Schneider Summer Fellowships Round II: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) 2022

EDF offers internships and fellowships for students and recent graduates in a variety of programs and departments throughout the organization. The ultimate goal of our internship and fellowship program is to provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Check out the two opportunities available to Stanford students below.

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Belize Small Scale Fisheries Intern

San Francisco, CA 

Program/Department Overview

Healthy oceans are the lifeblood of our planet. But they’re in peril – from climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and other threats. That’s why EDF’s Climate Resilient Fisheries and Oceans program is working to safeguard the oceans and protect nature, while feeding the planet, creating more secure livelihoods and bolstering more equitable societies for human well-being. One of the greatest threats to the oceans is overfishing, which is why our dedicated team of scientists, economists and fishery management experts are collaborating with partners around the globe to make sustainable fishing the norm. Through our programs in the U.S., Latin America and Asia Pacific, we draw on strong science and economic principles to advance sustainable fishing practices, forward-looking policies and innovative tools that support the health of our oceans and the people who depend on them for food and their livelihoods.

In Belize, EDF has worked with a wide array of government, stakeholders and local partners for more than 10 years to transform the management of their marine resources. EDF’s work has included helping Belize put in place the world’s first nationwide system of fisheries co-management areas (managed access) and expanding its formerly underperforming MPA network. These areas are now jointly managed by committees of fishers and government who, advised by scientists and managers, are using adaptive management based on the best available scientific information. The next critical step for Belize is the effective management of dozens of finfish species that support reef health and provide food and livelihoods. To address this need, EDF, the Belize Fisheries Department and a diverse set of stakeholders are developing a national multispecies finfish management plan. The adoption and implementation of participatory, science-based finfish management will be a major milestone toward climate resilience for Belize’s fisheries and fishing communities, and will serve as a model for other Caribbean fisheries.

Overall Function

The Belize Small-Scale Fisheries Intern will support EDF’s Belize team and partners to implement the nation’s first adaptive multispecies finfish management plan. The intern's role will

include developing communications and training materials to support outreach and capacity development with fishers, community leaders, fishery co-management organizations, and other stakeholders. In addition, the intern will document lessons and stories from Belize’s experiences in small-scale fisheries management, including topics such as co-management, science-based management of multispecies fisheries, MPAs, ecosystem-based management, and technology applications for fisheries management. The intern will be integrated in to the Belize team and will have the opportunity to support other team priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

· Participate in team meetings and check-ins and function as a fully integrated team member.

· Following intake discussions with supervisor to assess skills, interests, and career path, select focal project(s) and develop work plan with milestones and desired outputs.

· Create communications and training materials (e.g., case studies, blogs, infographics, brochures, videos, etc.) relevant to implementation of multispecies fisheries management and other topics, ensuring accessibility and relevance to fisher and community audiences.

· Document and disseminate stories from Belize’s experiences managing small-scale fisheries through platforms – including social media, the Small-Scale Fisheries Resource and Collaboration Hub, EDF’s EDFish blog and Sustainable Fisheries Toolkit, and other relevant distribution channels – to share lessons with Caribbean and global audiences.

· Support design and delivery of virtual events and workshops as appropriate.

· Support translation of training/communications materials to strengthen accessibility and engagement with fisher audiences.

· Participate in advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

· Interest in international and community work.

· Must be enrolled in Stanford undergraduate or graduate program; coursework or interest in fisheries, environmental science, natural resources management, social sciences, international development, communications, or related fields is desirable.

· Excellent written and oral communication skills, including creating written or visual communications material such as articles, case studies, video, infographics, etc.

· Experience or demonstrated interest in working with diverse groups.

· Well organized, self-motivated and detail-oriented.

· Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving skills.

· Ability to work on multiple projects, prioritize and meet deadlines.

· Ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team, including with colleagues from different technical and cultural backgrounds, and distributed across multiple geographies.

· Demonstrates self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.

· Ability and willingness to be flexible and adapt to an evolving area of work.

· Language skills in Spanish and/or other Caribbean languages are desirable but not required.

 

 

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Energy & Industry Initiatives Intern

San Francisco, CA; other EDF US offices considered

Program/Department Overview

EDF’s Energy Transition Team works to bend the curve on global greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel production and use by 2030, cleanly and equitably. We will achieve this through a defined set of strategies targeted at 1) reducing emissions from fossil fuel production, delivery, and use, and 2) reducing demand for fossil fuels in power generation, transportation, buildings, and industry. Our approach is focused on seeking reforms in law, regulation, and/or business practice through a mix of strategic corporate partnerships, direct engagement with policymakers, and mobilizing investor and public sentiment in favor of change. In formulating and achieving our strategies, we work across multiple regions (China, Europe, India and the U.S.) and draw on cutting-edge science and rigorous economic analysis, and act on principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion to develop durable solutions.

This internship will be part of “Energy and Industry Initiatives,” a new portfolio within the Energy Transition Team that focuses on a range of emerging issues and opportunities for accelerating the transition of polluting industries and sectors into the new clean-economy future.

