INTERN: Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (NSF 17-091)

This study will contrast the extraction of DNA/RNA from aerosols collected with electrostatic precipitation (a relatively new collection method) with a common membrane filtration protocol to identify the most appropriate method for future regional and global scale aerobiology research projects.

This opportunity focuses on integration of geophysical modeling with constraints on alteration mineralogy from spectral measurements on drill core and hyperspectral remote sensing data.

Earthquakes, such as the 2011 M5.7 Prague, Oklahoma, and recent northern Texas M4 event, demonstrate the need for improved understanding of site amplification and seismic hazards in the central United States. The intern will be trained by USGS scientists to use the state-of-the-art site investigation methods at seismic station sites in California before applying the methods in Oklahoma and Texas.

The principals of conservation biology are waiting to be applied to restore native coregonines in the Great Lakes. Native fishes have suffered extinctions and extirpations owing to loss of habitat, interactions with invasive species, and overfishing, and now fishery managers are committed to their restoration.

Do fisheries managers know the impacts of improving recreational fishing technology on the populations of fish they manage? The role of gear innovations in recreational fisheries is understudied as a driver of overexploitation in inland waters. Examining technology advances will inform recreational managment.

The advent of national geophysical initiatives (e.g. EarthScope, AusLamp, SinoProbe) has started the race to develop regional- and national-scale geophysical models. In parallel, the need for such models is on the rise within the natural-hazard and resource sectors. This internship focuses on development of three-dimensional electrical resistivity models derived from magnetotelluric (MT) data.

Decision makers, water use stakeholders, and the public at large need intuitive visualizations of the status and trends in water use in order to make wise management decisions. How can we best turn newly available details on water use in the US into geospatial information that can be easily understood, without biasing that information. Help us create maps that make our water use data come alive.

Much unsaturated-zone water moves not as typically slow diffuse flow, but rapidly through preferential flow channels such as root holes and fractures. Impacts are profound and far-reaching for issues such as contaminant transport, ecohydrology, and aquifer recharge. Understanding is limited and accepted theory is lacking, making preferential flow a crucial and exciting area of earth science.

The goal of this project is to contribute to our understanding of anelastic path attenuation in ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) by searching for correlations between seismic attenuation models constrained by 3D geophysical observations and \ ground motion measurements at individual stations.

Are you interested in communicating the value of science and technology? Are you excited about the use of Earth observations to help solve society's most pressing problems? If so, then come work with the USGS to advance the use of land imaging satellite observations with key stakeholders!

Northern New England is a fascinating landscape of conifers, unique wildlife, mountainous landscapes, and warming climates. Help us better understand whether red squirrel populations are responding to climate change and predict how that will impact the vulnerable boreal birds that they prey upon.

This interagency (USGS, FEMA, USACE) pilot project is a unique opportunity to investigate how to operationalize crowdsourcing and open innovation for emergency management through the standardization of data and tools. Help design a playbook, and organize workshops and hackathons with key innovators and open data experts across the government.