1 | Page Department of Environmental Science University of Southern Maine ESP 400 Internship Syllabus Fall 2018 INSTRUCTOR: Joseph K. Staples, PhD OFFICE: 105E Bailey Hall PHONE: 780-5552 (ESP Main Office: 780-5390) EMAIL: [email protected]OFFICE HOURS: Mon 10 – 11, Tues 11-12, or by appointment Course Meetings This course is an experiential learning experience that does not have regular classroom meetings. Students meet with the instructor (or ESP departmental internship coordinator) at the start of their internship, to go over paperwork, and for various workshops and consultation activities based on the needs of the student and the internship. All students who successfully complete an internship will make a formal presentation during “Internship Night.” Internship Night will be Wednesday, October 24 th from 5:30 to 8 pm on the Gorham campus. This meeting is mandatory! Be sure to invite your family, friends and internship supervisors. There are three mandatory meetings: two (2) one-on-one meetings with the instructor, and the Internship Night presentation. Introduction Most everyone learns best by doing. In addition to student research and field-based courses, students are required to complete an approved internship for this reason (and others!). The variety of internships reflect the varied interests of our students and career path opportunities, which include environmental consulting firms, policy research, state and federal government, natural resource agencies, private consultants, nongovernmental organizations, and environmental education. The internship consists of 120 or more hours of work outside the university. Course Objectives (Internship Expectations) Be able to use and improve skills in your field of interest while also developing your project planning, problem-solving, and communication skills and your ability to think critically in a client-based situation. Maintain regular contact with members of the host organization. Gain a 120+ hour satisfactory work experience in a professional setting/position in an environmentally related business, organization, or agency. DRAFT Copyright 2018 Joseph K. Staples
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Department of Environmental Science University of Southern Maine ESP 400 Internship Syllabus
OFFICE HOURS: Mon 10 – 11, Tues 11-12, or by appointment
Course Meetings
This course is an experiential learning experience that does not have regular classroom
meetings. Students meet with the instructor (or ESP departmental internship coordinator) at
the start of their internship, to go over paperwork, and for various workshops and consultation
activities based on the needs of the student and the internship. All students who successfully
complete an internship will make a formal presentation during “Internship Night.”
Internship Night will be Wednesday, October 24th from 5:30 to 8 pm on the Gorham campus.
This meeting is mandatory! Be sure to invite your family, friends and internship supervisors.
There are three mandatory meetings: two (2) one-on-one meetings with the instructor, and
the Internship Night presentation.
Introduction
Most everyone learns best by doing. In addition to student research and field-based courses, students are required to complete an approved internship for this reason (and others!). The variety of internships reflect the varied interests of our students and career path opportunities, which include environmental consulting firms, policy research, state and federal government, natural resource agencies, private consultants, nongovernmental organizations, and environmental education. The internship consists of 120 or more hours of work outside the university.
Course Objectives (Internship Expectations)
Be able to use and improve skills in your field of interest while also developing yourproject planning, problem-solving, and communication skills and your ability to thinkcritically in a client-based situation.
Maintain regular contact with members of the host organization. Gain a 120+ hour satisfactory work experience in a professional setting/position in an
environmentally related business, organization, or agency.
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Prepare and deliver a professional presentation. Practice cover letter writing and polish your resume.
Online Support
This course will use Google Classroom and Google Drive for submission of assignments.
Grading
This course is Pass/Fail. However, the standard for successful completion is equivalent to a C
(75%) or better in achievement.
Grade components Date due Date submitted
Pass/fail
All required paperwork You should have already submitted this before you began your internship!
Internship Reflection Thu, Sep 28th
Descriptive Presentation Title and two sentence biography.
Wed, Oct 4th
Meet with instructor to practice presentation (full draft of presentation due)
Wed, Oct 4th – Fri, Oct 19th [1 hour]
Final Internship PowerPoint Mon, Oct 23rd by 5 pm.
Internship presentation night Wed, Oct 24th Begins at 5:30 PM – must stay the entire time.
Internship report/paper Fri, Oct 25th by 5 pm.
Internship host site supervisor’s evaluation
Wed, Oct 25th by 5:30 pm.
Meet with instructor to discuss cover letter and resume. (will discuss cover letter & resume submitted to internship unless you provide a more up-to-date version)
Mon, Sept 30th – Friday, Nov. 3rd [1 hour]
Student Support
If there is a problem at your internship site, or with your internship, please contact me. Do not
let it fester.
