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Student Opportunities

We are proud to support the career development of students who are pursuing studies in education, natural and/or social sciences at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. There are many ways a student can become involved at the Center, such as joining our educational programming team as a paid staff member, pursuing an Internship or a year-long Fellowship, or participating in project based learning. 

Mary Fastiggi
Mary Fastiggi

I believe that I got into graduate school and got my scholarship because of all the experience and projects I could reference from my work at the EIC.

Student Naturalists

UM-Dearborn student leading educational programs outside to younger children

The EIC relies on UM-Dearborn students to help with educational programs. 

As part-time member of our naturalist interpretive staff, you will receive training in the principles of environmental interpretation and inquiry-based learning and instruction. Student program leaders are expected to have good communication skills and an ability to interact well with others, especially children.  Also, student staff members must possess a genuine interest and at least some familiarity with local flora and fauna and the natural history of the region.

Collegiate Sustainability Fellow

The EIC Collegiate Sustainability Fellow is a year-long opportunity for four students, one selected student from each college, to collaborate with EIC staff, Director, and campus community on sustainability-themed projects. The overall goal is to create interdisciplinary sustainability initiatives focused on the EIC, particularly how the EIC engages with campus community and in Southeastern Michigan.

This fellowship program will begin at the end of September and continue until end of April or early May. Fellows are expected to commit approximately 10 hours a week and will earn a stipend. Fellows will work at the EIC in a small team that will require constant communication with EIC staff and Director, as well as informal mentoring from a professor in your home discipline.

Griffin Bray
Griffin Bray

My childhood experiences at the EIC, like participating in the Young Naturalist program, helped spark and nurture my love of the outdoors. It also introduced me to the joy of environmental interpretation. Not only did my time at the Center give me the skills of the profession, but it also showed me that this could be (and later would be) my life's work.

Holland Family Internship

The Holland Family Internship is designed to introduce interested students to different aspects of running a nature center. The position is highly versatile and can accommodate a vast array of skills and interests. Among others, the intern will assist the EIC Director, Dr. Claudia Walters, with developing virtual and hardcopy instructional materials (e.g., interpretive signs), redesigning the EIC website, and incorporating geospatial technologies into the EIC operations. They will also assist with sustainability initiatives.  

Jacob Yesh-Brochstein
Jacob Yesh-Brochstein

All of the mentors I had in my educational, and later professional, career stemmed from work I did, and skills I developed, at the EIC. I would not be where I am today without the EIC.

Kenneth and Marion Parkhurst Natural Areas Fellowship

The Kenneth and Marion Parkhurst Natural Areas Fellowship is designed to provide experiential learning for a prospective leader of environmental interpretation and community education. This fellowship provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience promoting environmental awareness. The Parkhurst fellow will help lead educational programs for K-12 and other audiences. They will also assist in developing new programs and in environmental monitoring.