TITLE: Intern, Production Greenhouse and Nursery (one year; one position available)
Are you looking for practical hands-on experience in horticulture? Does the idea of maintaining some of our 23 specialty gardens and braving the elements appeal to you? Would you like to improve your propagation skills? Is working in greenhouses to release beneficial insects or create topiaries your idea of an enjoyable internship? Would you like to gain experience and knowledge related to greenhouse and nursery operations through hands-on growing experience with the broad range of plants grown at a botanic garden production facility? If your answer is yes, a horticulture internship is for you. Available internships are in the Display Gardens; the Greenhouses; the Production Greenhouse and Nursery; and Propagation.
PURPOSE: To gain experience and knowledge related to greenhouse and nursery operations, including plant propagation, through hands-on growing experience with the broad range of plants grown at a botanic garden production facility.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
December through February – work in plant propagation. Intern will be involved in plug production of annuals, perennials, woodies and native habitat plants grown from seed. Other methods of propagation will include cuttings, divisions, seed stratification and scarification. Depending on the demand, there may be opportunity for grafting and budding. Data entry, label making and accurate record keeping are important duties.
March through May – work in outdoor floriculture. Intern will be involved with the planning, growing (watering, pinching and spacing) and delivering of the spring, summer and fall annual display plants. Gain exposure to all facets of greenhouse operations including computerized greenhouse controls. Data entry, inventory control, labeling and accurate record keeping are important duties.
June through August – work in the nursery. Intern will be involved in all facets of nursery production. This includes potting, transplanting, pruning, fertilizing, spacing, setting up irrigation and delivering plants to garden areas. Plants of focus are specialty woody ornamentals, perennials, native plants and aquatics.
September through November – work in indoor floriculture. Intern will be involved with all aspects of the production of floriculture crops for indoor displays, education programs, sales and special events. Producing plants for the holiday exhibit and sale will be a primary focus. The intern will also assist with scheduling of floriculture crops.
Education and interpretation are important facets of the day-to-day garden operations. The intern will work closely with the Production staff and gain practical knowledge in the growing of native and non-native taxa. They will also have the opportunity to get exposure to general Botanic Garden operations by attending Production staff meetings and weekly intern meetings with guest speakers during the summer months and attend courses offered by the School of the Chicago Botanic Garden.
DEPARTMENT: Production
REPORTS TO: Manager of Plant Production, Plant Propagator, Indoor Floriculturist, Outdoor Floriculturist, and Nursery Supervisor
SUPERVISES: Volunteers
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Nursery Grower, Greenhouse Grower, Laborers and Seasonals
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Candidate should be available to work twelve months beginning June and enrolled in a college horticulture program or a related field with an interest in greenhouse and nursery management. The ideal candidate will be flexible, able to work in a fast-paced environment and possess good communication and interpersonal skills. Candidates within a year of their graduation date will also be considered. Must have or be able to obtain an operator’s license for chemical applications. Must be able to lift and carry 25 lbs.

 

TITLE: Intern, Production Greenhouse and Nursery (one year; one position available)
Are you looking for practical hands-on experience in horticulture? Does the idea of maintaining some of our 23 specialty gardens and braving the elements appeal to you? Would you like to improve your propagation skills? Is working in greenhouses to release beneficial insects or create topiaries your idea of an enjoyable internship? Would you like to gain experience and knowledge related to greenhouse and nursery operations through hands-on growing experience with the broad range of plants grown at a botanic garden production facility? If your answer is yes, a horticulture internship is for you. Available internships are in the Display Gardens; the Greenhouses; the Production Greenhouse and Nursery; and Propagation.
PURPOSE: To gain experience and knowledge related to greenhouse and nursery operations, including plant propagation, through hands-on growing experience with the broad range of plants grown at a botanic garden production facility.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
December through February – work in plant propagation. Intern will be involved in plug production of annuals, perennials, woodies and native habitat plants grown from seed. Other methods of propagation will include cuttings, divisions, seed stratification and scarification. Depending on the demand, there may be opportunity for grafting and budding. Data entry, label making and accurate record keeping are important duties.
March through May – work in outdoor floriculture. Intern will be involved with the planning, growing (watering, pinching and spacing) and delivering of the spring, summer and fall annual display plants. Gain exposure to all facets of greenhouse operations including computerized greenhouse controls. Data entry, inventory control, labeling and accurate record keeping are important duties.
June through August – work in the nursery. Intern will be involved in all facets of nursery production. This includes potting, transplanting, pruning, fertilizing, spacing, setting up irrigation and delivering plants to garden areas. Plants of focus are specialty woody ornamentals, perennials, native plants and aquatics.
September through November – work in indoor floriculture. Intern will be involved with all aspects of the production of floriculture crops for indoor displays, education programs, sales and special events. Producing plants for the holiday exhibit and sale will be a primary focus. The intern will also assist with scheduling of floriculture crops.
Education and interpretation are important facets of the day-to-day garden operations. The intern will work closely with the Production staff and gain practical knowledge in the growing of native and non-native taxa. They will also have the opportunity to get exposure to general Botanic Garden operations by attending Production staff meetings and weekly intern meetings with guest speakers during the summer months and attend courses offered by the School of the Chicago Botanic Garden.
DEPARTMENT: Production
REPORTS TO: Manager of Plant Production, Plant Propagator, Indoor Floriculturist, Outdoor Floriculturist, and Nursery Supervisor
SUPERVISES: Volunteers
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Nursery Grower, Greenhouse Grower, Laborers and Seasonals
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Candidate should be available to work twelve months beginning June and enrolled in a college horticulture program or a related field with an interest in greenhouse and nursery management. The ideal candidate will be flexible, able to work in a fast-paced environment and possess good communication and interpersonal skills. Candidates within a year of their graduation date will also be considered. Must have or be able to obtain an operator’s license for chemical applications. Must be able to lift and carry 25 lbs.

