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We train the next generation

Empowering future leaders in conservation

Our internship and workforce development programs provide mentorship, technical training, and community to a diverse group of STEM students and those aspiring toward careers in conservation science.

By offering paid technical and professional development training to interns, we hope to create new opportunities for young New Yorkers to pursue and succeed in green jobs.

Since 2016, we have provided over 150 paid internships to more than 100 students from the City University of New York (CUNY). 

We offer a High School Student Urban Nature (SUN) paid internship program working with students in Forest Park, Queens and in the Greenbelt, Staten Island. In 2024, our new fellowship program launched for CUNY students interested in natural resource management.

Recent internship triumphs

Internships with CUNY students in mind

We offer paid summer internships for CUNY students. This eight-week, full-time urban ecology program provides training in plant identification, field ecology, data management, ecological surveying methods, and trail improvement techniques.

Eligible interns include current CUNY students (undergraduates, graduate, and certification students) and recent graduates (within two years post graduation).

Interns also have the chance to hone their professional skills throughout their term. We offer  resume and cover letter development guidance, and the opportunity to network with professionals from organizations like NYC Parks, local park conservancies, and city environmental organizations.

We found 80% of job-seeking interns secured employment within six months of completing our program, and 90% of those now work in the environmental field. 

All students who intern with the NAC join a thriving alumni network that continues to share knowledge, build community, highlight professional growth opportunities, and steward the environment.

Learn more about specific projects our interns work on each summer. 

A CUNY intern story

How a Former NAC Intern Forged a Career in Public Health Advocacy

Former public health NAC intern, Julia Rossi, used skills gained during her NAC internship to purse a career in advocacy.

Read more
High School interns work on trails

Student Urban Nature High School Internship 

The SUN high school internship is a paid urban ecology program that is centered on fostering interest in science and nature by connecting students to their local natural area and the fascinating ecology within. 

By engaging with high school students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields, we hope to provide mentorship and training that will expand their opportunities to pursue careers in the ecology and environmental field. 

Students in our program can expect to learn about the foundations of wetland and forest ecology through flora and fauna identification, how data and observations inform natural areas management, and engage with local ecosystems through scientific inquiry, ending the summer by presenting their research findings at an end-of-summer symposium.

The SUN high school internship has two program locations: 

Learn more about the SUN internship’s curriculum and program. 

The application period for the 2025 summer session has now closed.

Student Urban Nature (SUN) High School Internship Research Projects

  • The Impact of Herbaceous Cover on Macroinvertebrate Abundance and Richness

    Authored by Tracy Ye, Souvik Basak, Justin Meikle

    Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens

  • Soil Moisture Impact on Invasive Species at Forest Park: Strack Pond

    Authored by Farhin Chowdhury, Victor Kamrowski, Timothy Duren

    Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens

  • How Urbanized Areas Affect Species Richness of Non-Native Stream Vegetation in the Staten Island Greenbelt

     

    Authored by Kaden Pook and Darla Hatem

    Research conducted in Staten Island Greenbelt

  • Determining if Abundance of Pollution Intolerant Macroinvertebrates and Rocky Sediments are Indicators of Greater Stream Health in Staten Island

     

    Authored by Junyi Tan, Julian Wilson, Miguel Vega

    Research conducted in Staten Island Greenbelt

Support our internship programs by giving today

Your contribution will help us continue to offer paid work opportunities to STEM students.

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