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If you have difficulties in this course please see me as soon as possible. USM provides
various levels of support to ensure your academic success. Student Success Centers are located
in 119 Bailey Hall (780-5652) on the Gorham Campus and at 119 Payson Smith Hall (780-4040)
on the Portland Campus. For more information visit: http://usm.maine.edu/success.
If you are having problems with computing, contact the Help Line at 780-4029 or by
Your internship does not have to coincide with a particular academic semester. We will simply match it with the nearest semester in which you will be finishing and presenting—the semester in which you wish to register for credit.
An internship must be approved by ESP before a student can start an internship intended to satisfy ESP 400 (Internship Approval Form).
The internship commitment is a minimum of 120 hours. This translates into a 3-week experience working full-time at 40 hours per week. Many organizations will expect more hours--this is negotiated between you and the internship host.
ESP's internship program is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of the student and the host organization. Thus, many internships will be half time or flex time over a longer duration (e.g., an internship may be during a semester or the summer).
Student Requirements for the Internship/Practicum
All ESP majors, with sophomore standing or higher, must complete the following requirements in the approximate order below:
Internship steps
1. Discuss internship possibilities with your advisor and the ESP Internship Coordinator.
2. Search for an internship by monitoring the ESP Listserv, the ESP Bulletin Board located in hall by the ESP office (106 Bailey Hall), USM Internship services, fellow ESP students, and by conducting your own research.
3. Fill out Internship Approval Form
4. Prepare a draft resume and a cover letter.
5. Obtain ESP Internship Approval Form signature of you, your advisor, and the ESP Internship Coordinator
6. Obtain a signed letter from the host organization outlining your job responsibilities.
7. Upon approval, register for ESP 400, Internship
8. Perform your internship. Maintain a written journal and photo library of your activities to assist you in preparing for your
9. Complete your internship or at least 120 hours of it sufficient for evaluation.
10. Provide your host with a copy of the ESP Internship Evaluation Form
11. Verify that your host supervisor has completed and returned the internship evaluation form to ESP Internship Coordinator.
12. Complete and submit your ESP Internship Report, which highlights and discusses important elements of your internship.
13. Prepare a brief PowerPoint and submit it to the Internship Coordinator
14. present your PowerPoint at the ESP Internship Night, which is a group presentation evening with other ESP majors presenting on their internships
15. Make sure you’ve completed any other steps outlined in the grading section of this syllabus so that you get your credit
Why do you need to have your internship approval form signed before starting your internship? Among the reasons: showing you can follow directions in a professional context; liability coverage pertains so we need to know where you are and what you are doing for any university-sanctioned activity; we are regularly asked to report on internships while they are underway; security and safety reasons; and finally because we want to make sure you have the best educational experience in a professional setting (the internship needs to be appropriate for the major).
Internship reflection
This is a short (2 – 3) page reflection on your internship to be passed in at the beginning of the semester. Use your personal voice – I am interested a description of the internship, what you thought about it, what worked, what didn’t, what you want to improve on the next time you have a job or internship, what you learned about your future job interests/prospects. Use this as an opportunity to ask for advice or express your uncertainty/concerns/worries. What do you still need to know about getting a job?
Cover Letter
Create a cover letter for your position, even if they do not require it (because we do). Cover letters are the first impression a potential employer will have of your background, abilities and motivations. Include how you can help the organization and assist in their mission/goals (and in doing so, you will demonstrate that you know something about their company or organization).
Stress your skills and how they apply to the position you seek. Include that you have a portfolio of sample work products and the like, and a resume available for review. Some suggestions:
o Use Hacker or Hacker & Summers as a writing guide (this manual usually required for ENG 100 or ENG 120 and many other classes at USM).
o In correspondence letters, addressee’s heading info. is left aligned. Yours may be left or right aligned. First is your info: name, full address, phone and email. Then, their info (name, title, organization name, full address). Then add the date.
o Include a greeting that uses proper names (i.e. Dr. Jones, Dear Ms. Wilk), and if possible, avoid “To Whom it May Concern” -- look up the proper person(s) or committees.
o One blank space above date, 3-4 blank spaces between the date and the greeting. o Create an appropriate opening statement, and state the position you are applying for. o In a cover letter, you state what you want, how you are qualified, and how you will
contribute to their organizational goals to help them succeed, so as to demonstrate yourself as the BEST candidate.
o Use concrete examples and be specific not vague: saying you learned “a lot” doesn’t show that you learned anything. Be specific, name what you learned, your knowledge and acquired skills, and your achievements, and state how they transfer to this specific position you are applying for so that they see you as a potential resource.
o Don ot focus on how the internship would help you, but it is relevant to mention how the internship might fit into your future goals if doing so demonstrates your commitment to the internship.
o Share your leadership and civic engagement activities (i.e. clubs, organizations, sports, volunteering) that might bear relevance to the host business/organization.
o Keep your cover letter to one page in length. o Add a closing sign-off (i.e., something like “Please contact me at your convenience at the
above address. Thank you”) o Either put your typed name at the top in your heading or after you sign, not both. If your
name is typed in the heading, just sign the bottom.