TITLE: Plant Evaluation Intern
Do you have an interest in learning about new garden plants? Would you like to be a part of a program that shares information on how ornamental plants grow with professional horticulturists, landscape designers, educators, researchers and home gardeners? The Plant Evaluation internship provides an opportunity to observe plants in outdoor gardens and document their performance through data collection and photography. The Chicago Botanic Garden has one of the largest and most diverse plant evaluation programs in the U.S., featuring a wide variety of perennials, vines and shrubs. If you are interested in learning more about this 6-month internship position with a start date in early May.
PURPOSE: The six month intern will assist the Plant Evaluation Program on a variety of projects including the field evaluation and the photographic documentation of a diversity of herbaceous and woody ornamental plants.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Assist with the evaluation of plants in the Plant Evaluation Program by collecting and maintaining accurate data records.
2. Assist in the photographic documentation of the ornamental plant research collection using digital and/or 35mm cameras. Maintain the photographic slide database and catalog.
3. Prepare a formal report on seasonal activities including performance summaries for the ePlants website.
DEPARTMENT: Environmental Horticulture
REPORTS TO: Manager, Plant Evaluation
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Environmental Horticulture and other research staff, horticultural and programming staff, and volunteers.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Student or graduate of a horticulture or related plant science program; knowledge of herbaceous and woody plants; digital and/or 35mm photography experience; and computer database experience. The ability to work both independently and as part of a team is essential. Start date is May 1, 2007. This is a 6 month internship.
For additional information about the internship, contact Richard Hawke, Plant Evaluation Manager at
(847) 835-8251 or e-mail rhawke@chicagobotanic.org
 TITLE: Plant Breeding Intern
Have you ever wondered how new garden plants are developed? Do you have a passion for gardening and ornamental plants in general, and enjoy working both outdoors and in a laboratory? If so, this internship could be for you. This is one of a select few plant breeding internships at a public garden in North America, and perhaps the only such internship focused on breeding of perennials. Obtain practical experience in ornamental plant breeding and tissue culture propagation as you assist the plant breeding program in developing new garden plants. If you are interested in learning more about this 6 month long internship position with a start date in early to mid May.
PURPOSE: The six month intern will gain practical experience in ornamental plant breeding, tissue culture propagation, and other techniques in support of a program for the development of new perennial plants for landscape use in the Upper Midwest.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Assist in the development of new ornamental plants with an emphasis on breeding of native perennials. The intern will obtain training in and assume responsibility for: field techniques (emasculation, pollination, seed collection) in ornamental plant breeding, and laboratory techniques in plant tissue culture propagation (experimental design, media preparation, aseptic culture), in addition to other field and laboratory-based activities. Other responsibilities include data recording and plant photography.
DEPARTMENT: Environmental Horticulture
REPORTS TO: Director of Environmental Horticulture
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Environmental Horticulture and other research staff, horticultural and programming staff, and volunteers.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Student or graduate of a horticulture or related plant science program with a knowledge or interest in hardy perennial plants. An understanding of flower morphology, plant breeding, or tissue culture propagation beneficial but not required; other laboratory experience and digital and/or 35mm photography experience also beneficial. The ability to work both independently and as part of a team is essential. Start date is May 15, 2007 (flexible). This is a 6-month internship.
For additional information about the internship, contact Jim Ault, PhD, Director of Environmental Horticulture, at (847) 835-8244 or e-mail jault@chicagobotanic.org.
Website: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/staff/ault

 

