Technology in Ecology Intern

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center is seeking a Technology in Ecology Intern to support ecological research through technological innovation. The role involves advancing the Breathe Baltimore air quality monitoring project, developing low-cost sensor solutions, and collaborating on various climate change experiments. The internship focuses on improving air quality data accessibility for affected communities in South Baltimore, blending ecology, engineering, and programming.
At SERC, the Technology in Ecology Lab collaborates extensively to design and support technological innovation and production to serve ecological research, experimental design and data infrastructure. We develop and support several ongoing climate change experiments such as SMARTX, GENX, and MERIT, and maintain sensor and data infrastructure for the MarineGEO chemical and physical observations program. Additionally, we have been developing open source, “D-I-Y” solutions for ecological research. Ongoing work includes Arduino and Xbee-based dataloggers and feedback controllers for ecosystem manipulation experiments and developing methods for DIY measurements of CO2 and methane production in coastal wetland systems. We operate at the interface of ecology, engineering, and programming and leverage work from experiments to build lower cost sensor systems. We are seeking an intern to advance our Breathe Baltimore Community-Based Air Quality Monitoring Project. Co-led by the EJJI, this initiative aims to advance low-cost air quality monitoring to support communities in South Baltimore affected by poor air quality. Traditional air quality monitoring methods often lack the spatial and temporal resolution needed to capture hyperlocal variations, leading to mischaracterization of regional air quality. By developing affordable sensor-based solutions, our project seeks to increase the accessibility of real-time air quality data and empower communities.

https://serc.si.edu/internships/opportunities/technology-in-ecology-intern

Application deadline: not listed

Program dates: not listed