specific tasks must be agreed upon before an intern is placed.
The internship is intended to provide for the practical application of skills and also facilitate an opportunity for students to come as close as possible to mid- to entry-level experiences for positions similar to those held by supervisors. The internship should involve a wide variety of tasks, problems, opportunities, observations, and challenges. It should never be a clerical or quotidian experience.
Guidance
Committee
All M.P.S. students will receive guidance and support during their time in residence from a graduate committee of at least 3 members. This committee includes an academic advisor, a faculty mentor, and at least one “outside” member. Students will be assigned an academic advisor during their first semester in residence. The advisor must hold an appointment in the division representing each student’s degree program. This individual will offer guidance regarding University expectations, coursework, registration, program details, and graduation requirements. At the beginning of the first semester, the student and the academic advisor will establish the curriculum to be followed, based on the student’s personal and professional goals and the M.P.S. degree program/track requirements. Each student will also identify and request the involvement of a faculty mentor, who will act as a resource to the student regarding career guidance, the selection of an appropriate internship, and the development and synthesis of an internship project. The faculty mentor should be someone whose research and work interests the student, and their role as a mentor should be confirmed no later than the end of the first semester. Though RSMAS faculty members are preferred to take on the role as mentors, individuals from approved agencies, institutions, or businesses may also fulfill this role.
The graduate committee is responsible for guiding students, both academically and professionally, as well as assisting with the development and coordination of an internship project, proposal, and the final report.
Internship Coordinator
Students will also have access to an Internship Coordinator at RSMAS. This individual will assist students with the identification of potential hosting organizations, based on each student’s professional goals, skill-set, and knowledge. The Internship Coordinator will also assist students in the acquisition of these positions, including the development of CVs and interview skills, coordinating meetings with RSMAS faculty and representatives from hosting organizations, and maintaining communication with students and internship supervisors.
Internship Supervisor
The hosting institution is expected to provide a supervisor for the intern. Supervisors normally hold an advanced degree and/or have several years of professional experience in their field. The Internship Supervisor is expected to determine the role of the intern and the specific tasks to be accomplished. In addition, the supervisor should plan to assist students in the development and implementation of their projects, as well as evaluate their proposals and final reports. The completion of a student evaluation by the Internship Supervisor at the end of the internship is also expected.
Our Students
So, where have some of our students gone to complete their internships? What did their projects entail? Read on to find out more about our exceptional students and the impacts they’ve had in their fields of interest…
George Burke — Class of 2011
Track: Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management
Hosting Organization: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Environmental Department
Internship Project: “I am responsible for updating and
determining port and country specific environmental regulations
regarding garbage, waste-water, sewage, recycling, ballast
water, and ship maintenance for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Ltd. for South America, Asia, Eastern North America and the
Australia/New Zealand regions. When I have ascertained
each port’s specific regulations, I enter this information into
a database, as well as process them into a quick and readable
format for the ship’s masters to utilize for itinerary planning
in the Environmental Operations Matrix (a spreadsheet that
allows the ship master to quickly assess information about the
specific regulations of each port). My work promotes the
environmental conservation efforts of the company by ensuring
that ships know where, when, and how they should offload their
waste in an effort to minimize Royal Caribbean’s
environmental impacts.”
Corinne Butzen — Class of 2011
Track: Marine Mammal Science
Hosting Organization: Miami Seaquarium
Internship Project:
Renee Carlton — Class of 2011
Track: Tropical Marine Ecosystem Mangement
Hosting Organization: Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Science, Corals and Climate Change Laboratory
Internship Project:
Karina Castillo — Class of 2011
Track: Weather, Climate and Society
Hosting Organization: Miami-Dade Department of Emergency
Management
Internship Project: “I am designing and creating a hazard
database for the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency
Management dating back to 1900. The database will assess the
hazards identified in the Local Mitigation Strategy document
and will list all related impacts and how they affected
properties or people in the county.”
Aimee Deveau — Class of 2011
Track: Marine Mammal Science
Hosting Organization: Mote Marine Lab and NOAA/NMFS —
Marine Mammal Team
Internship Project: “I respond to marine mammal and sea
turtle strandings as part of my internship with Mote Marine
Lab. If animals are deceased and intact, we either
necropsy them on-site or bring them back to the lab for a more
complete necropsy. If they’re still alive, we bring them
in for rehabilitation at Mote. Additionally, I am
evaluating and writing up a 1995 mass-stranding summary of
Clymene dolphins.”
Michael Komarnicki — Class of 2011
Track: Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management
Hosting Organization: Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative
Internship Project: I am working for the FDEP on SEFCRI
(Southeastern Florida Coral Reef Initiative) to develop a GIS
analysis of reef health, determined from local dive club
surveys, and to also delineate local monitoring groups’
coverage areas. This GIS map will extend from the area
north of Biscayne National Park to south of the Port St. Lucie
Inlet and would help to determine optimal areas for reef
conservation initiatives in the future. Another aspect of
this project involves the assessment of data collection
procedures conducted by local dive clubs and the creation and
recommendation of optimal protocol for future data collection
efforts.”
Katie Lohr — Class of 2011
Track: Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management
Hosting Organization: NOAA, Southeast Fisheries Science
Center/National Underwater Research Center
Internship Project: “The project I’m conducting for my
internship focuses on determining disease prevalence in
staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) populations
in the Florida Keys and the effectiveness of a variety of
mitigation strategies used to arrest disease progression in
affected colonies. The majority of the colonies we study are
nursery-reared outplants, but we also assess wild colonies.
