Competitive Internship Opportunities

African American Museum of Iowa

Location: Cedar Rapids, some remote aspects

Timeframe: Summer, but also offer block internships

Deadline:  Open until filled (Early applications and inquiries welcome)

Description: The African American Museum of Iowa is the only statewide museum devoted to preserving African American history and culture. AAMI educates over 30,000 people each year through museum tours, traveling exhibits, research services, youth and adult education programs, and community and fundraising events.

The Position: The African American Museum of Iowa is looking for an Education and Outreach Intern. Along with teaching the community about the museum’s exhibits, this position will have the potential to work on tasks such as cataloging and oral history transcription depending upon the timing of the internship.

Interested students should email Professor Catherine Stewart for consideration, next steps, and a direct referral.

Amazing Edibles Catering

Location: Chicago, IL

Timeframe: Summer

Deadline: Open until filled

Description: Amazing Edibles believes that people matter. We create joyful celebrations with AMAZING and creative food, drink, and service… Some of what we do includes catering weddings and social events, professional development events, and luxury gift boxes…Our Core Values are Hard Working – Problem Solving –Thoughtful – Team Hours are generally Monday — Friday 9-5, flexible arrangements will be considered. An internship stipend will be given of $500.00 per month full-time. 2 or 3-month internships are available. 

*Internship funding is still available despite the available stipend.

Available positions:

Amazing Marketing Assistant: You will be the voice of our company, You will work on multiple platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and PartySlate also be responsible for content creation – blog posts, event profiles, and articles for publication in industry journal creative self-starter that is coachable and also works well as part of the team. Savvy about internet marketing, smart, hard-working, sense of humor, and entrepreneurial tendencies. Great written communication skills are key.

Amazing Sales Assistant: You will work under our seasoned Sales Manager. You will do market research, client list development, create messaging, use our automated mail system to retain and recruit new clients, develop venue relationships, and client contact by phone, email, and in person. You will work on proposals and help close deals. Great communication skills are key.

Company-owned by alumna Andrea Herrera ’85.

Interested students should email Jason Napoli for consideration, the next steps, and a direct referral.

Aquillius Corporation

Location: San Diego, CA

Timeframe: Summer

Deadline: February 10, 2024

Description: The internship program will be coordinated and supervised by Dr. MyPhuong Le and Dr. Leah Villegas at Aquillius, which partners with Microtek.

Student interns will be presented with 3-5 problems.  They will work in a team environment to come up with a solution that they will work on during the summer:

• Week 1 – Participate in brainstorming sessions and present ideas.  Judges will select the most promising ideas that the students will develop.
• Week 2 – Designing of prototypes and planning of project timeline.
• Week 3-9 – Building prototypes/testing/experiments.  Collect pilot data and develop value propositions.
• Week 10 – Pitch Day.  Prepare a pitch deck and present the project to a panel of judges. 

Students will have the opportunity to learn laboratory and/or manufacturing skills, such as cell culture, western blots, 3-D designing, and electronic assembly (such as wire bonding, flip chip and die attachment, etc.)

Aquillius and Microtek are biotechnology startup companies that specialize in research and development, fabrication and testing of miniaturized devices (which are often medical in nature).  Their facility has a number of state-of-the-art equipment, including the Keyense VHX-7000 microscope, and the Xytec Condor Sigma Bond Tester.

Interested students should email Mark Kendall for consideration, next steps, and a direct referral.

Chautauqua Institution

Location: Chautauqua, NY

Timeframe: Each internship is four weeks long. The June-July intern will offer support for the Writers’ Festival prior to the opening of the Institute. Otherwise, the positions have very similar responsibilities. The July-August intern will have a flexible end date due to the session’s proximity to the start of Cornell’s school year. 

Deadline: See contact below for application deadline and requirements.

Description: The purpose of the internship is to assist the educational programming and community activities related to all aspects of Chautauqua Literary Arts. The interns will participate in and contribute to a vibrant artistic community, learn skills in arts administration, publicity, marketing, and creative writing pedagogy, study and network with some of the most exciting writers on the American literary scene.

Position Expectations:

• The interns will be mentored by Sony Ton-Aime, Director of Literary Arts at the Chautauqua Institute, and a graduate fellow—a student from a graduate program in Creative Writing. They will report to Mr. Ton-Aime.
• The interns will participate in four weekly Writers’ Center workshops, to be led by some of the most exciting contemporary American authors; they will also provide some administrative support for the workshops.
• The interns will meet regularly with the graduate fellow about their writing.
• The interns will coordinate and contribute to the public events organized by Chautauqua Literary Arts, including
  • the management of the Poetry Makerspace, where  they will be able to interact with the community, get to know this wonderful exhibit, take part in poetry readings, and work with other interns and the graduate fellow.
  • social-media promotion for Chautauqua Literary Arts events;
  • administrative support for events and the opportunity to lead a breakout session if desired;
• Perform any other reasonable duties as assigned by the mentor/supervisor that should be necessary to meet the needs of Chautauqua Literary Arts.
• Represent Chautauqua Literary Arts with a welcoming attitude towards students, visitors, and other community members you encounter throughout the internship. 

