Student Opportunities
The Center for Environment & Society creates meaningful opportunities that provide graduate level and real world, hands on experiences to our students.
Get Involved
The Center for Environment & Society seeks to create meaningful internship experiences and job opportunities for Washington College undergraduates. These opportunities provide graduate level and real world, hands on, experiences to students.
In the past, CES has offered internships for students interested in campus sustainability, climate action, coastal ecosystems, conservation, ecology, and archaeology. Some of the staple CES positions include:
- Bird Banding Intern at the Foreman's Branch Bird Observatory
- Grasslands Summer Research Intern
- Research Vessel Deckhand
- Public Archaeology Lab Artifact Analysis Intern
- Carbon Credits Research Intern
Check paycom periodically for updated openings from CES. We will also send campus wide emails when a new job is open.
CES strives to collaborate with other organizations to provide a wide range of internships across a wide range of disciplines. In the past CES has collaborated with Echo Hill Outdoor School, Horn Point Laboratories, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, ShoreRivers, Sultana Projects, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, National Aquarium, and Friends of Eastern Neck.
As these partnership positions become available they will be added to JobX.
Through the Chesapeake Semester, CES provides students with hands on opportunities and vast networking that sets them up for successful internships and careers. The Chesapeake Semester engages a select group of students in a 16 credit interdisciplinary study of North America’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. Participants study the complex history, ecology, and culture of the Chesapeake as a microcosm of the challenges and transitions confronting coastal communities around the world.
Each year, the Center for Environment & Society offers select first-year students membership into the Environment & Society Fellows program. These students must demonstrate a commitment to their academics as well as an interest in the world’s diverse environments and the people that live in them. If selected, students receive a renewable yearly scholarship of $1,500, and priority application consideration for CES internships and our flagship Chesapeake Semester program.
Admitted students who have experiences as a birder, wildlife enthusiast, or conservationist are encouraged to apply for the Ornithology Scholarship.
Admitted students from Maryland's Eastern Shore or of Eastern Shore heritage who are interested in a major in environmental science or studies are encouraged to apply for the Eastern Shore Society Scholarship.
One (1) $1,500 tuition scholarship will be offered, renewable annually for four years. Additionally, the chosen scholarship recipient will receive a one-time grant of $2,000 to offset the cost of the Chesapeake Semester.
Just confirmed your acceptance to Washington College? The college has some great explore orientation opportunities for incoming freshman. Why not learn more about the Center for Environment & Society by participating in one of our awesome trips! To learn which trips are led by CES staff, please contact us at environment_society@washcoll.edu.
Learn more about our Summer Programs:
The Young Environmental Stewards' Conference is designed to introduce you to the magic of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Led by staff at the Center for Environment & Society (CES), this four-day conference includes kayaking, wildlife habitat conservation efforts, underwater exploration and more – all while living on our beautiful campus! The Chester River is a tributary of our beloved Chesapeake Bay and is one of Chestertown's most important resources. At the Young Environmental Stewards' Conference, you'll have the opportunity to get on the Chester River and explore the unique local environment with other like-minded students.
Have you wondered what that red bird is in your yard? Do you know the birds at your feeders, but want to learn more about them? Do you wonder if you're the only teen around who likes nature? We have just the program for you. Washington College's Center for Environment & Society is pleased to announce the Avian Conservation and Ecology Summer Program for 2022. You will join a group of rising 10th-12th graders to explore regional habitats from marshes to grasslands to forests. We will discover the birds that call these habitats home, consider the threats to each ecosystem, and discuss with biologists and professional researchers how to best conserve them. Our guest lecturers will also discuss career options relating to birds and wildlife.
The Geospatial Discoveries Conference is an interactive and dynamic in-person experience with a wide range of out-of-the-box activities and technology used to explore the world. Led by staff at the Washington College Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program, this four- day conference gives participants a practical introduction to the systems that connect satellites, drones, data analysts, mobile apps, and websites in modern life. Take part in a college classroom experience and participate in experiential learning activities designed to take you outdoors. Faculty and staff will guide lessons on imagery and how drones and satellites take those concepts in different dimensions. Experience the power of remote sensing through a presentation of a 46-foot research vessel and see how sunk shipwrecks can be detected even when completely buried in mud. Learn to create your own spatial data using mobile applications. Build out your experience using cutting-edge data visualization tools to embed maps, applications and multimedia data into an online story! You will see GIS technology used in environmental research, historical and cultural discoveries, crime analysis and mapping. Spend time in our GIS Lab working beside our undergraduate interns and see them put their skills in action to tackle real world problems. Discover the adventure of geospatial technologies at work outdoors, in the classroom, and in your life!
The 3rd Annual Young Environmental Stewards Conference: Virtual Edition will challenge you to discover the place you call home: "who" shares the outdoor space with you, how eco-healthy is your "neighborhood", what can you do to become an #environmentalinfluencer?
Spend the week exploring the connections between you and your place. Each morning session will prepare you for an outdoor connection. You will still have an opportunity to "get in the field" with this conference, but instead of exploring George Washington's backyard and the Chester River, you'll explore your own! This experience will take you beyond your computer screen and into your neighborhood to practice data collection, observe local trees and birds, explore the concept of environmental justice, and put stewardship into action.
How will you do all this? Included in the $250.00 cost of the conference, you will receive a materials kit and a journal to facilitate your experience a few weeks before the conference begins.