Museum Outreach & Climate Change Education Assistantship

The Museum Outreach & Climate Change Education Assistantship at Priweb in New York involves assisting with climate change education projects, particularly on harmful algal blooms. The role includes online work and developing educational programs for museum visitors. The position is part of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Internship Program, requires personal transportation, and is designed for individuals interested in environmental education. It is a paid assistantship for summer 2025.
Position: Museum Outreach & Climate Change Education Assistantship (PAID)
Location: New York
Museum Outreach & Climate Change Education Assistantship (PAID)To apply for this position:

This position is part of the Watershed Internship Program run by Discover Cayuga Lake. Please go to their program page to learn more and find instructions for applying.

Description:

The Museum of the Earth is an exhibits and education facility of the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, NY. The Museum offers educational activities for the general public during high visitor traffic such as weekends and during the summer, and offers education programs and tours to groups throughout the year. The permanent Museum exhibits focus on the history of the Earth and its life, illustrated in part by hundreds of specimens from PRI’s research collections of fossils.

At the Center for Climate Change Education at the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), we provide high-quality resources and programs for teachers, students, and the general public. Our mission is to provide and support action-oriented climate change education everywhere.

Position:

We are seeking an assistant who is interested in climate change education to work on a project about harmful algal blooms. Part of this project involves online work, enhancing several existing web pages we have on harmful algal blooms. Another part involves working in the Museum of the Earth, developing and maintaining a news feature that will provide visitors with information about local and regional harmful algal blooms and related topics.

The assistantship could also involve developing an education program for museum visitors, to be run during the summer.

General Information and Requirements:

Assistant will be under the supervision of a PRI staff mentor. Assistant will participate in the Cayuga Lake Watershed Internship Program (the WIP), a coordinated program supporting a number of partner organizations and businesses hosting interns working in a variety of environmental fields. All WIP participants will participate in an initial orientation session, weekly group activities, and a final presentation.

Being detail-oriented is a must. Experience with web page development, particularly using Squarespace and Wordpress/Cornerstone, is desirable but not necessary, as we can train the Assistant. Experience with Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Photo, or some similar photo editing software is useful because the project may involve manipulating and resizing images, but we can also train the Assistant.

Must be able to provide personal transportation (please note that the Museum of the Earth is accessible by TCAT bus).

PRI is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to being an inclusive organization, are seeking candidates from diverse backgrounds, and encourage all to apply.

More Info:

Type of Position: paid assistant

Location:

Museum of the Earth
Time:
Summer 2025

PRI seeks to recruit a diverse group of talented individuals and create an environment in which they can effectively work to advance our mission and to support our vision without discrimination on the basis of an individual’s age, sex, race, creed, color, national origin, degree of disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or veteran status. We are committed to ensuring all our visitors, program participants, supporters, staff, and volunteers feel valued and respected.

About the Paleontological Research Institution:

The Paleontological Research Institution pursues and integrates education and research, and interprets the history and systems of the Earth and its life, to increase knowledge, educate society, and encourage wise stewardship of the Earth.

The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) was founded in 1932 by Gilbert

D. Harris, a professor of geology at Cornell University. Today, PRI houses a collection of more than 7 million fossil specimens, one of the largest in the nation, and publishes scholarly and popular books and periodicals, including the oldest paleontological periodical in the western hemisphere (Bulletins of American Paleontology, begun in 1895). It has active educational outreach programs in Earth and environmental science that serve thousands of students, teachers, and the general public…