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SIP intern leans over desk to talk with two young boys in front of giftshop.

Welcome

Scientists in Parks logo

Every year, the Scientists in Parks (SIP) Program places hundreds of college students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals across the National Park System to work on natural resource management needs. Each opportunity with the SIP Program affords a distinct and memorable experience with projects that vary based on location, length, focus, and complexity. Past positions include mapping sand dunes at Fire Island National Seashore, surveying towering cacti at Saguaro National Park, and protecting nesting sea turtles at Padre Island National Seashore.

Underrepresented communities encouraged to apply!

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250+

Interns

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Every year, the Scientists in Parks places hundreds of early career professionals across the National Parks System to work on natural resource management needs.

There are two application periods per year, one in December and one in May.

100+

Parks

A simple map of the United States

From big name parks like Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Zion, and Denali, to smaller parks like Sleeping Bear, Harpers Ferry, and Fire Island, we place interns in over 100 parks each year!

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Sub-disciplines

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All positions support natural resource management park needs and focus on multi-disciplinary approaches including citizen science, interpretive programs, data collection and analysis, collections management, and more.

Interns work on projects focusing on Biology, GIS, Communication, Education, and much more!

What do our interns have to say?

SIP Intern sets up monitoring device on a tripod surrounded by tall trees adn large mountains.
"I enjoyed the community and experience that I normally would not have been able to access through another internship. I think being a SIP participant was a really unique way to access the federal government and be introduced to it in a "real" way. This experience is something you can't achieve with other internships or in other sectors of the profession."
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