Position Overview
The Cedar Creek LTER (Long Term Ecological Research Network) has several opportunities for students to work as plant community ecology interns. Most positions run from June through August, but some interns are needed as early as March, and some are needed through October. Your educational institution may be able to approve this internship for any field biology requirement of your major. As a research intern, you will contribute to ongoing field experiments, attend scientific seminars, and interact with professors, post-docs, and graduate students. If you are an undergraduate or a newly graduated student with a background or interest in biology, ecology, environmental science, botany, environmental education, or related field we encourage you to apply.
Pay is $15.50 per hour. Typical workdays are eight hours Monday through Friday; however, some projects require weekend, early morning, and evening work. Most of the work you do will be out in the field, though a few jobs have indoor laboratory or computer components. On-site dormitory housing is available to rent.
Research Overview
We have multiple large scale projects, and several other LTER projects sampling across experimental platforms that interns will be working on for the season. BioCON is one of the large-scale experiments where we explore the ways in which plant communities respond to environmental changes such as increased nitrogen deposition, increased atmospheric CO2, decreased biodiversity, altered precipitation patterns, and increased temperatures. Another large-scale project is the Big Biodiversity experiment that studies how plant biodiversity affects the rates, dynamics, and stability of ecological processes at the population, community, and ecosystem levels. Our Savanna Fire Frequency experiment will be doing a large survey effort including tree measures, herbaceous surveys and light measures. Throughout the summer we will maintain and sample these experiments.
REU (Research Experience for Undergrads) Opportunities
Cedar Creek LTER also has two REU opportunities for the summer. These opportunities are open to undergraduate students that have not yet graduated (enrolled for fall 2026 classes). The pay rate is in stipend form and is comparable to the internship pay rate. More information about these opportunities can be found at z.umn.edu/cdrjobs.
Independent Research Projects and Professional Development Opportunities
As part of the summer research experience, undergrad and post-bac interns have the opportunity to conduct small group research projects. Cedar Creek provides a research professional development training program in which a mentorship team guides interns through the process of designing and proposing a research project, conducting research, and presenting research results. We work with active researchers to generate a list of group project ideas, and interns make selections from that list. There will also be an opening research symposium as well as seminars led by researchers on a variety of topics during the summer.
Research site
CCESR is an eight square mile tract of land 35 miles north of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul (MN). Cedar Creek is endowed with a mosaic of prairie, savanna, sedge meadows, bogs, open water, forests, and even abandoned agricultural fields. Its large size, great natural biodiversity, and uniform soil substrate make it ideal for ecosystem studies.
Qualifications
- Ability to work outdoors.
- Effective analytical and communication skills.
- Strong organizational and time management skills.
- End date must be on or later than August 13th.
- Driver’s license is preferred but not required.
To apply for the intern position please visit our website, z.umn.edu/cdrjobs. The deadline for application submission is February 15th. For any questions regarding the internships or application please email ccintern@umn.edu or call 612-301-2616.
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