Tyson is the environmental field station for Washington University in St. Louis and a resource for faculty, staff, and students at WashU and beyond. Together with our laboratory and experimental facilities, our 2,000-acre landscape provide opportunities for multi-scale research and teaching. We encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and integrate educational programs into faculty research programs for authentic research apprenticeships.

At Tyson, we fully integrate our educational programming within our research activities. We provide enthusiastic pre-college and undergraduate students with hands-on research experience in the natural and environmental sciences. The resources of Tyson Research Center are also available to educators at other regional colleges and universities.

Tyson Conservation Corps Student Co-Coordinator – Closed

Job Summary: The roles of the Student Co-Coordinators are to act as student leaders for the Tyson Conservation Corps (TCC), a student group dedicated to conservation and ecological restoration at Tyson Research Center. The Student Co-Coordinators serve as liaisons between WashU undergraduate students and the staff ecologists at Tyson Research Center, organizing events and designing programming that meet the experiential and educational interests of student volunteers, along with the research and conservation needs of the staff ecologists and Tyson Research Center as a whole. The Student Co-Coordinators organize and plan activities, and communicate with students. This is a paid internship position that requires on average 5-10 hours per week and is integrated into the Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change (ESCC) Internship Program.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Work closely in collaboration with the returning TCC Student Co-Coordinator to accomplish the following job responsibilities:
  • Recruit student volunteers by tabling at the semesterly activities fair, class announcements, and facebook posts
  • Brainstorm, organize, and facilitate work days throughout the semester
  • Establish and maintain contacts with conservation partners (e.g., Shaw Nature Reserve, The Nature Conservancy, US Fish & Wildlife Service)
  • Coordinate carpool to and from off-campus events
  • Check TCC email and facebook pages regularly 
  • Communicate regularly with Tyson staff ecologists, Beth Biro and Solny Adalsteinsson 
  • Send out group-wide emails and social media posts with event sign-ups, event logistics, and general updates
  • Publicize other environmental events and opportunities on campus and in the community through social media and direct emailing
  • Participate in the ESCC intern community and respond promptly to internship related messages
  • Attend ESCC professional development activities
  • Assist with data collection for the LIFEPLAN project in Forest Park 

Skills and Qualifications: 

  • Responsive and communicative
  • Enthusiastic
  • Strong ability to take initiative 
  • Excellent follow through
  • Ability to work independently and on a team
  • Strong leadership skills
  • Familiarity with Tyson Research Center (preferred but not required)
  • Coursework or experience in biology/ecology/conservation/restoration (preferred)

Supervision and Requirements:

  • The position reports to Tyson staff ecologists, Solny Adalsteinsson and Beth Biro
  • Through ESCC, the position is also overseen by Michelle Patterson
  • Supervise student volunteers during workdays
  • Obtain a class E Missouri drivers license or another state equivalent 
  • Work on select weekends and after class hours during week as events are scheduled

How to apply:

Fill out an application here: https://forms.gle/kH6ay4jZSARxR9ZL8

Contact: Beth Biro: ebiro@wustl.edu or Solny Adalsteinsson solny.adalsteinsson@wustl.edu

Summer Research Internships

Spend your summer immersed within the Tyson research community. In this 11-week summer program, undergraduate students work elbow-to-elbow with faculty, post-doctoral scientist, staff scientist, and graduate student mentors on field-based research projects at Tyson Research Center offers paid 10 week summer research internships at the Missouri Botanical Gardens and the St. Louis Zoo for Washington University undergraduates.