GLG494--Interdisciplinary and Career Opportunities in the Geosciences


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Professional Development

Being prepared to apply for jobs, schools, and internships is highly important as you will often hear about opportunities at the last minute. Have your CV/resume up to date. Know who you can rely upon for recommendation letters (make sure they know you will be asking). Know how to get your transcripts out quickly. Be ready!

CV writing and samples from about.com
CV-Academic Sample (Prof. Arrowsmith)
CV-Graduate Student Sample (Nathan's)

Internships, Research Experiences, and Scholarships

There are hundreds of paid internship programs relevant to geoscience students every summer and therefore thousands of opportunities. To get these very important first research experiences you need to be thinking about what you want to do in the summer about 5 months ahead of its arrival. Many of the application deadlines are Feb 1 or sooner. However, there are numerous others with later deadlines. It will take some time, but it is worth sifting through the websites and see if there is something you want to do! It could lead you down your career path. Remember there are probably many more out there than listed here so do some research on your own too (i.e. your favorite research agency probably has a program).

Arizona Hydrological Society Internships and Scholarships (deadline March 16st)
University of Minnesota Hydrocamp 2009
Geological Society of America Research and Travel Grants (deadline February 1st)
Prof. Kim Hannula has compiled a fairly comprehensive list of links
NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) (deadlines vary some as soon as Feb 1)
Internships Available in Scientific Drilling (deadline March 1st)
Earth Magazine Compiles Opportunities such as science writing!
Evolving Earth Research Grants in Paleostudies open to Undergrads
Geocorps (national park internships) - Feb 2nd
National Council for Science and the Environment - Feb 27
Compilation of Opportunities from Washington and Lee University
Undergraduate Research at NASA!
Space Grant Interns (florida)
Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Internships (VERY COOL!!!)
REU at Clark University just outside of Boston, socioecology, policy, water, and landscape change stuff (march 1st)
AEG Arizona scholarships, presentations, and more interesting info!

Jobs and News

There are many sites out there to look for jobs. I recommend indeed.com because it seems to search most every other site. Indeed also provides some info on trends and is good for searching by location. It is especially good for looking for consulting opportunities by location and or company, though you could also search by employer websites. For other types of employment there are more specific places to search. I recommend looking at state government websites, especially those with either a geological survey (such as utah) or a department of natural resources (i.e. Washington or Oregon) or the department of conservation in California. Additionally, USA jobs is a nice place to see what is available for the USGS, Bureau of Land Management, Department of Defense, etc. You will need to familiarize yourself with what you would qualify for (GS-7) is probably an Bachelors degree with no experience (GS-9) is for a Masters degree and G-11 and up is for Ph.D. graduates. As some of the job outlooks from the websites below state... The sweet spot to maximize your employability is with a Masters Degree. However, if you want more control over what you do in your job (i.e. research) then you want a Ph.D., but be ready for competition for highly sought after professorships as you enter the job market. I recommend seeing what is out there and how it fits your expertise. Perhaps you can use the information to tailor your future education so you can get the job you want.

INDEED - A good comprehensive job search tool
NASA Jobs USA jobs may cover this too.
Geological Society of America Classifieds
USA Jobs is a one Stop Shop for USGS, BLM, NOAA etc.
San Diego Association of Geologists Jobs Page (looking at sites like this can be useful)
Geology.com
American Geological Institute
Bureau of Labor's good news for Geoscientists

Graduate Fellowships

Fellowships for graduate school are usually reserved for Ph.D. programs and are often highly competitive. There are basically 3 types. Those that are awarded by the federal government, those by the school you are applying to or their donors, and those by private entities such as companies or non-profit foundations. Even if you are going to pursue a Masters degree there are opportunities for scholarships and research monies that you can apply to as a student (often from professional or local organizations). Be aware of these as you develop your research ideas. If you can get a fellowship from outside of the school you are applying to (the government or private entity) it will be hard for a school not to admit you as you are basically free to them. However, these are very competitive and don't fret if you don't get one. Most graduate schools in the sciences provide admitted students with at least sustenance level funding and pay your tuition/health insurance. Hopefully your new research adviser will have funding for your research.

ASU Graduate College Dissertation Fellowship Links (search around these pages)
NSF IGERT Fellowships
NSF Graduate Fellowships
Society of Economic Geologists Research Grants

Service Experience

Helping educate others will be part of your career no matter what path you take. So consider getting started now!
Arizona Science and Engineering Fair Judges

Relevant Information from ASU and elsewhere

The Chronicle of Higher Education is an excellent resource for news about Academia and to look for Academic Jobs.
School of Earth and Space Exploration
Geo Slice Blog AEG
Global Institute of Sustainability
Carleton College: Interdisciplinary Research and Training in Geosciences
National Science Teachers Association: Science Across Disciplines

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Last modified: Feb 26th, 2008 '