Internship Program

Intern responsibilities may include:

• Locate/Collect marine debris:
• Run neuston net tows
• Assist with the ROV/sonar for seafloor debris collection
• Use dip nets
• Participate in beach/shoreline cleanups
• Run side scan sonar
• Inspect, sort and record details about marine debris collected:
• Close and careful inspection of net samples (with tweezers)
• Prepare samples for storage (wash/dry)
• Record details about all debris (on paper and in the computer)
• Data analysis/presentation/education
• Develop reports, identify trends, calculate densities from data collected
• Give critical analysis of methods in order to improve accuracy and efficiency
• Share information with people who visit the boat
• Assist with education programs that may develop during the internship by sharing methods, results and implications of our work to people of all ages
• Sailing the boat/boat maintenance/cleaning
• Learn all positions (helm, sail trim, navigator) and rotate through during passages or science
• Perform basic maintenance and cleaning tasks as required by the captain
• Assist with cooking responsibilities (on a rotating basis)
• Run marine debris programs for people of all ages
• Teach intro to marine debris
• Facilitate hands-on activities
• Facilitate ROV program (corral students, ensure their safety on American Promise, ensure that the ROV is safe, handle the tether, identify debris recovered, wash down/store debris, assist recovering large debris, take photos, give interviews with students, answer questions, +)
• Give boat tours, explain history of boat and current mission
• Develop new activities
• Other possible tasks include:
• Walking Hickory and Smudge (Rozalia Project’s 2 loving Newfoundlands)
• Helping with provisioning (list making, shopping)
• Helping with trash disposal/recycling while on land
• Contributing to the blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed or other forms of social media

 

The tasks and activities interns perform will depend on Rozalia Project's schedule. Some weeks will be dedicated to cleanup and research while others will have more hours of education. Whatever the focus a Rozalia Project intern has, they will gain the following:

 Learned Knowledge Rozalia Project interns, through hands-wet-and-dirty field work, will learn about the problem of marine debris and methods and tools to mitigate it. They will learn about what is floating on the surface of the sea as well as what sits on the bottom and they will learn about navigation, sailing, and weather.

Skill Development Interns will develop specific and applicable skills and be able to: effectively communicate about the marine environment in a variety of methods and media, operate an ROV and sonar, identify microplastic, navigate for science and for passagemaking, steer a boat, hoist and trim a sail, and live in a closed environment that requires energy, patience, teamwork and flexibility.

Professional Development Depending on the duration of their internship, Rozalia Project interns will work at every level of their chosen focus. They will leave American Promise with specific and applicable skills in a variety of fields including: science, education, social media, journalism and the underwater technology world.

Personal Development Living on a boat requires the ability to pull one’s own weight while working within a team. Proximity can be challenging as can the constantly changing weather, conditions, tasks and level of success. All of these experiences combine to offer the chance for some real-world personal development, building self-reliance and self-confidence, gaining an understanding of the importance of teamwork and a chance to connect, in a real way, with the ocean and a lot of people who use it every day. This is a challenging project with a meaningful impact and one with unlimited potential for personal as well as professional development… plus, a lot of fun.