Curriculum Vitae or Resume
A CV (or c.v.) is unlimited in number of pages and contains your academic and professional history; it is a comprehensive, detailed, descriptive log of your education, jobs, volunteer work, internships, memberships (non-sectarian), publications, relevant awards/honors, etc. Because it is so long, usually only academics like this stuff. A CV might be appropriate for a research position, and is certainly appropriate for graduate or professional school applications or jobs.
A resume tends to be limited to one page and specifically targets a single position or profession. Most people will have a resume, often two or three depending on the ways they want to give emphasis. For example, your instructors usually maintain a full-length CV, and then shorter resumes for consulting jobs or grant applications (like National Science Foundation
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formats). For example, Rob Sanford has resumes for when he does environmental planning consultant work, another for environmental archaeology, and a general environmental science resume. Each resume emphasizes different skills and achievements, although they all include the same important basics (jobs held, education, etc.).
Include your degree sought as well as your major and minor programs of study. Under experiences, it is better to express your knowledge and skills instead of listing duties and responsibilities since the former are transferrable to the job you are applying to. For example, “put together registration packets” could be rewritten “adept at screening and preparing informational packets for public release.” Word each duty as a transferrable knowledge or skills. Suggestions and additional comments:
o The resume is a complete, condensed, log of all your credentials. o Throughout the c.v. include info chronologically. Lead with your best -- within each line
item, state information in order of importance (i.e. in a job don’t put dates or host organization first, this isn’t as important as your title).
o Throughout, be consistent with use of tense (present tense: “work” not “working,” past tense: “worked”).
o Heading should include your name, one complete address, phone and email. o Under education put your degree program first, then your major, then Anticipated
Graduation, then the year. Include additional relevant educational info under that. o If your resume is going to be sent via internet, the bullets may skew formatting—for this
reason many people avoid bullets in resumes. o Mind your formatting: resume/c.v. should look very neat with proper use of
indentations and alignments. o Use one consistent style, format and font type throughout the entire resume. o Consider separating experiences into categories (i.e. volunteer experience and work
experience). o Awards, Honors, Certificates: If you don’t have all, delete the ones you don’t have from
the heading. o Under Internship add the dates, number of credits and total contact hours. o Sections should be on the same page (i.e. if Work Experience is on page 2, then all of the
Work Experience items are on page 2. If that section rolls over to the next page restate the heading (i.e. “Work Experience, continued”). If you have a page 3, then it is too long. And some of us think two pages is too long.
o Your references can be on a separate page so they need not be here. Head the reference page so that the names (including titles, emails, mailing addresses--complete contact info) are linked to you (papers can get mingled if people print them out and have lots of applicants).
o Make the resume brief about what you’ve done and focus more about what you’ve gained in learning and skills as a result of what you’ve done. Positions should be worded as transferable skills or knowledge, not as a duty, so the interviewer can see how your skills transfer directly to the position you are applying for. (i.e., instead of “worked the
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cash register” you might say “responsibly managed daily money transactions” – but be careful— you don’t want to “dress it up” too much.
o In headings, use no more than two points of emphasis (i.e. bold and underline, but not also a colon).
o Under Volunteer-type headings, for each experience you list, include the total number of hours you volunteered.
o Remember to include your academic internship, either under Education, or, if paid, under Experience.
o Put Professional Experience before Employment, if you have enough experience to warrant both headings.
o Resumes need to be current.
