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

Environmental Sensor Development
Mentor: Paul Tratnyek

Project Description
One of the major scientific themes of the Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction (http://www.stccmop.org/) is development of novel sensors for monitoring biogeochemical process in dynamic environments like the lower Columbia River. We are working on several such sensors (mostly microelectrodes), for parameters ranging from nitrate to specific types of microbial activity. The intern selected for this position will assist with fabrication, calibration, field testing, and possibly field deployment of these sensors. The most important requirements for this internship are a strong background in chemistry (preferably completed AP or IB level) and some familiarity with basic electronics, interfacing and data transfer to computers, etc. Optionally, this position may also involve participating in overnight field work onboard a research vessel in the Columbia River.

Biogeochemical Cycling of Manganese in the Environment
Mentor: Brad Tebo

Project Description
The intern selected for this position will be working on projects investigating the biogeochemical cycling of manganese and iron in natural environments. Microorganisms, when their growth is limited for iron, produce compounds to bind forms of iron which otherwise would be unavailable to the cells. Such compounds, although primarily produced to complex with iron, can also bind certain forms of soluble manganese and thereby affect the stability of those forms. As other forms of manganese, specifically particulate manganese oxide minerals, play a crucial role in the fate of various elements, understanding the conditions and processes controlling the different forms of manganese in the environment is important. The intern will participate in identifying what microorganisms are present in the environment that are involved in cycling of manganese, what type of iron-complexing compounds are produced, and/or what form of manganese can be found. As part of the process, s/he will gain experience using traditional culture- dependent and culture-independent microbiological techniques to understand the microbes important in manganese cycling in the environment, and also learn to operate various analytical equipments to monitor the geochemical aspects. The intern will also purify iron-binding complexes.

Plankton Ecology in the Columbia River Estuary
Mentor: Lydie Herfort

Project Description
Each year, for at least a decade, large vivid red water blooms of the plankton Myrionecta rubra (a ciliate) have occurred in the Columbia River estuary during late summer. This organism has the unique ability to acquire chloroplasts from its prey, which are cryptophyte algae, through a process known as karyoklepty. The intern selected for this position will work with a mentor at the Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction (CMOP) to use multiple genetic markers to discover genetically distinct members of Myrionecta rubra and its cryptophyte prey. Intern activities will include water sample collection throughout the estuary and the coastal ocean north of the river, nucleic acid extraction, PCR amplification, preparation of samples for cloning and sequencing and sequence data analysis. The student must wear a lab coat (provided) and closed-toe shoes while working. The Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction (CMOP) is a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, representing a large multi-institutional partnership. CMOP researchers study the health of the ocean and the impact of human activity in the Oregon and Washington coastal margins, where the Columbia River interacts with the Pacific Ocean.

Manganese-Oxidizing Microbes in the Columbia River Estuary
Mentor: Dr. Brad Tebo

Project Description
Microorganisms are major contributors to many of the biogeochemical cycles (e.g. carbon and sulphur cycles) that are essential to maintaining the habitability of our planet for higher life forms. Research in the mentor's laboratory focuses on microbes that can oxidize manganese since they are important players in numerous biogeochemical cycles and processes, including biomineralization (the formation of minerals by living organisms). The intern selected for this position will be involved in a project that uses an exciting, novel microbiological technology to directly identify, isolate and characterize manganese-oxidizing bacteria from the Columbia River estuary. He/she will work side-by-side with scientists and learn about all aspects of the scientific process – from preparation of experimental reagents and general laboratory procedures to experimental planning, execution and data analysis. The student might participate in a cruise to collect water column samples for the project. The results of this project will contribute to our knowledge of the complex processes occurring in one of our nation’s greatest rivers. Where required, the student will interact with CMOP scientists from other OHSU laboratories. Applicants should possess a good formal science background, especially in biology. Importantly, the student chosen for this project will be motivated and have a strong curiosity about the natural world.

Internship in Ocean Observatories
Mentor: Antonio Baptista

Project Description
Ocean observatories are novel integrations of observations from environmental sensors, simulations via 3D computer models, and information flow and visualization systems, which together put environmental information at the fingertips of scientists, managers, educators and the general public. That information is essential to understand and sustainably manage the oceans and their coastal margins, under increasing human and climate stresses. The interns selected for this position will be integrated into the multi-disciplinary team at the Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction (CMOP) that operates one of the most advanced ocean observatories in the world, focused on the Columbia River estuary and ocean plume (http://www.stccmop.org/saturn.) Those interns will be exposed to all aspects of the observatory, from engineering to science and outreach. Focus will be on scientific data analysis. The interns will work under the supervision of two mentors, and will be assigned tasks that require independence, judgment, teamwork and communication skills. There is a strong preference for candidates with interest and skill in mathematics and in physics, chemistry or biology. Skill or ability to learn visualization and/or statistical software packages is a must. Programming skills are a plus, but not a requirement.

Remediation of Environmental Contaminants
Mentor: Paul Tratnyek

Project Description
The intern for this position 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 and engineering. The intern will participate in laboratory studies of the chemistry of contaminant remediation. This will involve measurement of organic chemical concentrations by gas and/or liquid chromatography and various types of spectroscopy. 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 internship. Strong math and computer skills are also required.

Deadline: January 25, 2010
Click Here to Apply