Sea Grant’s Community Engaged Internship: expanding participation and cultivating belonging in coastal and ocean sciences

Mona Behl (), Jane Harrison, Maya Walton, Catherine Riseng, Deidre M. Peroff, Hallee Meltzer, Emily Maung-Douglass, Susan Lovelace, Samuel J. Lake, Maddie Kennedy, Sarah Kolesar, Davin Holen, Guillermo Giannico, Karen DeMeester, Brooke Carney, Linda Chilton and Matthew Bethel
Additional contact information
Mona Behl: University of Georgia, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
Jane Harrison: North Carolina State University
Maya Walton: University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Hawai’i Sea Grant
Catherine Riseng: University of Michigan
Deidre M. Peroff: University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Hallee Meltzer: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Sea Grant Office
Emily Maung-Douglass: University of Delaware
Susan Lovelace: South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium
Samuel J. Lake: University of Virginia
Maddie Kennedy: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Sea Grant Office
Sarah Kolesar: Oregon State University, Oregon Sea Grant
Davin Holen: University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Sea Grant
Guillermo Giannico: Oregon State University
Karen DeMeester: University of Georgia, Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Brooke Carney: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Linda Chilton: University of Southern California Sea Grant
Matthew Bethel: Louisiana State University

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2024, vol. 14, issue 3, No 12, 593 pages

Abstract: Abstract Providing hands-on experiences to undergraduates is a common strategy to recruit and retain diverse students in geosciences. And yet, without equal attention to science identity cultivation and culturally responsive mentoring, a lack of diversity plagues scientific fields. Sea Grant’s Community Engaged Internship (CEI) program is a unique initiative that engages undergraduate students in place-based coastal and ocean science research, outreach, education, law and policy, and communication projects. Students are recruited from communities that are historically underrepresented and underserved, including local, Tribal, and Indigenous communities, into a multiple-month paid internship. Recruitment and selection strategies draw applicants from diverse cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds with unique lived experiences, skills, abilities, and interests. Interns work on community-focused projects that integrate traditional and local knowledge with Western ways of doing science. The program includes mentorship education and training for all participants, multi-level mentoring for students, a vibrant learning community, and extensive professional development and networking opportunities. Program evaluation results demonstrate that CEI has achieved its primary goal of increasing the recruitment and participation of students from underserved communities in coastal and ocean sciences. The evaluation also sheds light on attributes of the internship that are essential for its success, namely, engagement in community-based projects, culturally inclusive mentorship education, peer-to-peer and near-peer mentoring, and cohort-building. Competitive wages and stipends, professional development and training, network-building, and institutional support are also critical. Participants report numerous benefits including personal and professional gains from their participation in the program. To date, 183 students from all 34 Sea Grant programs have graduated from the Community Engaged Internship program.

Keywords: Community-engaged; Mentorship; Cohort-building; Historically marginalized; Tribal and Indigenous (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s13412-024-00943-z

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