Appalachian Laboratory Internship Program
Each year, scientists at the Appalachian Laboratory offer a limited number of undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in research activities through the Laboratory's internship program. Opportunities vary by year. To learn more about ongoing research conducted by Appalachian Laboratory scientists, visit our faculty page.
Interested students should contact Rhonda Schwinabart, Coordinator of External Affairs, at 301-689-7102 or rschwinabart@umces.edu to learn more.
Abigail Reid prepares samples in laboratory during her internship with Dr. David Nelson.
Kane Samuel and Dr. Mark Castro following Samuel's seminar presentation in May 2019.
Scott McKinstry collecting water samples at field site in Baltimore County, Maryland
Upcoming Opportunities
Currently, we do not have any internship opportunities available. Please visit this site for updates on future opportunities.
Past Interns
Summer 2018: Abigail Reid
Abigail completed her internship in summer 2018 in the laboratory of Dr. David Nelson. During the internship, Abigail assisted Dr. Nelson in a project to determine if the singed feathers from birds killed at solar energy facilities were still viable in determining the geographic origin of the birds. Read more here.
Spring 2019: Kane Samuel
Under the supervision of Dr. Mark Castro, Kane's internship project focused on improving understanding of mercury concentrations in locally grown feed corn. His findings were presented at a special seminar at the Appalachian Laboratory in May 2019. Read more and view his presentation slides here.
Summer 2019: Scott McKinstry
During summer 2019, Scott worked with UMCES Ph.D. student Joel Bostic at two watersheds in Baltimore County and in the laboratory, trying to identify the source of nitrate found at the sites following major storm events. For his project, McKinstry chose to examine if the size of a storm correlates with the concentration of both total nitrate and nitrate from the atmosphere in the samples. Read more and view slides from his August 2019 seminar presentation here.