Professional Development Programs for Young Women

Audubon’s Women In Conservation is committed to providing professional development and mentorship opportunities to young women interested in conservation and environmental careers. Our competitive internship programs provide young women with the opportunities to advance conservation initiatives in our state offices or on-the-ground, working alongside seasoned Audubon professionals.

Please visit Audubon’s Career Page or Follow us on Twitter for more information on when our next internship will be available.

Rachel Carson Field Internship:

In the late 1920s, when Rachel Carson attended Chatham College, then Pennsylvania Female College, her majoring in Biology and her intent to seek a profession in the field was pioneering. A few years later, Rachel Carson had a work experience that changed her life when she spent a summer interning at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod. This experience brought Carson out of the classroom and onto the rocks and shoreline of her beloved Atlantic Coast advancing her from student to bona fide scientist. This experience, along with her literary genius, changed the course of her life and the course of history. At Audubon, we are committed to sound science and conservation and our Women in Conservation Program is working to provide field opportunities to young women who are eager, like Rachel Carson, for hands on experience.

In 2012, Audubon New York established the Rachel Carson Field Internship to give young women the opportunity to develop habitat stewardship and wildlife management skills through on-the-ground field experience. Our field interns work tirelessly on vital bird conservation projects across Long Island helping to save one of the world’s most beloved and endangered birds - the Piping Plover. The Piping Plover population has diminished to only 8,000 birds, 10% of which rely on New York and Long Island for breeding and nesting. The Rachel Carson Field intern assists in bird stewardship and monitoring and public outreach throughout the height of the breeding season. Since our internship was established, our bird conservation program has been able to steward more birds at more sites than ever before.

Participants in the Field Internship Program:

2015

Emma Carpenter
SUNY ESF, Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Science

Suzanne Jensen
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, B.S. in Conservation Biology

2014

Emma Carpenter
SUNY ESF, Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Science

2013

Ingrid Brofman
University of New Hampshire, Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology

Rachel Neville
Cornell University, Bachelor of Science in the Science of Natural and Environmental Systems

Women In Conservation Fellowship:

Audubon’s Women In Conservation offers a prominent fellowship which provides in-office learning opportunities for women wishing to learn about the wide variety of careers in environmental conservation. The program introduces our fellows to the environmental non-profit world, National Audubon and its Women In Conservation Program. It allows the intern to work alongside Audubon staff, Board & Awards Council members, and other key players that are invested in the mission and success of the WIC Program. Our fellows are empowered to tailor projects and duties in order to showcase individual strengths, talents and interests. It includes projects in the areas of Non-Profit Project Management, Public Relations, Design Work, Press and Publications, Website Development and Event Planning.

Participants in the Internship Program:

2015 Intern:

Eunice Kimm
Trinity College, B.S. in Environmental Science and Minor in Studio Arts

2014 Intern:

Nadya Ali
Barnard College, B.A. in Environmental Biology & Human Rights

2013 Intern:

Anna Kaufman
Connecticut College, B.A. in Biology

2012 Intern:

Alexandra Davis
Franklin College Switzerland, B.A., Combined Communication & Media Studies; Comparative Literature & Cultural Studies. Minor Environmental Science

2011 Intern:

Margo Ludmer
University of Michigan, B.A. in Environmental Studies University of Virginia School of Law

2010 Intern:

Laura Novich
Boston Unviersity, B.A. in Environmental Science

Hallie Morrison
Vassar College, B.A. in Environmental Studies & Chinese

2009 Intern:

Mary Fischer
Stony Brook University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, DPT, Physical Therapy

Kathryn Arion
Dartmouth College, B.A. in Environmental Studies