Interested students should email Professor Rebecca Entel in the English Department for consideration, next steps, and a direct referral.

Children’s Hospital Colorado, Orthopedics Institute / Musculoskeletal Research Center / Center for Gait Movement and Analysis

Location: Aurora, Colorado

Timeframe: Summer

Deadline: January 27, 2024

Description: The intern will work collaboratively with members of the Center for Gait Movement and Analysis and the Orthopedics Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado on a variety of projects looking at ways child patients walk or perform certain functions related to walking. A specific project will be assigned to the student based on interest and work being conducted in the lab. Opportunities to work with patients, members of the Center’s staff, and practicing physicians in the hospital comprise the bulk of the fellowship experience. Individual assignments are subject to change.

Interested students should email Mark Kendall for consideration, next steps, and a direct referral.

Des Moines Metro Opera

Location: Indianola, IA

Timeframe: Summer

Deadline: Spring recruiting-apply asap

Description: The Des Moines Metro Opera has two different summer internship programs:

• Design & Production Internships
• Administrative and Artistic Internships

Interested students should email Jason Napoli for consideration, next steps, and a direct referral.

Global Zero

Location: Remote + one week visit with Global Zero team in Washington, D.C.

Timeframe: One or more blocks; minimum of eight weeks in summer

Deadline: Open until filled

Description: This internship, at present, will likely be entirely virtual/remote with the possibility of one week in Washington, D.C. with the Global Zero team. The details of the nature of the research and experience may be adjusted.

Global Zero is looking for a dependable, enthusiastic intern to provide outreach, campaigning, and administrative support. This is a summer internship with the opportunity for an extension.  The internship will be virtual/remote in nature and may support multiple offices remotely (such as our office in Washington, D.C.)

The Job

In this position, you’ll report to the Executive Director, Partnerships Manager, or National Field Organizer on a variety of projects for our campaign to prevent nuclear war. This role is ideal for a curious self-starter who can adapt quickly to changing circumstances and shifting priorities. You will bring to the table prior volunteering or activist experience, high attention to detail, and strong communication skills. This is a terrific opportunity for paid hands-on experience at the intersection of foreign policy, advocacy, and culture shift. 

The campaign intern will be responsible for a selection of the following key activities, depending on skills and interests: 

• Field Organizing: Support our field staff in organizing and resourcing our volunteers to take our campaign to the streets. Help with phone banking, candidate bird-dogging, creating materials, and other activities as needed. 
• Campaign Strategy: Powermap targets & stakeholders by researching their personal, electoral, legislative, and political backgrounds. Research targets districts, states, and ballot initiatives. And, collect helpful research and insights from various allies & resources. 
• Content Development: Draft clear, concise, and engaging content for the Global Zero blog that translates complex nuclear weapons issues into engaging narratives to help us build our movement (it’s ok, you don’t have to be an issue expert to do this) 
• Special Projects: Sometimes cool opportunities to mobilize a big crowd or raise a lot of money crosses our desks. We’ll need your help to make it all happen. 
• Records Management: Update and maintain database/information systems, utilize CRM, and track communications. 
• Limited Admin/Logistics: Provide ongoing administrative support, including scheduling, travel arrangements, and event planning. 

You

• Have an academic background in international affairs, sociology, communications, or a related field;
• Are intellectually curious by nature and have a knack for solving puzzles; 
• Are highly organized and occasionally (OK, frequently) described by your peers as “a tiny bit obsessive” about details; 
• Can communicate clearly and aren’t afraid to ask questions; 
• Can handle multiple, simultaneous tasks like a boss and keep cool under pressure; 
• Aren’t spiritually crushed by data entry and phone banking; 
• Are ready to turn out to all sorts of progressive rallies, marches, sit-ins, vigils, press conferences, etc., with sunscreen, signs, and your yelling voice [COVID-19 allowing]; 
• Don’t necessarily know what power mapping or bird-dogging is, but are ready to learn; and 
• Are willing to sit back seat middle if necessary and carry at least 35-pound buckets of campaign chum [again, if COVID-19 allows us out of our hobbit holes]. 

Bonus! Do you have other skills that we should know about? Here are a few things we think are great but not required: 

• Familiarity with WordPress and/or Action Network; 
• Phone banking Ninja 
• Spanish language proficiency; and, finally, 
• Moonwalk with panache. 

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive movement and recognize that’s impossible without first building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from all and especially encourage women, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, and LGBTQ people to apply. 

We can’t wait to hear from you! 

The Setup 

• Virtual and part-time position with humane, but occasionally intense hours, including some evenings and weekends;
• Earnest, talented, compassionate colleagues to dig in with and learn from; and
• Life-long love and career support from our network of activists and professionals.

