Summer Apprenticeship

CMOP offers a Summer Apprenticeship program for high school students. Students work along side scientists and graduate students performing research relative to the Columbia River estuary. The center partners with Saturday Academy to offer this 8-week summer apprenticeship. Students are at CMOP from late June to the middle of August. At the end of the summer, students will present at the ASE Symposium.

The 2010 ASE Preliminary Application is available online.

Deadline: January 25, 2010

How To Apply
The following is general information about the ASE application process.

Please note that you may only apply via online form. Applications will not be accepted on paper, unless approved in advance. If you have difficulty accessing a computer, please contact ASE staff.

Preliminary Application
Students complete a basic application form and write three short answer essays. The preliminary application is due on or before January 25, 2010.

Students who turn in the preliminary application on time are eligible to complete the final application.

Final Application
Applicants peruse the available internships in the "Position Description" book and rank their top three. Applicants then write an essay for each position and gather two adult recommendations and a transcript. These materials are due to ASE on or before March 2, 2010.

ASE POSITIONS AT CMOP

BIO: Department of Science & Engineering, OHSU, Beaverton OR
Gene Sequence Annotation and Web Site Development

Neurospora crassa is an easy-to-use experimental system in which questions of fundamental and practical significance can be pursued. For sixty years, intensive genetic and cell biology studies have been carried out with this fungus, providing a gold mine of biological knowledge, and there is great potential for gaining new insights into complex biological questions. This mentor's group is working to obtain a highly accurate sequence of the 43-million base-pair N. crassa genome for deposit in public databases. This group will annotate this sequence and develop tools to display the genome and its content in ways that will be useful to a broad community of research scientists and to the public. The apprentice will pursue his/her interests in computers and biology to develop web-based approaches to make the N. crassa genome and related information accessible and useful. Applicants should be at least 15, have taken a course in biology, and have experience with computers.
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CHEM: Department of Science & Engineering, OHSU, Beaverton OR
Environmental Degradation of Organic Pollutants

The apprentice will participate in research on the degradation of pollutants in the environment. In streams, sediments and groundwater, organic pollutants undergo chemical reactions that transform them into less (or sometimes more) harmful products. Understanding these degradation reactions is one of the major challenges in environmental science. The apprentice will gain experience in the laboratory, as well as some experience in the field. Analysis of pollutant concentrations will be done by gas and/or liquid chromatography with computer data acquisition. The results should help contribute to the scientific basis for regulation and remediation of environmental contamination by organic chemicals. Applicants should have completed a year of chemistry (including basic principles and laboratory techniques) by the beginning of the apprenticeship. Strong math and computer skills are a plus.
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ENVSCI: Department of Science & Engineering, OHSU, Beaverton OR
The Role of the Columbia River Plume in Coastal Primary Production

The apprentice will participate in a project funded by the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the study is to understand the role of the Columbia River plume in coastal productivity. The project will (over several years) quantify the primary and secondary (plankton) productivity of the plume itself, the role of the plume in improving the production of the coastal upwelling ecosystem, and the role of the micro-nutrient iron supplied by the Columbia River in coastal production. This work is vital because estuaries, plumes and the coastal ocean provide about 30% of all marine production; are strongly impacted by pollution, human alteration of the hydrologic cycle and engineering structures; and are being increasingly altered by climate change. The mentor is responsible for understanding tides, internal tides, small-scale physical processes at fronts and the estuary entrance, and for conduct of ship-board physical oceanographic surveys. The apprentice will participate in the activities of the mentor's research group, including field work, data analysis, discussion of work in progress, and (potential) publication of results. The apprentice will participate in the second half or last week of a cruise in the Columbia River plume area aboard the Research Vessel Pt Sur (see www.mlml.calstate.edu/marinops/marinops.htm). S/he will learn the Matlab programming language, and will conduct physical oceanography data analyses using Matlab. Participation in the cruise is mandatory and means that the student will be away from home (living aboard the ship) for 1 week at the end of June 2005. The student may also participate in small boat work either during the cruise or at other times during the summer. While most students find shipboard cruise work exciting and interesting, it is also very demanding, as we will be working 12 hrs 6-7 days per week. This position requires a background in calculus, computer programming and physics coursework; biology and chemistry coursework are desirable. Previous programming experience (not necessarily in Matlab) is highly desirable, and experience on small boats is useful but not necessary. Personal maturity and a desire to work hard are essential. The apprentice must be 16 to work on the ship; only juniors should apply for this position. The apprentice does not need a car or driver's license, but it is useful. Foul weather gear, warm clothes and rubber boots are required for work on the ship. The applicant must submit the Overnight Permission Form.

Deadline: January 25, 2010
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