Academic Year Internships
What Do We Do?
The goal for our academic year interns is for them to learn about climate-related activities and efforts led by Indigenous communities nationwide through ITEP’s existing programmatic activities. They work closely with our Tribes and Climate Change Program staff and tasks vary but are focused on the best ways for them to learn about the types of work and efforts Tribes are taking to address climate impacts in their respective communities. In addition to their regular schoolwork, our interns put in approximately 12 hours per week throughout the year.
Academic Year 2024-2025 Internship Positions
Apply for the Tribes and Climate Change Program Academic Year Indigenous Climate Change Internship.
This internship is for a Flagstaff-based college student who is interested in working on curriculum adaptation and optimization with Indigenous ways of life and Traditional Ecological Knowledge with our Coconino County partners. This curriculum development is essential to creating programming for our young people that is thoughtful, engaging, and meets the needs of the changing climate.
The intern's curriculum will expose students to the importance of sustainability and climate resiliency. With a focus on traditional ecological knowledge, students will experience unique perspectives that can be applied to their current and future STEM education and potential future careers focused on climate resiliency and sustainability.
Additionally, the intern will also support various ITEP sustainability and climate-focused initiatives including the bi-annual National Tribal and Indigenous Climate Conference and the Status of Tribes and Climate Change annual report. Other ICCP projects may be assigned based on program needs and intern interests.
This intern must be independently motivated and able to work both remotely and in-person at the ITEP offices and be comfortable with classroom and individual presentations. There will be some weekend hours required.
Students may apply through Handshake (for NAU applicants) or by emailing a cover letter and resume to Kim.Shaw@nau.edu with the subject line reading: 24.25 AY Internship Application.
Apply for the USGS 24.25 AY Drought in the Colorado River Basin Internship.
This internship is remote (with potential for travel), and all college students, regardless of college location, are eligible to apply. Indigenous Students are preferred.
Project Description:
The past two decades have seen persistent and severe drought in the Colorado River Basin. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Actionable and Strategic and Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) team is working to improve access and delivery of integrated science related to drought in the Colorado River Basin (CRB). Over >3 years, our team has engaged in outreach with partners, stakeholders, and subject matter experts, both internal (USGS-wide) and external, to identify science needs, understand barriers, and develop co-designed project concepts ready for coproduction. Results of these engagement activities are contained in data with multiple digital formats, including spreadsheets, digital recordings, transcriptions, notes, and chats. The ASIST team seeks to develop ways to better summarize and analyze these results through what we call the ASIST CRB Knowledge Network. Through this project, we will learn how well network graph technology can be used to collect responses and feedback received during engagement activities, to link engagement activity participants to existing science capabilities and future science needs, and to serve as an analytical tool to identify science coproduction clusters. Additionally, we are interested in further understanding the funding needs of Tribal nations by studying Federal funding and support information contained within databases including the Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience (TCR) database and the Access to Capital Clearinghouse (ATC). We seek an ITEP intern for the fall 2024 who will support this effort by working directly with our research team on specific tasks listed below. The intern will gain experience with drought-related issues in the CRB and learn with us about the science needs of stakeholders and Tribal nations.
Objectives:
Identify and catalog different source data locations, formats, and contents from ASIST outreach with partners, stakeholders, and subject matter experts.
Summarize data from the TCR Awards Dashboard and the ATC database (including funding category, topical scientific areas, and recipients).
If unfamiliar with network graph software, take training modules to understand software capabilities and required input data.
Interview core team members to develop a case study example or project to convert a subset of these data into a network graph case study.
Based on ASIST-CRB Team input and project requirements, identify software to be used and create network view node and attributes of knowledge graph.
Format source data to be used with the knowledge graph.
Draft report on knowledge graph case study and the TCR/ATC database summaries, and present findings to the USGS Rocky Mountain Region/Southwest Region Tribal Engagement working group.
Students may apply through Handshake (for applicants on Handshake) or by emailing a cover letter and resume to Kim.Shaw@nau.edu with the subject line reading: 24.25 AY USGS Internship Application.
2023/2024 Interns
Our interns are providing research and technical support for the Relocation, Managed Retreat, and Protect-in-Place Cohort and the development of the 2023 Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report (STACC), as well as working with Willow Bend Environmental Education Center on their climate change curriculum.
Brooke Damon
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
Flagstaff, Arizona
Yá’át’ééh, shí éí Brooke Damon yinishyé. Ta’neeszahnii nishłį, Tsin sikaadnii báshishchíín, Tábaahá dashícheii, dóó ‘Ashįįhíí dashínálí. Hello, my name is Brooke Damon. I am of the Tangle People clan, born for the Clamp Tree clan, my maternal grandfather is of the Water Edge’s clan and paternal grandfather is of the Salt People clan. I am currently a third year student at Northern Arizona University majoring in Environmental Sciences with an emphasis in Biology and minoring in Chemistry. At home I care for two crazy dogs that keep me going, Nathan and Jolene. My support system consists of my mother, my two brothers, nephew, and my boyfriend. I am currently interning with the Tribes and Climate Change Program, with the hopes to gain experience and knowledge that will help me serve my community.
Tynya Kee
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals
Flagstaff, Arizona
Yá’át’ééh shí éí Tynya Taylor Kee yinishyé. Tódík’ǫ́zhí nishłį, ́ Tł’ízí Łání bashishchiin, Naakai dashicheii, dóó Ma’ii Deeshgiizhinii dashinalí. Ákót’éego diné asdzáán nishłį.́ Old Cedar déé’ naashá. Shimá dóó shizhé’é éí Tanya Begaye dóó Tyrone Kee wolyé.
My name is Tynya Kee. I am of the Salt Water clan, born for the Many Goats clan, my maternal grandfather's clan is the Mexican clan, and my paternal grandfather's clan is the Coyote Pass clan. In this way, I am a Navajo woman. I am from Old Cedar in Pinon, AZ. I am currently a second year student at Northern Arizona University majoring in Forestry and minoring in Business Administration. I am very excited in gaining knowledge and experience through this internship with the Tribes and Climate Change Program that I will utilize to help my community in the future.