Overall Function

The Schneider Intern with will provide a high-level of research, analysis, content development and project management to support EDF’s work on alternative fuels (e.g. hydrogen, ammonia, biofuels, etc.), defining the optimal role they can play in the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors (e.g. aviation, shipping, long-haul trucking, heavy industry) and in a healthy, just and equitable net-zero economy.

The Intern will be responsible for conducting an extensive landscape assessment on one or more alternative fuels that spans market trends and forecasts, the policy landscape in major regions of the world, and the net benefits (or costs) from a climate, environmental and human wellbeing perspective. Collaborating with experts from across EDF and our partner organizations (including scientists, engineers, policy experts, economists, and communicators),

the Intern will develop a series of recommendations to inform EDF’s policy positions and support the development of our internal strategy and public-facing contributions to this rapidly evolving discipline, including testimony to government agencies, white papers and reports, presentations and briefings for industry and other key stakeholder groups, and EDF blogs, webpages, proposals and other communication channels.

Given the emerging nature of this new project, the Intern will have the opportunity to co-create their work plan to best support their own interests and EDF’s needs.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

· Conducting research on global market trends, the global policy landscape and a range of technical and social issues related to alternative fuels. This will include conducting formal literature reviews using scholarly databases, as well as market research from industry data sources.

· Analyzing datasets to derive additional insights.

· Developing written and visual content for multiple purposes (presentations, testimony, reports, etc.)

· Presenting research results internally and to partners organizations.

· Drafting recommendations and proposed standards to inform EDF’s decision-making and strategy development.

· Participating in advancing EDF’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Final workplan to be developed based on the Intern’s interests, background and career aspirations.

Qualifications

· Must be enrolled in Stanford undergraduate or graduate program and ongoing coursework in a related environmental or sustainability field, such as environmental policy, economics, engineering, physical or social sciences or management. Interested candidates from a variety of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

· A high degree of comfort with absorbing and synthesizing extensive research across a wide variety of disciplines (from the physical sciences to engineering to social sciences to public health).

· Solid analytical skills and the ability to analyze datasets and produce data-driven insights, using Excel or other languages or applications (e.g. R, Python, SAS).

· Basic proficiency in producing graphs, charts, maps, and other visuals to communicate research findings using data-visualization tools and applications.

· Excellent written and oral communication skills.

· Must be well organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to multi-task and meet deadlines.

· Ability to work in both a highly collaborative team setting and independently to complete projects.

· Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving skills.

· Demonstrates self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.

· A passion for solving environmental problems and accelerating the transition to a just clean- energy economy.

 

 

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Emerging Science Researcher

San Francisco, CA

Program/Department Overview

Healthy oceans are the lifeblood of our planet. But they’re in peril – from climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and other threats. EDF’s Fisheries & Oceans program has been successfully helping fisheries become more sustainable around the world for over 20 years. We also have initiatives to protect and restore the natural pathways through which the ocean sequesters atmospheric carbon dioxide, an essential part of any strategy to prevent catastrophic climate change. Environmental justice and equity are imperatives of our work, as is the improvement of human welfare and food security. We draw on strong science, policy, and economic principles and skills to achieve these ambitious goals.

 

Overall Function

The Emerging Research Intern will work closely with the team of experts within the Oceans Science Team to provide critical support to EDF Oceans staff working to implement successful fisheries management around the world. Depending on the intern’s professional interests and skills, projects could include: novel research on species moving in to arctic waters and their impact; fish stocks shifting across jurisdictional boundaries; and advancing research on marine biodiversity and large-scale conservation efforts. The intern will be a fully integrated member of the Oceans Program Science Team, working closely with other EDF staff and participating in weekly team meetings. By the end of the internship, the Intern will have expanded their research skills and will have a deeper understanding of the policy and science behind successful fisheries management.

 

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

· Following intake discussions with supervisor to assess skills, interests, and career path, select focal project(s) and develop work plan with milestones and desired outputs.

· Research and identify where fish stocks are shifting rapidly across borders and policy solutions that could help imminent conflicts in international waters.

· Participate in a gap analysis to identify policy opportunities for building climate-resilient fisheries in the Arctic

· Review peer-reviewed literature on the role of Arctic ecosystems in coastal and ocean carbon storage (blue carbon) and evaluate policies to enhance that storage.

· Support ongoing development of conservation and management solutions to large-scale climate impacts of socio-ecological systems.

· Review and synthesize state-of-the-art solutions for building climate-sensitive goals, targets, and indicators and implementing them into fisheries management planning efforts.

· Work with Oceans Science Team staff to assist with short-turnaround, urgent queries from field staff

· Prepare reports, memos, case studies etc. to document findings

· Collaborate to provide resources and education to the Oceans Program team on these topics through trainings, presentations, fact sheets and other methods

· Participate in team meetings and check-ins to solicit input and gauge progress

· Participates in advancing EDF DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

· Proficiency conducting research and synthesizing results.

· Coursework, independent research, or other experience related to or experience in fish ecology, fisheries management or marine policy is desirable.

· Excellent written and oral communication skills.

· Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.

· Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.

· Demonstrates self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.

· Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.

· Quantitative skills and experience using GIS desirable but not essential.

· Bilingual language skills desirable but not essential.