Aquarium Internship
Discovery World's Aquarium Internship program is designed to be a career-based learning experience. Interns will assist staff in all aspects of daily care for both exhibit and quarantine animals.
Application Due Date
- Fall Internship – August 15th
- Spring Internship – December 15th
- Summer Internship – April 15th
Internship Period
- Fall Internship – September – December
- Spring Internship – January – April
- Summer Internship – May – August
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
- Prepares diets
- Feeds exhibit animals
- Monitors water quality
- Observes animals for disease and injury
- Conducts feeding and cleaning dives
- Maintains life support equipment
- Helps maintain aquarists' daily husbandry logs
- Presents weekly educational and interactive programs
- Depending on the current needs of the aquarium team, additional responsibilities may or may not include:
- Administering medical treatments as directed by General/Assistant Curators, while supervised by an Aquarist
- Assisting in animal collection and subsequent quarantine
- Other duties as assigned
Position Qualifications and Specifications:
- Must be currently enrolled (completed freshman year) in (or recently graduated from) a Biology related program at an accredited college or university.
- Applicants must be Open Water SCUBA certified by a nationally recognized institution (PADI, NAUI, etc.) prior to start of internship, and own dive gear. Required gear includes: wetsuit, mask, boots and gloves—we do not use tanks, BCDs, fins or snorkels. Interns are responsible for any wear/tear on personal gear. Discovery World only provides air/regulators and weights
- Preference will be given to individuals with prior animal husbandry experience
- Applicants must be able to regularly lift up to 50 pounds
- Works well both individually and as part of a team
Commitment
- Shift times are generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but may vary due to department needs. Shifts may also include weekends and holidays.
- Two 8 hour days per week, for 17 weeks. Interns will work with 2-4 aquarists over the course of their internship, pending intern and staff schedule availability.