TITLE: Research Assistant, Institute for Plant Conservation – Plants of Concern: Regional Rare Plant Monitoring
Do you have a passion for finding and monitoring rare plant populations? Would you like to train volunteers in this work? Are you interested in maps and GIS programs? Do you enjoy analysis of field data? Are you able to work well independently and within a team setting?
PURPOSE: The 11- to 12-month position involves working with regional flora, with particular focus on monitoring rare plants in the Chicago area through the Plants of Concern (POC) program. This office is based at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Duties include collecting field data, helping train volunteer monitors, entering/analyzing monitoring data, including GIS applications and assisting with reports. The intern may undertake a personal research project related to the Plants of Concern program and attend local professional meetings and task forces, as well as interact with other Institute staff.
RESPONSIBILITIES (position begins May 2007):
May through September. Engage in monitoring field work throughout the 6-county Chicago region. Train and provide support to volunteer monitors and organize field outings. Monitoring consists of collecting field data such as population counts, size, location, threats, invasive species and evidence of management activity.
October through December. Work with POC program assistant to collect and organize monitoring data forms from volunteers. Enter data and conduct statistical analyses for presentation at an advisory group meeting and in grant reports. Use GIS program to plot plant locations.
January through April. Help finalize POC reports, co-author poster for presentation, and assist with grant applications. Contribute to POC website maintenance. Assist with preparations for the monitoring season and help conduct volunteer training workshops.
Occasional weekend work is required.
DEPARTMENT: Institute for Plant Conservation
REPORTS TO: Manager of Regional Floristics
SUPERVISES: Volunteers in the field
SALARY: $11/hour plus paid holidays.
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: POC program assistant; Garden staff, particularly in the science department; public and private land management agencies in POC.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: BS in ecology, botany or biological sciences. Plant identification skills, including use of a dichotomous key; field experience in plant monitoring or field research. Computer experience with all Microsoft Office functions, including Access database. Basic statistical and GIS software experience helpful. Organizational and people skills. Ability to work well independently as well as in a team setting. Drivers license and access to a personal vehicle, but a company vehicle is normally available for field work. Housing may be found with a host family.

TITLE: Research Assistant, Institute for Plant Conservation: Rare Plant Monitoring Cooperative Program with the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Do you enjoy finding, monitoring and sampling rare plants (demographic monitoring of individual plants is part of this picture)? Are you experienced with analysis of field data? Are you committed to conservation and restoration management of rare plant habitats? Would you like to help train volunteers in field work at Midewin? If you are interested in learning more about this 8-month internship, with a start date in early to mid-May.
PURPOSE: This 8-month, 40-hour/week position concentrates on a suite of studies on rare plants at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, including those restricted to the unique dolomite prairie habitat. The Midewin program is part of a broader Plants of Concern regional rare plant monitoring program. Intern will be stationed at the Chicago Botanic Garden with frequent visits to and short stays at Midewin, near Joliet, Illinois. Field duties involve recruiting, training and working with volunteers to monitor selected species through demographic study, censusing, photopoints and plant surveys. Information on land management activities as they affect rare plant populations is gathered from Midewin staff. Study results will assist Midewin staff in their management planning. Office duties include data entry and statistical analysis, report writing and GIS applications. Intern will have the opportunity to create a poster or presentation of the work accomplished.
RESPONSIBILITIES (position begins April/May 2007):
April/May through September. Assist with general POC training workshops. Develop or modify field forms. Become oriented to Midewin monitoring sites. Engage in field work and provide support and training to volunteers. Begin entering data as collected.
October through November/December. Complete data entry and conduct analysis of multiple years of data. Organize and catalog monitoring and other photos (digital format). Assist with report writing to submit to granting agencies.
Occasional weekend work is required.
DEPARTMENT: Institute for Plant Conservation
REPORTS TO: Manager of Regional Floristics
SUPERVISES: Volunteers in the field
SALARY: $11/hour and paid holidays.
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: POC program assistant; POC research assistant; Chicago Botanic Garden staff, particularly in the science department; Midewin staff
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: BS in ecology, botany, biological sciences or related background. Plant identification skills, including use of a dichotomous key. Field experience in plant monitoring or sampling. Computer experience with all Microsoft Office functions, including Access database. Familiarity with digital cameras. Basic statistical and GIS software experience helpful. Organizational and people skills. Ability to work well independently as well as in a team setting. Have a drivers license and access to a personal auto, although company vehicles are normally available for use. Housing with a host family may be found.