We hope to determine whether disease impacts outplanted
colonies differently than wild colonies and whether disease
mitigation efforts are worthwhile. This could have important
ramifications for future coral reef restoration and management
protocols.”
Ravi Maharaj — Class of 2011
Track: Fisheries Science
Hosting Organization: Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Science
Internship Project:
Justin Martens — Class of 2011
Track: Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management
Hosting Organization: Biscayne National Park
Internship Project:
Robert Naeny — Class of 2012
Track: Aquaculture Management
Hosting Organization:
Internship Project:
Amelia Nahmias — Class of 2011
Track: Broadcast Meteorology
Hosting Organization: CBS 4 News Station
Internship Project: “I’m at CBS4 in Doral doing graphics
and assisting the chief meteorologist with his day to day
duties. I’m learning some of the key aspects to
forecasting the weather in South Florida by participating in
the afternoon map discussions and then creating my own 5-day
forecast. I also have several internal projects including
the creation of a deterministic and trend spread sheet for
tropical wind force probabilities, a web based page with
standardized records, and weather events for extreme
events. I have access to a number of resources and tools
like WSI, Barons, Realtime Doppler, WeatherBug, and many more.
I’m learning to be proficient in the development of daily
operational graphics that support the weather and the
associated forecast story of the day.”
Heather Nictori — Class of 2011
Track: Marine Mammal Science
Hosting Organization: NOAA, Office of Marine Law
Enforcement/Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Office of
Marine Law Enforcement
Internship Project: “I’m working at the NOAA Office
of Marine Law Enforcement, and my project consists of an
analysis of marine mammal violations and how and why they are
able or not able to be enforced. I’m planning to put
together a report summarizing this information and providing
recommendations on how this can be improved, within the mandate
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.”
Bruce Pohlot — Class of 2011
Track: Fisheries Science
Hosting Organization: NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), Southeast Fisheries Science Center
Internship Project: “I am working with NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC
examining the impacts of biological, operational, and
environmental factors on the condition of pelagic fish captured
on longline gear in the NW Atlantic Ocean. Specifically,
I’m looking at how the use of circle hooks may affect the
ultimate quality or market grade of targeted species (swordfish
and bigeye tuna) in the marketplace. I am working on the
development of a database of the factors affecting fish
condition and will link it with a database of individual fish
grades from commercial catches. This will enable me to
determine what factors (e.g. hook type, bait type) have the
greatest effect on the quality grade of the fish and thus, the
potential revenue of the fishermen.”
Veronica Scorcia — Class of 2011
Track: Marine Mammal Science
Hosting Organization: NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) — Marine Mammal Team
Internship Project: “I am working under Dr. Ruth Ewing
conducting descriptive epidemiology of parasites in mass
stranded Rough-toothed dolphins, Steno bredanensis, from
2001-2005 in the Southeastern United States. I am working with
the protected resources and biodiversity division at NOAA, and
in addition to my project, I also help out with necropsies and
participate in live captures.”
Aki Shiroza — Class of 2012
Track: Fisheries Science
Hosting Organization: NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), Southeast Fisheries Science Center — Early Life
History Lab
Internship Project: “I am working with the members of the
Early Life History Lab of NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC monitoring snappers,
groupers, and tunas, which are important fisheries species
in the US and British Virgin Islands. We collect
zooplankton samples annually during the spawning period of
snappers and groupers to measure larval densities, and we work
with local fishing communities to assign MPAs
for sustainable fisheries in the Caribbean. My
project also utilizes samples for species of basses that are
not directly involved in fisheries but may serve as
biological indicators of abundance of large predatory
fishes, such as groupers.”
Travis Thyberg — Class of 2012
Track: Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management
Hosting Organization: RSMAS, Benthic Ecology Lab
Internship Project: The University of Miami Benthic Ecology
Research Lab has been monitoring and mapping submerged aquatic
vegetation (SAV) for the central and southern portions of
Biscayne Bay as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration
Plan (CERP) since 2003. My project will incorporate and test
aspects of these components, such as REstoration COordination
and VERification (RECOVER) and the Monitoring and Assessment
Plan (MAP), which coincide with permanent offshore salinity
stations operated by Biscayne National Park. These sites are
typically unaffected by major fluctuations in salinity from
terrestrial freshwater sources but display seagrass community
structure dynamics inconsistent with current salinity patterns
(i.e. dominated by species that are not typical based on salinity
regimes). Water fowl perching on surface buoys at these salinity
stations may artificially affect seagrass community dynamics
by increasing nutrient deposition. Therefore, determining if
the presence of seagrass species are artifacts of nutrient
deposition rather than salinity regimes would greatly improve
SAV data resolution for BNP and accurately describe seagrass
community structure.”
Carlos Tudela — Class of 2012
Track: Aquaculture Management
Hosting Organization:
Internship Project:
Lan Zhang — Class of 2011
Track: Oceans and Human Health
Hosting Organization: Miami-Dade Department of Health
Internship Project: “In my project, we are tracing
ciguatera fish poisoning cases to the earliest communication
from patients, and we are analyzing demographic information,
temporal and spatial aspects of the symptoms, and fish
consumption patterns among patients of ciguatera in Miami-Dade
County. The “Merlin” database, used at the Miami-Dade
Health Department, and a standardized ciguatera poisoning
questionnaire will be used to analyze and improve ciguatera
surveillance. In addition, this project will serve as a
pilot study and a comprehensive analysis of ciguatera poisoning
in Miami-Dade County.”
