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Marine Mammal Specialist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore

December 6, 2023 by

The selected candidate is responsible for providing support to marine mammal care. This internship’s primary purpose is to learn about marine mammal care, conservation, research, and training. There is limited hands-on animal contact during the internship.

Note: National Aquarium has a variety of internship opportunities available for students interested in animal care, education, and many other career fields.

Application Deadlines:

  • November 1st for the winter and spring terms
  • March 1st for the summer term
  • May 1st for the fall term

Note: You must complete a minimum of 120 hours of work within the selected term.

  • Summer and winter terms require 40 hours per week of work for three weeks.
  • Spring and fall terms require eight hours of work per day, one day per week of work.

 

Duties

  • Prepares daily animal diets as instructed.
  • Responsible for the cleanliness and safety of all animal backup areas.
  • Observes and may assist in enrichment, husbandry, and medical sessions.
  • Participates in pre-session preparations.
  • At the completion of the program, the intern will submit a 3–5 page paper regarding either 1) an ongoing project with which the intern has assisted in the marine mammal department, or 2) a new topic or area of interest to the intern in relation to the marine mammal field.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Pre-Requisites

  1. Must meet all UMW and Department of Psychological Science internship requirements.
  2. Must have a basic understanding of marine mammal natural history
  3. Must have good swimming skills
  4. Must be able to lift 50 lbs
  5. Must work well as a team member
  6. Required courses:
    • PSYC 305 – Cognitive Neuroscience or PSYC 274 – Biological Psychology
    • PSYC 253 – Fundamentals of Learning and Motivation

Assessment

  • 42 hours of work per credit hour (most interns do 3 credits with 126 hours of work)
  • Grade is based on on-campus supervision, agency evaluation, reflective journal, and a final paper

Agency Contact

Ling MacLean

intern@aqua.org

410-576-3886

National Aquarium in Baltimore 501 East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21202

Website: Website