TITLE: Institute for Plant Biology and Conservation: Restoration Ecology Assistant, Prairie & River Ecosystems
Looking for two individuals who are hardy, passionate about native plants, have good knowledge of native flora or capacity and willingness to learn it, relish being out-of-doors and are eager for hands-on restoration experience. If this is you, and you are available for 6-9 months, starting as early as March (later start dates will be considered).
PURPOSE: The goal of this 6 – 9 month position is to assist in the management and development of natural areas created at the Chicago Botanic Garden; specifically, the 15-acre Dixon Prairie and a 25-acre urban river corridor. About 250 native plant species grow in the six prairie types found in the Dixon prairies (mesic, gravel, sand, wet, savanna and fen), and about 200 native plant species in the various wetland and prairie communities that traverse the river corridor.
RESPONSIBILITIES: (position begins as early as March 5, 2007):
The assistant will be expected to learn a major component of the flora of the two natural areas, described above, including non-native species (particularly ones needing management through mowing, pulling, digging, cutting, deadheading, treating with herbicide, etc.). Safe operation of small equipment including mowers, hedge trimmers, water pumps, and sprayers will be required.
In addition to weed management, enhancement activities such as seeding, planting, watering, seed nursery care, seed collection and cleaning will be performed, all under the supervision of the Garden’s restoration ecologist.
An important responsibility of the assistant will be to supervise volunteers in the above-referenced activities.
Depending on availability during controlled burn seasons, the assistant may be able to assist in this activity. The assistant will also participate in plant surveys, data entry, and, potentially, literature research and report writing. Miscellaneous office work, equipment care, and organizational duties will be required.
DEPARTMENT: Restoration Ecology
REPORTS TO: Ecologist for River & Prairie Ecosystems
SUPERVISES: Volunteers in the field
SALARY: $10-12/hour plus paid holidays
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Departments of Horticulture and Construction; other staff within the Institute of Plant Biology and Conservation.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: BS in ecology, botany or biological sciences (current junior and seniors may apply). Plant identification skills needed (preferably experience in the use of a dichotomous key). Knowledge of local flora preferred but not required. Individuals must be able to work alone for long hours in the out-of-doors performing arduous tasks. Applicants should be comfortable working in a river or lake. Organizational and people skills and an ability to work both independently as well as in a team setting are needed. This assistant position is expected to be able to take and pass the State of Illinois’ General Standards Pesticide License Test and be able to carry a 25 -pound herbicide backpack sprayer for two to three hours at a time. Experience with Microsoft Office Excel and Word programs is desirable, as is an ability to conduct research on the Web. A valid driver’s license is necessary with a good driving record.

 

TITLE: Horticultural Therapy Intern
Join Chicago Botanic Garden registered horticultural therapists for a full time 6- month internship to gain valuable professional experiences with all aspects of a preeminent Horticultural Therapy program. The Horticultural Therapy Services program functions both at and away from the Garden. Activities include creating, delivering and evaluating therapeutic activities with diverse client groups, designing and maintaining indoor/outdoor plant displays, managing volunteers, teaching classes, consulting and supporting research initiatives. The internship starts approximately May 1st and runs through the end of October. Opportunities are limited to individuals committed to pursuing a career in Horticultural Therapy and meeting academic prerequisites outlined in the application and interview process that must be completed 90 days in advance of the starting date. To learn more about the Garden’s Horticultural Therapy program visit www.chicagobotanic.org/therapy.
PURPOSE: To gain professional experience as a Horticultural Therapist supporting the day-to-day operations of the Horticultural Therapy Services program including the 11,000 square foot Enabling Garden display and the off-site contract services program during the growing season, May 1 to October 30.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Care for Enabling Garden horticultural displays, including watering, weeding, deadheading and
sweeping paving
2. Support day-to-day maintenance of exhibits and programs.
3. Supervise Enabling Garden volunteers relative to horticultural displays and participate as docent in interpretive programs.
4. Maintain daily journal of specific information regarding plant care and performance.
5. Become familiar with, supplies and materials used in on/off-site HTS therapeutic activities and programs.
6. Maintain organized storage space in Enabling Garden and Horticulture Building.
7. Support offsite contract services program gradually assuming program delivery responsibilities.
8. Maintain photo journal of season’s activities and special events using department’s camera.
9. Provide routine maintenance including supervision of volunteers for a greenhouse located in a nearby retirement community.
DEPARTMENT: Education
REPORTS TO: Coordinator of Enabling Garden, Coordinator Horticultural Therapy Training Services, Manager Horticultural Therapy Services
SUPERVISES: Enabling Garden volunteers while in area
COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Horticulture, Plant Production
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Demonstrable education and life experiences pursuing a career in Horticultural Therapy. Basic knowledge of outdoor gardening techniques, basic knowledge of woody and herbaceous plants of the Midwest, ability to lift and carry 25 pounds, licensed to drive and insurable by the Society, interpersonal skills that allow appropriate interaction with people of all abilities, ability to work without direct supervision, organized, punctual and dependable. Weekend work is required.