ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES INTERNSHIPS: EDUCATION IN THE FIELD
Something special happens during the course of a successful student environmental internship. Abstract principles take on form and substance; hypothetical issues become immediate challenges; imagined context transforms to real people, real problems, real solutions. The internship experience offers students an opportunity to carry class lectures, readings and research beyond the classroom, enriching their studies with new depth and complexity uniquely provided by first-hand experience. As students engage in the very real challenges presented by their internships--whether pursuing an environmental criminal for the state's environmental enforcement agency, developing a chemical use tracking plan for a local manufacturer, or teaching Waltham school children about the value of wetlands--they experience a sense of excitement and accomplishment generated by active application of their studies toward a tangible goal.

The Brandeis Environmental Studies Internship Program, a core component of the Environmental Studies curriculum, provides the opportunity for students to experience first-hand actual environmental challenges in government, industry, public interest groups and scientific research organizations. The Internship Program reaches beyond the campus to provide practical experience individually tailored to each student's academic goals and capabilities. So far, students have worked alongside professionals at local companies such as W.R. Grace, Polaroid and Genetics Institute; regulatory agencies including the Massachusetts DEP and local Conservation Commissions; and organizations such as the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Environmental Justice Network, Silent Spring Institute and others. These experiences have been rewarding from both ends, and some students have continued in their placements after their formal internship period was completed and have been offered employment upon graduation.

There is a strong academic component to the Environmental Internship as well. Weekly seminars with the Internship Director, readings and written assignments provide grounding and an opportunity for critical analysis of the internship experience. In addition, each intern, along with the Internship Director, develops a syllabus and individualized final product (such as a journal, paper or presentation.) All placements hone students' use of research, writing, analytical and presentation skills in a supervised setting to accomplish specific, targeted goals within a designated time frame.