Resume/c.v. citation examples for publications, presentations, workshops
There are a variety of styles and ways to do this—you can use Hacker or Hacker & Sommers’ A Writer’s Reference as a guide. You can also use the dominant journal for your academic area or sub-discipline. Here are some examples hijacked from Dr. Sanford’s c.v. that cover a good range of what you might need to cite. Book Wagner, T. and R. M. Sanford. 2010. Environmental Science: Active Learning Laboratories and Applied Problem Sets. 2nd Ed. Wiley & Sons, NY. Book chapter Wagner, T, S. Langley-Turnbaugh, R. Sanford and M. Cartwright. A public university science department’s experience with problem-based cohort-learning. In K.K. Karakstis and T. Elgren (eds.) 2007. Developing & Sustaining a Research-Supportive Curriculum: A Compendium of Successful Practices. Council on Undergraduate Research, Washington, D.C. Pp. 295-313. Peer-Reviewed journal articles Sanford, R. M. 2007. Environmental education, environmental awareness, and comparison with the Elizabeth Kübler-Ross stages of grief in dealing with death and dying. New England Journal of Environmental Education. 20. Fall 2007. http://www.neeea.org/NEJEE/NEJEE_Sanford_2007.pdf Monographs Sanford, R. M., S. Plummer and R. Mosher. 2009. Presumpscot River Watershed CD Resource Guide for Teachers. Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Cumberland County Soil and Water District, Gorham, ME. Encyclopedia articles Sanford, R. M. 2008. Clinton Signs Legislation to Help Restore the Everglades. Great Events from History: The 20th Century, 1971-2000. Salem Press. pp. 2996-2999.
Media reviews Sanford, R. M. 2004. Review of Drumbeat for Mother Earth: How Persistent Organic Pollutants Threaten the Natural Environment and the Future of Indigenous Peoples. Anthropology Review Database. January 20. Electronic document. http://wings.buffalo.edu/ARD/showme.cgi?keycode=1725. Technical reports (school papers don’t count) Hamilton, N. D., and R. M. Sanford. 2012. Everyday Lives: An Interim Report on Archaeological and Environmental Investigations of Malaga Island, Phippsburg, Maine. Maine State Museum and University of Southern Maine. 2012. Papers, posters and conference presentations (Thinking Matters at USM counts here) Fredeen, DJ. and R. M. Sanford. 2012. Creating a campus climate for SENCER: Strategies for Involving Faculty and Administrators. SENCER Summer institute. August 1-6, 2012. Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA. Workshops Sanford, R. M. and J. Staples. 2012. Environmental science/studies survival in changing times: Adapting an undergraduate program for success. June 29—July 2, International Environmental Association. Portland, ME. Funded research/training grants Co-PI, Noyce Scholarship grant, 2010. National Science Foundation. Administer approximately $800,000 in scholarships to graduate and undergraduate students planning teaching careers in a STEM field. Professional Associations Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners, 2004-present. Public Service/volunteer Advisory Committee, Maine Department of Transportation, Gorham Bypass Regional Planning Project. 2009-2013.
References for job, graduate school, internship, & other positions
You must obtain permission from your references in order to use them here. It is advisable to approach each potential reference with a simple question: do you feel you could give me a good reference? If your potential reference doesn’t answer with an enthusiastic “yes!” then you might want to ask someone who knows you better/has offered to write a references/etc. Remember too that it’s expected that employers and faculty will write references – for faculty, at least, it’s part of our job, and it reflects well on us when you succeed! Don’t hesitate to ask (nicely).
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References You must have a minimum of three references. For each, include: Name, prefix or suffix (i.e. Dr., Ph.D., M.D., Chair, Assistant Research Professor of Environmental Science & Policy), Title, Name of Organization, Full Address, Phone number, E-mail, website if applicable, other as appropriate. If you wish, this page may be divided into sections, such as Professional, Academic and Personal. Some comments:
o Include a heading on this page that has your name, like References of Allison Miller. o Include first Academic, then Professional References until after you graduate, then
switch. Not everyone bothers with this (I only provide three references). Personal references are discouraged unless other references are not available. Minimum three references preferred in each section.
o Example of proper Reference inclusion:
Robert M. Sanford, Ph.D. (or, Dr. Robert M. Sanford) Professor (use their accurate title, don’t make it up) Department of Environmental Science & Policy (use proper and full name) University of Southern Maine 37 College Avenue (always give physical address) Gorham, ME 04038 Phone number (if you leave this out people will have a hard time calling your reference) Email (many people prefer an email check-in on a reference, especially for internships)
o Do not abbreviate names of streets or roads. No comma after the state name. o Phone number should be written as either xxx-xxx-xxxx, or (xxx) xxx-xxxx (notice no dash
after the parentheses). Europeans might put it as xxx.xxx.xxxx but here in America it seems like a bit of an affectation if you are American and not European.
o Be consistent with style of state name (for example, Maine or ME or Me., use one style throughout)
Professional Goals
Separate from your resume, some interviewers, internship positions, grad schools, and employers might require a professional goals statement. This statement is a succinct piece about where you see yourself in your future: your career goals and the thoughtful details of how you intend to get there. Write this to impress the interviewer, showing that your goals are clear and motivated, yet balanced and realistic, and demonstrate how your goals meet the interviewer’s as well as your own needs. Keep the length to no more than one page.
