internship

The Danforth Plant Science Center’s REU summer Internship program is held ten weeks each summer and exposes students to a rich research environment. The program gives students experience with all aspects of modern scientific research, from design to experimentation to reporting. Faculty mentors and staff provide insight into the personal qualities that make a good researcher, the process and training involved in becoming a scientist, and the broader impact of scientific discovery. The program is made possible through generous support from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The Endangered Wolf Center (EWC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving endangered wolves and other canid species from extinction by educating people about their importance in the ecosystem and supporting their reintroduction into their native habitat through a combination of managed breeding and research. It is located in southwest St. Louis County at Washington University’s Tyson Research Center.

Animal Keeper Internships provide hands-on experience working directly with the animal care staff. Responsibilities include diet preparation, monitoring the behavior and health of animals, creating and distributing enrichment, observing training sessions, and habitat maintenance.

Education Internships provide practical experience working directly with staff and guests while serving as a part of our education team. Intern responsibilities include leading educational programming, helping to design and implement curriculum, and developing/executing their own educational project. Interns will learn to effectively educate and engage with audiences of all ages, practicing skills like customer service, communication, and collaboration.

Internships are unpaid but can be arranged for college credit.

The Garden offers unpaid internships designed for you to obtain academic credit or credentials to fulfill requirements of an apprenticeship or to experience professional development, perhaps in an area new to your career. There are internship opportunities in a variety of areas: Administration, Customer Service/Hospitality, Education, Horticulture, Human Resources, Information Technology, Retail Services, Science and Conservation.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Botany and Conservation Biology
Dates: June 2 – August 8, 2025

The Missouri Botanical Garden is pleased to announce the 2025 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which will provide research training for 10 students for 10 weeks during the summer. Students will work on independent mentored projects in botany and conservation biology. Subjects of available projects include taxonomy of tropical plants, population genetics and speciation, biodiversity modeling, conservation biology, restoration ecology, and crop development.

Benefits: Weekly stipend of $600, housing and food allowances, transportation, and supplies for research are provided.
Application Deadline: February 28, 2025

Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) is Missouri’s independent, citizens’ environmental organization for clean water, clean air, clean energy, and a healthy environment.  We envision a future where the people of Missouri, regardless of race, income, or geography, live in and demand a clean, safe, and protected environment, now and for generations to come. We work to achieve this vision through our mission of educating, organizing, and advocating in defense of Missouri’s people and their environment.

Our college interns are an important part of the work we are able to undertake at MCE. They perform research, communications, and outreach duties among many other tasks. We hire interns for the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters.

Internships are unpaid.

Contact: Iuesha Wright-Crowder

Email:  Iuesha.wright-crowder@mdc.mo.gov

MDC provides a range of rich and rewarding opportunities for students and new graduates.  Students can gain experiences that will contribute to their long-term career goals and build great networks. They can experience opportunities for career growth within MDC.  Our programs operate year-round with fall, winter, spring and summer work terms that range from 3 – 6 months.  Depending on the successful candidates’ skills and interests, the ability to tailor and grow the responsibilities of the position may be available.

Internships are typically posted in January.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Summer Professional Development Program is designed to provide college students or recent graduates with real-life experience working alongside the department’s engineers, scientists, natural resource managers and other professionals. There are paid and unpaid opportunities. Opportunities with the Summer Professional Development Program exist statewide. Candidates can apply to any or all of the following programs with opportunities: Division of Energy, Division of Environmental Quality, Missouri State Parks and Missouri Geological Survey.

Most college majors will be considered, with special consideration given to: Agriculture, Architecture, Atmospheric Science, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Science, Geography, Historic Preservation, History, Interpretation, Landscaping, Museum Studies, Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, Public Administration, Tourism, Accounting, Business Administration and Human Resources.

The department typically begins accepting applications in the fall, with placements made in May. Be sure to view MoCareers to find the listing of the department's internship positions.

Fall and Spring Internship

NGRREC offers a paid internship opportunity that is open to college sophomores, juniors and seniors enrolled in colleges and universities within the greater St. Louis area. Interns conduct research at NGRREC’s state-of-the-art field station in Alton, IL and at local field sites situated at the confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers. Under the mentorship of NGRREC scientists, interns gain experience in project design, field and lab-based research methods, data collection and analysis. At the end of the semester, interns present results with a scientific poster and oral presentation, and showcase their project at our NGRREC symposium to increase science communication skills.

Questions about undergraduate internships at NGRREC? Contact Program Coordinator, Amy Monroe (ammonroe@lc.edu).

NGRREC’s REU program, “Wetland Science in a Modern World,” focuses on a modern integrative approach to studying wetlands using recent technological and theoretical developments with a goal of unifying wetland science across scales. Wetland science is a unique discipline that blends chemistry, hydrology, ecology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. Accordingly, research as part of this REU program will be multi-disciplinary in its approach to the student experience. Ultimately, understanding wetlands in the modern world will require a unique and unified approach that applies emerging technologies with questions at the forefront of the physical and biological sciences.

