Watershed Planning Program - Data Management and Water Quality Assessment Intern - UNPAID

Commonwealth of Massachusetts • Worcester, MA

4h

About The Position

The Watershed Planning Program (WPP) in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is a statewide program with a mission to protect, enhance, and restore the quality and value of the waters of the Commonwealth. Together with other MassDEP programs and state environmental agencies, WPP shares the duty and responsibility to secure the environmental, recreational, and public health benefits of clean water for all people of the Commonwealth.

The intern will (a) explore data structures in the Water Quality eXchange (WQX) portal managed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (b) download data from WQX; (c) perform exploratory analyses on data existing in WQX; (d) summarize data structures, types, and sources in WQX; and (e) support the development of tools for data acquisition, review, and analysis.

Requirements

• Minimum Requirements: NONE
• This internship is unpaid and designed to support students or recent graduates seeking practical experience in the field.
• A cover letter and resume must be submitted as part of the application process and attached “as relevant” to the requisition.

Nice To Haves

• Excellent organizational skills, the ability to meet deadlines, and work well both independently and as a member of a team.
• Basic knowledge of the principles and practices of environmental science.
• Experience gathering and tabulating data from a variety of sources.
• Experience summarizing data into a usable format.
• Ability to work independently and in an organized manner with strong attention to detail.
• Preferred proficiency with R and/or ArcGIS, but not required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel) software.
• Effective communication skills, in writing, in person, over Teams, and on the telephone.

Responsibilities

• Learn WQX data structures through research of online materials and existing WPP documentation on WQX data structures.
• Review the Massachusetts Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (CALM) Guidance Manual to understand the parameters and data requirements for use in WPP’s water quality assessments under the CWA.
• Utilize WPP R scripts to download data from WQX for review.
• Catalog all external data sources used by WPP for CWA decision making (including data not sourced from WQX).
• Use the R statistical program and/or MS Excel to perform exploratory analyses of water quality data collected in Massachusetts currently found in WQX.
• Compare WQX data to information in WPP’s existing databases and storage systems.
• Map WQX domains (i.e., fields) to WPP CWA assessment methodologies described in the CALM document.
• Create a summary report of the results of all exploratory analyses, including visualizations, flow diagrams, and a narrative.
• Produce summary tabular data files for use by WPP in developing the plan to implement upgraded review procedures and the planned transition to using WQX for external data acquisition and storage.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Benefits
• When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package.
• We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.
• Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees