A complete application includes:

** Update 2/10/21 regarding recommendation letters: SERC is offering a grace period for recommendation letters to be submitted after the deadline for this Summer 2021 application. Instructions: Please enter your recommenders' information and hit the "send email" button in the reference section as part of the SERC February 15 deadline to ensure you have submitted a complete application. The web system will send the emails automatically to your referees with links for uploading their letters. Letters must be uploaded by the recommenders by Monday, March 1. Students MUST submit their application by February 15 for your application to be considered complete.

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland, offers undergraduates, recent graduates, and beginning graduate students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the fields of environmental research and education. The program enables students to work on specific projects while gaining experience in valuable lab techniques, all under the direction of the center’s professional staff. The program is tailored to provide the maximum educational benefit to each participant.

SERC is focused on understanding the causes and consequences of environmental change for marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. Interns at SERC conduct independent projects over 12-16 weeks utilizing our 2,650-acre research site on the shores of Chesapeake Bay to provide novel insights into some of the most profound issues challenging our world today, including habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species. The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center has maintained an REU site since 2001, and the students sponsored have used our professional-training programs as a stepping stone to pursue advanced careers in the environmental sciences. 

For Summer 2021, this opportunity will be virtual/remote. SERC has worked in partnership with the Career & Civic Engagement Summer Internship Partner Program since Summer 2015 to provide the opportunity for a Bryn Mawr student to take part in their Summer Internship Program in Edgewater, MD. Please note that Career & Civic Engagement Center Funding is available to first-years, sophomores and juniors. Only students that apply to SERC through the Partner Internship Program will be considered for funding from Bryn Mawr College. Questions about the Internship Partners Program can contact Jennifer Prudencio from Career & Civic Engagement Center at jprudencio@brynmawr.edu.

For more information, please visit the SERC website at https://serc.si.edu/pro_training/internships/projectmenu.aspx.

Students can read about different labs and projects at https://serc.si.edu/internships.

Learn about eligibility for the SERC program at https://serc.si.edu/interns-fellows/internships-new/eligibility