Interested students should email Emma Clark or Jason Napoli for consideration, next steps, and a direct referral.

International Center for Religion & Diplomacy

Location: Washington, D.C.

Timeframe: Summer, but also offer block internships

Deadline: Open until filled

Description (Programming Intern): Historically, ICRD has looked for interns who have passion and experience in the fields of religion and conflict mitigation. We are currently seeking Program Interns for research and support of our active programs in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, South Asia, Maldives, Sahel, Uganda, and the US. Programs are at various stages of implementation, and all interns generally work closely with ICRD staff across multiple programs throughout the duration of the internship.

The Position:

General Responsibilities:

• Monitoring news and preparing a news brief together with other interns on a daily basis;
• Participating in policy forums and other events as a representative of ICRD;
• Preparing event and meeting reports and memos for senior staff members;
• Conducting research on political and economic developments in countries that are relevant to the Center’s work;
• Maintaining accurate databases, conducting research on new funding opportunities, and helping to develop effective fundraising and outreach strategies;
• Writing a blog post on a topic of personal interest that is related to ICRD’s mission;
• Updating the Center’s social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram);
• Occasional administrative tasks as needed by the Center’s staff.

Description (Communications Intern): The Communications and Outreach Intern will work with ICRD’s communications staff – providing broad support to ICRD’s communication and fundraising efforts, including: social media, marketing or graphic design, researching and pursuing new funding opportunities, conducting grant management and reporting, and helping to develop effective fundraising and outreach strategies.

The Position:

General Responsibilities:

• Creating content for all social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram);
• Implementing existing and creating new social media campaigns;
• Developing graphic design concepts for outreach materials;
• Implement paid-search campaigns and PPC marketing strategies;
• Maximizing the use of existing crowdsourcing platforms and identifying new ones;
• Identifying government and private funding opportunities and recommending suitable

program matches;

• Assisting with the research and development of new project concepts;
• Assisting with tracking of funding opportunities and corresponding action steps and

deadlines;

• Curating and updating website content;
• Spring and Summer interns will assist with all aspects of the annual fundraising dinner. Fall

interns will assist with the end-of-year fundraising appeal.

Interested students should email Jason Napoli for consideration, next steps, and a direct referral.

Sleep Neurophysiology Lab, Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic

Location: Rochester, MN (with the possibility of internship transitioning to virtual if needed)

Timeframe: Summer

Deadline (priority): January 27, 2024

Description: The student will become familiar with the analysis of polysomnogram (sleep study) neurophysiologic data by active participation in the Mayo Sleep and Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory. The student will initially become familiar with standard clinical and research techniques for analysis of sleep stages, arousal, and respiratory events during sleep. The intern’s work will especially focus on learning and applying our laboratory’s scoring methodology for REM sleep muscle activity, known as REM sleep atonia loss (or, REM sleep without atonia (RSWA)) in polysomnography, used in research of the human neurological disorder REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), in which people act out their dreams during sleep. Recent evidence has shown interestingly that human RBD is actually a prodromal form of neurodegeneration known as synucleinopathy, the type of disorder underlying Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

The student will then learn to apply neurophysiologic techniques in analyses of humans with this and other neurological sleep disorders, and gain experience with experimental design and conduct in clinical research. There will be opportunities to regularly attend scheduled laboratory learning sessions and meetings, journal clubs involving critical discussion of scientific articles, provide written assessments of their experiences reflecting self-learning, and depending on progress, the student may participate in analyzing and interpreting experimental data through the summer experience and, if applicable, participate in the generation of future research abstracts and manuscripts.

Goals and Learning Objectives of the Internship for the Student: Learning Objectives:

1. To become familiar with techniques for analysis of sleep staging, respiratory and arousal event scoring, and REM sleep muscle activity scoring in polysomnography (sleep studies).
2. To apply neurophysiology and related techniques in analyses of humans with neurological and sleep disorders.
3. To gain experience with experimental design and conduct clinical research.

Assessment and Evaluation Criteria for the Internship:

1. The student will regularly attend scheduled laboratory learning sessions and activities.
2. The student will demonstrate familiarity with techniques of polysomnography analyses.
3. The student will regularly provide written assessments of his or her experiences reflecting self-learning.
4. The student will participate in analyzing and interpreting experimental data through the summer experience and, if applicable, participate in generation of future research abstracts and manuscripts.

Interested students should email Mark Kendall for consideration, next steps, and a direct referral.

University of South Carolina

Location: Columbia, South Carolina

Timeframe: Summer

Deadline: Open until filled (Early applications and inquiries welcome)

The intern will be matched with a site on or near the University of South Carolina. Possible projects include research on pelagic fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, research on policies and practices related to environmental law, or sustainable seafood practices involving the seafood industry, tourism, and economics. Past interns have been placed with the Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies and at the South Carolina Aquarium.