Students will spend 10-weeks at NGRREC in the summer, during which they will work closely with their assigned mentor(s) and other members of their research team on a variety of lab and field-based research projects. An overall goal of this program is to provide students with hands-on experiences in multiple scientific disciplines.

The program will provide financial benefits to students, including:

• A living stipend of $8,000.00 and relocation reimbursement (up to $500.00)
• $1,000.00 in research funds per project
• Room and board

This program is funded by the National Science Foundation.

For additional information, contact NGRREC's Intern Program Coordinator, Amy Monroe, at ammonroe@lc.edu with any additional questions.

The Saint Louis Zoo provides college/university students, recent graduates and individuals with prior college coursework an opportunity to learn about the Zoo's zoological operations while obtaining valuable, hands-on work experience in animal care or education and an understanding of the Saint Louis Zoo's role in research and conservation.

• Internship descriptions: https://stlzoo.org/employment/internships/internship-opportunities
• Research opportunity descriptions: https://stlzoo.org/conservation/reproductive-sciences/research-internships

A variety of both paid and unpaid internships are available in various animal management and non-animal departments.  Paid internships are available each summer. Check the Zoo's Internship website in January for details and the application.

The Butterfly House internship program offers a unique hands-on learning opportunity in a beautiful setting. All interns have direct contact with our visitors and have the opportunity to educate in a non-formal environment. While assisting the Butterfly House staff, interns will do a project related to their area that is beneficial to the intern and the Butterfly House.

Focus Areas

Entomology Internship- Entomology interns work side-by-side with our Living Collections team and participate hands-on in the husbandry, maintenance, and daily care for our living collections consisting of dozens of species of invertebrates. Interns will work in a USDA regulated containment facility and will be trained on the rules, regulations, and quarantine protocol associated with such a space.

Horticulture Internship- The Horticulture internship provides practical, hands-on work experience in a unique garden setting. Interns will assist with opening horticulture tasks, general maintenance of the tropical conservatory and outdoor pollinator gardens, and larger seasonal horticulture projects.

Science and Conservation Education Internship- The Science and Conservation Education intern will assist with our formal education programs for students, conservation-focused programming for adults, and family events.  They will also work with volunteers and staff to enhance the daily visitor experience through interpretation of our exhibits.

Internships generally last 3-4 months, with flexibility based on the intern's preferred schedule. This is a 140-hour minimum commitment, but we can adjust to meet school requirements. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Dates and deadlines for spring/summer are as follows:

• Spring internships run January through mid-May. The application deadline is November 15.
• Summer internships run early May through mid-August. The application deadline is April 15.
• Fall  internships run midAugust - December. The application deadline is July 15.

Interested students can apply to an internship here.

The Butterfly House is located in Faust Park.  Faust is a St. Louis County Park in Chesterfield, Missouri off Olive Blvd.

Spend your summer immersed within WashU’s environmental field station community!

During this 10-week program, undergraduate students work elbow-to-elbow with a faculty or staff principal investigator, post-doctoral scientist, or graduate student mentor on current Tyson-based research projects. A weekly colloquium provides professional preparation activities including scientific communication practice, journal article discussion, research poster development, and discussion of environmental justice and diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity in STEM. Fellows also attend weekly community events with visiting environmental professionals and presentations from visiting scientists. At the end of the summer field season, all fellows present scientific posters during the Tyson Summer Research Symposium.

WashU students and outstanding students from other universities are eligible to apply. Tyson welcomes people of all racial, cultural, ethnic, and gender identities. Fellows are provided with a stipend and daily transportation. Scholarship support is available for Pell-eligible students.

Applications open in early December and are due by February 15!

Wild Bird Rehabilitation (WBR) offers an animal care seasonal internship opportunity in its Avian Nurseries, from late April through September. Interns gain hands-on experience caring for around 30 species, from American Robins to Barn Swallows, while learning species-specific husbandry and participating in the rehabilitation process, including patient releases. This is a great opportunity for students interested in veterinary school or careers in zoos or animal conservation.

Internships require a commitment of 20-30 hours per week, a total of 300 hours, and applicants must be at least 18 years old.

To apply, email a cover letter and resume to Wild Bird Rehabilitation's Executive Director, Lori Moore-McMullen at wbr.edir@gmail.com.

For over 31 years, Wild Bird Rehabilitation (WBR) has been a lifeline for Missouri's injured, ill, and orphaned songbirds, treating an average of 2,000 patients annually and fielding 10,000 calls from rescuers. As the only organization in the state dedicated to providing direct medical care for wild songbirds, WBR sustains native bird populations while educating the public on humane treatment and habitat conservation.

World Bird Sanctuary offers a 12 week internship program that prepares aspiring animal caretakers for a career in the animal world. As a WBS intern, you will gain valuable hands-on experience with animal husbandry, behavior training, enclosure maintenance, records keeping, wildlife rehabilitation, and educational programming and outreach.

Internships are currently unpaid positions.