Summer opportunity in environmental conservation, policy and natural resources

Opportunity 

The CA Department of Conservation (DOC) administers a variety of programs vital to California's public safety, environment and economy. The services DOC provides are designed to balance today's needs with tomorrow's obligations by fostering the wise use and conservation of energy, land and mineral resources. The UCGHI Planetary Health Center of Expertise (PHCOE) brings together faculty, students and stakeholders from across the University of California system, including the national laboratory system, to work together to address issues involving population pressures on the environment and environmental pressures on populations.

The summer fellow will be based in Sacramento and will have opportunities to work with DOC and UC Davis. Learn about our Summer 2017 DOC fellows.

Possible projects

• Literature and data searches to evaluate whether agricultural conservation easements are economically beneficial locally and statewide
• Researching innovative and successful land use policies in other states and how they could possibly be formulated and deployed in California's particular regulatory landscape
• Providing support in identifying optimal parcels for outreach into the SALC program
• Participating in Ag Brainstorming sessions to better understand how we can protect farmland
• Analyzing legislation, engaging with stakeholders and developing policy solutions
• Working on development of one or more oil and gas regulatory packages currently underway. This would include reading and responding to comments, developing compromises that adhere to public health and environmental goals and learning the regulatory process (Administrative Procedures Act)
• Providing support for our greenhouse gas sequestration research
• Assisting with project management for various division initiatives
• Developing talking points, presentation materials and background materials related to Departmental decisions and policy initiatives
• Assisting with the Educational Outreach Initiative through the setting up of teacher workshops and identification of in-house materials for our Educational web portal
• Assisting with the identification of and implementation of new speakers for DOC Brown Bag Lecture series
• Attend meetings and workshops in Sacramento and throughout California

Desired skills

• Graduate student status at a UC campus
• Minimum GPA 3.0 to be eligible for fellowship
• Strong desire to learn, proactive and solution oriented attitude, excellent written and verbal communication skills and critical thinking and analytical skills
• Ability to prepare reports, spreadsheets, data and documentation as well as develop other materials including fact sheets and other public communications tools
• Ability to work with and communicate to diverse stakeholders
• Confident, self-motivated and well-organized individual who is able to work independently and on teams
• Ability to analyze and synthesize complex information from various sources is a plus
• Tact, discretion and strategic thinking
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) would allow the intern to improve upon those skills with opportunities to work in real-time on a myriad of different projects

To apply, and for questions, please send application materials to planetaryhealth@ucdavis.edu.  

Deadline to apply is January 30, 2018

Applicant Information

• Name   
• Email
• Phone number
• UC home campus
• Address
• Graduate program
• Years completed and expected graduation date

Support Materials Requested

• Resume including education, employment, honors, and publications
• Contact information for three references
• Personal Statement that describes your interests, career goals and what you hope to gain from a summer fellowship with the CA Department of Conservation (1 page maximum)