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o Include an opening statement and a closing statement, don’t end abruptly. o These are goals, not your ethics – differentiate. o Briefly address what has inspired you to pursue this field. o Write with focus and be goal-oriented, even if unsure of your path. State clearly what
you do know. For what you don’t know, explain how you are learning and exploring your options.
o Remember your audience throughout this portfolio; what do you want and not want to share with them?
o Grad schools like to see students pursue learning outside of a limited area, to seek a global vision and a worldly view via exposure beyond “home”, which is naturally limiting. This lets them know that you intend to understand diverse cultures and societies, which are vital to contributing to any field. Include your professional aspirations as well as your civic and global intentions.
o A good communication skillset is in the top three or four things employers look for.
Internship Presentation Night
When you are ready, you will present your internship briefly during a formal evening event.
Internship presentation titles: Titles should be brief and should capture the essence of your internship. For example, "Working as Fisheries Biologist Aide for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife," "An Exploration into the Field of Environmental Planning," or "Electronic Waste Management Policy Research."
Because this is a professional presentation, and students are encouraged to invite their hosts and professional colleagues, business attire for presenters is required. It is a good idea to attend an Internship Night before you have your own internship to present, so you can see what it is like.
Business attire: Dress for the occasion. You are presenting a professional internship so you need to dress "professionally." Dress pants, dress shirt/blouse, and jacket; tie; skirt and blouse (or nice top); or dress. The purpose of professional attire is to look well-groomed and put together, but your outfit should not detract from your presentation or what you have to say.
For more information contact your ESP Adviser/Internship coordinator.
Suggested Outline for Presentation at the ESP Internship Night
The presentation should highlight the major sections of your written ESP Internship Report. The presentation should be in Microsoft PowerPoint, 8 minutes long (strictly enforced), and should follow the suggested format below:
1. Title (1 slide): Your name, the host organization, and your job title. 2. Introduction (1 slide): Mission statement or background of the host organization.
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3. Objective of Internship: (1 slide) 4. Methods, Skills, and Technology that you used or developed (1 to 2 slides) 5. Results (2 to 3 slides) Include photographs of you working in the field, maps, report
covers, diagrams, and other photographs as necessary to augment your presentation. 6. Conclusion (1 slide) Include acknowledgements (no harm in saying thanks).
Presentation Suggestions:
You are strongly encouraged to practice your presentation. A clear and smooth presentation is more effective and better appreciated. If necessary, memorize what you will say – do not read.
Practice the timing of the presentation in PowerPoint by selecting Slide Show, Rehearse Timing function.
Record your practice presentations with a tape or video recorder to review and correct, if necessary, your presentation.
Focus on the content rather than the graphics: animation, cartoons, sound effects, and other special effects detract away from your message.
Maintain eye contact with the audience and speak in a clear, loud voice. Look friendly, interested, and alert. Be prepared for questions. Providing materials or handouts applicable to your internship are welcomed additions to
a presentation. Because this is a professional style colloquium, students are expected to dress in
standard business attire. Powerpoint slides should be in standard (not wide) format. Dark backgrounds are not
recommended – after a long day, dark slides can put people to sleep.
ESP Internship Report Format
Length: 6-8 pages, including illustrations (photos, graphics, examples of products like maps, etc), double-spaced, 12 point font.
Cover Sheet 12 (twelve) point type centered. Introduction: Mission statement or background of the host organization. Objective of Internship: What was the purpose of your internship? Methods, Skills, and Technology: Describe the methods, skills, and any new
technologies you learned about and/or used to carry out the work or project. Results: Discuss the overall results of the internship. For example, “I am (am not)
interested in pursuing this career path because...”; and include discussion of your new insights into the field; challenges in theoretical versus practical application; observations of organizational functions; the interaction between scientists and non-scientists; and recommendations for future jobs.
References: Use APA formatting style. Be accountable for the facts and other information.
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Note that you must use text to introduce your illustrations, and refer to illustrations as numbered figures. Don’t forget informative captions.
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