E.E. Just Conservation Fellow, Spring 2027

SC AQUARIUM • Charleston, SC

3d • $0 - $15

About The Position

The E.E. Just Fellowship at the South Carolina Aquarium is a stipend-based program intended to increase the participation of people of color in conservation and animal science. It honors African American biologist and Charleston native E.E. Just and recognizes the gap between minority representation in the workforce and the populations represented by the Aquarium.

Conservation Fellows work with the Aquarium’s conservation team to connect people with water, wildlife, and wild places beyond the Aquarium. Fellows engage community members and Aquarium partners on one or more institutional priorities: plastic pollution; community resilience related to climate change and sea level rise; or sustainable seafood. They learn to use environmental data to raise awareness and advocate for change, and to build collaborative relationships with students, university faculty and staff, neighborhoods, public officials, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

The program is primarily offsite, with up to five workdays in Charleston; travel expenses for work-related travel are covered. Fellows interact regularly with conservation staff in person and virtually. The opportunity is for enrolled Savannah State University students who will be college juniors or seniors in spring 2027 and are majoring in the natural sciences. The part-time program runs for 13 weeks, from January 18 through April 18, 2027, with exact dates subject to change, and requires 10 hours per week.

Requirements

• Be a college junior or senior in spring 2027 pursuing a degree in a natural science field or related field.
• Be enrolled at Savannah State University.
• Be comfortable speaking to groups and audiences of all ages.
• Have excellent organizational and written and verbal communication skills.
• Have excellent computer skills, especially Microsoft Excel.
• Be able to work well as part of a team, independently, and remotely.
• Be willing to learn and try new things.
• Have a passion for environmental issues.
• Be able to work weekends and evenings as needed.

Responsibilities

• Assist with conservation program events and activities.
• Work with the University community to build relationships and understand concerns related to flooding from climate change and sea level rise, and tailor an Aquarium citizen science project to address those concerns.
• Conduct individual litter sweeps and collect data.
• Organize a Good Catch educational event and dinner featuring local, sustainable seafood.
• Work with food and beverage and seafood communities to engage new Good Catch partners and raise awareness about sustainable local seafood.
• Contribute to projects in the Aquarium’s Citizen Science app, including SeaRise, the Good Catch Seafood Survey, and the Litter Journal.
• Create an awareness project related to sea level rise.
• Work with and analyze citizen science data as needed.
• Promote conservation activities within the Fellow’s social network.
• Create a project to communicate findings to a general audience.
• Assist with other duties as required by the department.

Benefits

• $14.50 per hour.
• Reimbursement for costs incurred during work-related travel.
• Ability to earn a reciprocity pass to local attractions and Aquarium tickets.
• College credits may be available; students interested in earning credits at their home institution should contact their department chair in advance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed