COAST Student Internships Summer 2016

California State Lands Commission Marine Invasive Species Program Vessel Biofouling Management Internship

 

Host: The California State Lands Commission – Marine Invasive Species Program (CSLC-MISP) is a statewide program tasked with developing and implementing science-based policies to reduce the risk of introducing aquatic nonindigenous species into California waters through commercial shipping activities. The CSLC-MISP accomplishes this goal by identifying and funding targeted research, convening stakeholder discussions to inform policy development, and conducting outreach and enforcement of existing policies.

Location: Long Beach; regular travel to Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and occasional travel to CSLC offices in Sacramento and Hercules (SF Bay).

Internship Dates: June 6 - August 19, 2016; start and end dates flexible with regard to student’s academic commitments.

Stipend: $4,000.00

Time Commitment: The internship is a full time, 11-week commitment. Over the 11 weeks, the intern may take up to five days off for personal reasons, vacation or illness. If participation is less than 100%, the stipend will be pro-rated.

Position Description and Responsibilities:Vessel biofouling refers to the organisms associated with the underwater surfaces of vessels (e.g. barnacles), and is believed to be responsible for up to 60% of the currently established nonindigenous species in California’s coastal and estuarine waters. The CSLC-MISP is responsible for the development, adoption, and implementation of regulations to reduce the risk of biofouling-mediated introductions of nonindigenous species into California waters.

One (1) internship is available to work with MISP scientists on three related projects associated with the development and implementation of vessel biofouling management policies:

  1. Documenting biofouling extent on the waterlines of commercial ships arriving at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The primary tasks for this project include traveling regularly (two to three days per week) to commercial ports/terminals and boarding vessels to photograph biofouling along ship waterlines; creating a structured inventory and cataloging photographs and related data; and analyzing these data to identify patterns of biofouling accumulation associated with vessel maintenance and operational practices.
  2. Documenting the prevalence and types of Biofouling Management Plans (BFMP) and Biofouling Record Books (BFRB) maintained onboard vessels arriving at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The primary tasks for this project include traveling regularly (two to three days per week) to commercial ports/terminals, boarding vessels, and documenting the presence or absence and types of ship-specific BFMPs and BFRBs.
  3. Processing digital images captured by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to estimate percentage cover of biofouling organisms on vessel underwater surfaces. Primary tasks for this project include using image processing software to estimate biofouling extent from a series of existing digital images collected during ROV surveys.

The intern will be required to produce a mini-report focused on the collection and analysis of data collected during the internship and will present these results during informal brown bag talks to CSLC colleagues in Sacramento, Hercules, and Long Beach.

Preferred Experience and Capabilities: Experience in marine biology or related field is necessary. Basic knowledge of invertebrate taxonomy, invasion ecology, chemistry, photography, and basic statistics is preferred but not required. Experience with Excel, Access, and PowerPoint is a plus. The intern must be well organized and be capable of effective oral and written communication.

Skills Gained:The intern will gain a solid understanding of how shipping activities facilitate the movement of organisms around the world. The intern will gain firsthand experience working within a statewide program focused on prevention through vector management. The intern will have the opportunity to:

  • Interact with an extensive network of state, federal, and international scientists and other stakeholders;
  • Board commercial ships and interact with international ship crews; and
  • Observe and participate in California’s process of developing policies/regulations that will impact a global industry.

Eligibility/Requirements: This internship is geared toward upper class (juniors/seniors) and graduate students. The intern must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. The intern must be able to work independently and interact in a professional manner with MISP management, scientists and inspectors, and with other stakeholders. The intern must be able to climb temporary stairs/gangways to board ships, and must be eligible to obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to gain access to ports. Travel to offices in Sacramento and Hercules (SF Bay) may be required. Applicants are also subject to additional eligibility and requirements that can be found here.

Applicants are also subject to additional eligibility and requirements that can be found here.

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