Internships at Berry
http://www.berrybot.org/administration/internships.html
Our internships provide you with experience you can't get anywhere else in Oregon. Our programs in Horticulture and Conservation provide a wide range of learning opportunities. These include opportunities for High School Students.
Feel free to mail us if you have questions...we may have opportunities that aren't posted here.
CONTACTS for internship programs
Summer Horticulture Internships
Ann Kerr McDonald Intern. This internship is for a student working for a degree in horticulture, botany or related field. The intern will work with the horticulture staff and volunteers for up to 240 hours over 6-10 weeks, performing garden maintenance, working in the greenhouse, on computerized records, and performing special garden or nursery projects. The intern will be paid the Oregon minimum hourly wage, $8.40 per hour. The starting date is flexible and will be determined by both the Garden staff and the intern.

Summer Conservation Internship: 2009
This internship provides experience to people who are interested in rare plant conservation and have completed at least one year of college coursework, including relevant science classes. Priority will be given to current life science undergraduate students, recent college graduates and individuals considering a career change into the field of conservation biology. Interns work with the conservation staff on a variety of projects involving Pacific Northwest native plants, with a focus on rare plants. Work includes germination trials, computer work, the many tasks required for running our Seed Bank for Rare and Endangered Plants, seed collection from wild populations and field research. The internship includes working outdoors on some days, sometimes in difficult weather or in remote areas. Conservation interns and staff work long days when field research or seed collection are performed and when travel is required to get to the research site. The conservation intern will work up to 400 hours over 10-12 weeks and be paid the Oregon minimum hourly wage, $8.40 per hour. The start date is flexible and is determined by BBG staff and the intern.
2009 projects will include, but are not limited to, the following:


Fire restoration research
Join us for studies to determine germination requirements and to evaluate seed storage protocols for more than 20 non-rare, native plants that will be used for restoration and rehabilitation efforts on public lands, with a focus on areas impacted by fire.
Seed collection and storage
Learn about collection techniques and help us add to Berry’s Frozen Garden: the Seed Bank for Rare and Endangered Plants of the Pacific Northwest.
Rare plant reintroductions
Gain hands-on experience in one or more experimental reintroductions. We will be working with Koehler's rock cress (Arabis koehleri var. koehleri), MacFarlane's four-o'clock (Mirabilis macfarlanei), and Western lily (Lilium occidentale) in 2008.


Lilium occidentale

 
Application Procedure


To apply, please send us the following items: 1) completed 2008 Summer Internship Application (download a Word or text file from the left sidebar), 2) your resume, 3) a cover letter stating your interest in an internship at The Berry Botanic Garden, 4) contact information for two references and 5) official copies of your transcript(s).
You can email the first four items or send them via standard snail mail. You must send your transcripts via standard mail - we accept only official copies, not electronic (scanned) copies.
Our mailing address is:
The Berry Botanic Garden
11505 SW Summerville Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97219-8309
Please send completed application and supporting materials for the Horticulture Internship to Courtney Vengarick and for the Conservation Internship to Andrea Raven.
When sending your application and supporting materials via email (other than official transcripts), please send them using one of the following options: as part of the body of your email message or as an attachment in either Word.doc format or plain text format. Please label attachments with your name and what each document contains (do not label your file generically as "resume.doc," for instance).
The deadline for receipt of completed applications and all other requested materials is March 1, 2009.
If you have difficulty retrieving the application form or need additional information, please contact:
Andrea Raven, 503-636-4112 ext. 104, e-mail Andreaandrea.raven@berrybot.org, OR
Courtney Vengarick, 503-636-4112 ext. 105, e-mail Scottcourtney.vengarick@berrybot.org

High School Students!


If you are interested in learning about rare plants and preserving our wild habitats, you can help out in several ways. Call us to volunteer – we need help preparing seeds for storage in our Seed Bank for Rare and Endangered Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Learn about plant propagation while performing germination trials. Contact Andrea Raven to help out.
Or, get paid while you work and learn with us: the Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE) Program offers paid internships! Each summer, The Berry Botanic Garden selects one or more high school students from their pool of applicants to work with the Conservation Program. Join us for computer, laboratory and field research.


ASE interns preparing for a seed germination experiment.

The ASE Program is part of Saturday Academy, a self-supported program of Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University. If you have questions, contact Molly Schmitz at 503-725-2340, ase@pdx.edu. The website address is http://www.saturdayacademy.pdx.edu/ase/. This is a great opportunity!
 
Contacts for unpaid internships and program information
(503) 636-4112
Horticulture ~ The Garden
Courtney Vengarick, Propagator
503-636-4112 ext. 105, e-mail Erincourtney.vengarick@berrybot.org

Conservation ~ Saving Plants
Andrea Raven, Conservation Biologist
503-636-4112 ext. 104, e-mail Andreaandrea.raven@berrybot.org
Other Contacts