Internships

Supporting student research

CoSEE offers a variety of project-based internship pathways that connect environmental education, research, conservation and community outreach. Internships are credit-based and can count towards the hands-on learning academic credit at UW Bothell. We are located in Saint Edward State Park.

We are proud to support undergraduate research and capstone projects for students from both UW Bothell and UW Seattle. From immersive fieldwork to faculty-mentored research and community-driven collaborations, students gain real-world experience tackling complex challenges at the intersection of ecology and society.

At CoSEE, we understand experiential learning not as something students apply after learning has already occurred, but a part of learning itself. Building on Banks et al.’s LIFE Center framing of learning as lifelong, lifewide, and life-deep, we resist models that make meaningful opportunities contingent on what students have already studied, practiced, or accomplished. Instead, we design internships and other experiential opportunities as spaces where learners can cultivate identities, discover interests, build relationships, develop emerging skills, contribute to their communities, and begin conversations that continue across future academic, professional, civic, and everyday settings. Experiential learning isn’t the last step after students have prepared for work, it’s part of an ongoing trajectory of becoming, one that helps learners recognize what they already know, imagine new possibilities for themselves, and participate more fully in the communities they are already part of.

Internship pathways

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Interns apply GIS tools to support ecological monitoring and restoration at Saint Edward State Park and Lake Sammamish, contributing to spatial data projects that inform conservation and land stewardship.

Learn more about the GIS pathway

Inclusive Environmental Education

Interns design and deliver inclusive, place-based environmental education experiences — from hands-on learning tools to accessible storytelling — that are culturally responsive and welcoming to learners of all ages and abilities.

Learn more about the inclusive education pathway

Invasive Species Management and Restoration

Interns lead invasive species removal and restoration efforts at Saint Edward State Park, coordinating with volunteers and partner agencies to protect native ecosystems and develop long-term management plans.

Learn more about the invasive management pathway

Native Plant Conservation and Community Engagement

Interns support community-centered native plant conservation at Saint Edward State Park by managing and supporting the Native Plant Learning Garden in partnership with Friends of Saint Edward State Park and beyond.

Learn more about the native plant pathway

Social Media and Communications

Interns use digital media and storytelling to amplify CoSEE’s work — managing social media, designing outreach materials, and supporting newsletters to connect diverse audiences to environmental education.

Learn more about the communications pathway

Special Internships Projects

Special Internship Projects grow out of CoSEE’s partnerships with community and partner organizations. These opportunities may have different timelines, paid options, or specialized areas of focus.

View current special projects opportunities