Jobs, Internships, and More

Below are a number of opportunities that you may be interested in. Other opportunities can always be found on the Academic and Career Advising Center’s Handshake page. 

Please note that not all of the following programs are associated with Cal Poly Humboldt or the Department of Biological Sciences. Endorsement of the program by Cal Poly Humboldt or the Department of Biological Sciences should not be inferred.

Week of September 29-October 3, 2025

California Native Plant Society Travel Grants: The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Statewide Conference is the premier gathering of California’s native plant movement. It happens every three years, bringing together scientists, educators, land stewards, horticulturists, students, Indigenous voices, artists, and advocates to share knowledge, passion, and vision. Why the North Coast Chapter Wants Students to Attend: From the North Coast Chapter’s perspective, having students attend the CNPS conference offers multiple benefits—scientific, personal, and ecological—and aligns with the chapter’s mission. We have six mini-grants opportunities at $1200 each to cover travel, food, and lodging. Please complete the following survey and we will be in touch. Applications are due by October 24th, 2025! 
Link to survey: https://northcoastcnps.org/education/student-scholarship-state-conference-attendence/

Sequoia Park Zoo Conservation Grant Opportunity; Call for pre-proposals: The Sequoia Park Zoo Advisory Group’s Conservation Council is accepting preproposals for their fourteenth annual Conservation Grant Program. The Council has revamped the program this year, now requiring short preproposals to be submitted online between October 1 and November 3, 2025. Once reviewed and if accepted, applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal due in early January 2026. Preproposals must have a clear, measurable impact on the conservation of wildlife and/or habitats. Appropriate projects include proposals for research and/or the implementation of a conservation management plan (including habitat restoration). Special consideration is given to projects that are in line with the Sequoia Park Zoo’s mission, focus on species represented at the Zoo or support local wildlife or habitats. Funds will be granted up to $3,000 for projects that can be completed within two years. 
For more information on the program, please visit Sequoia Park Zoo's website at redwoodzoo.org/conservation. 
To apply, fill out the application form: https://form.jotform.com/252368890824064 

California Biodiversity Microgrant Opportunity - Experiment Foundation:  Grant funding is available to help preserve California's Biodiversity. Through the Experiment Foundation grant program, the California Institute of Biodiversity(CIB) aims to provide vouchers to academic researchers, NGOs, independent scientists, tribes, and other groups to collect and archive biological samples (soil biota, insects, fungi, plants, animals) around the state. Micro-grants can be between $500-$2500, and grant work must take place in California. Each project will be reviewed by a team of scientists, and awards will be distributed on a rolling basis. The first awardees have been reviewed, and grants are currently being processed; additional submissions will be reviewed weekly beginning October 6, 2025, until all funding is released. 
Full details can be found here on the grant page:  https://experiment.com/programs/california

Pre-Vet Club, First Meeting:  The first Pre-Vet Club meeting  will be on Tuesday, October 21st, from 5-6 PM in Harry Griffith Room 106. At this meeting, we’ll introduce the club’s mission, share our plans for the year, and hear from you about what you’d like to see more of this semester. 
Email Kimberly Fierros, Pre-Veterinary Club President at: prevets@humboldt.edu

Engineering Internship and Job Fair:  Please join us and  participate in Cal Poly Humboldt’s third annual Engineering Internship & Job Fair to recruit some of the West’s most qualified engineering applicants. This event is hosted by our Career Development Center in collaboration with the School of Engineering. It presents a unique recruitment opportunity, as we have worked closely with faculty to integrate the fair into their curriculum and ensure that students have the opportunity to participate despite their demanding schedules. We hope you will be able to attend.
When: Thursday October 23rd from 10 am-2pm
Where: In Kate Buchanan Room of Cal Poly Humboldt

Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR) 2025: Faculty and their students are invited to participate in the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR) 2025, hosted by the Office of Student Research at CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo, CA. SCCUR provides a unique platform for undergraduate students to showcase their research, engage with peers from across disciplines, and gain valuable experience presenting their work. The event welcomes students from all fields—STEM, humanities, social sciences, and beyond—and encourages interdisciplinary dialogue. 
REGISTRATION: To register and submit an abstract, please visit the SCCUR2025 website.
Abstract Submission Deadline: October 12, 2025 

Week of September 22-26, 2025

State Parks botany crew hires: State Park's North Coast Redwoods District is hiring two botany technicians for the next botany season, starting on April 1st 2026. We have many acres of botanical surveys to do in 2026, mainly in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park for the Redwoods Rising forest restoration collaborative and in Humboldt Redwoods State Park as part of the watershed restoration. Can you think of any Botany or Ecology recent graduates, majors soon to graduate, or grad students who would be interested in and capable of doing rare plant surveys for State Parks? These are comprehensive floristic surveys that also include revisiting existing rare plant occurrences and mapping sensitive communities. We need techs who have knowledge of the local flora, can use the Jepson manual and other plant keys, are willing to work independently and don't mind working in increment weather or steep terrain. The reporting location for these positions will be Fort Humboldt SHP in Eureka. This is a seasonal full time position (typically four 10-hour days per week) starting on April 1st with field work through August and data entry and QA/ QC into September. If the applicant is interested in report writing and has GIS and writing skills, year round employment (up to 1890 hours/ year) is possible. Other than conducting botanical surveys, tasks include monitoring vegetation for restoration projects, collecting seed/ plant material and assisting the District nursery technician in multiple restoration projects.
The classification is Forestry Aide (starting at $21.08/ hour). We were planning to advertise the botany position in October but a general natural resource technician advertisement has just been opened that anyone interested in the botany technician position could apply for:  https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=492670 

Graduate Research Assistantship at Cal Poly Humboldt in Wildland Fire Lab:  Dr. Jeff Kane (https://fwr.humboldt.edu/people/jeffrey-kane) is seeking 1-2 highly motivated  and curious students interested in joining the Cal Poly Humboldt Fire Lab (https://firelab.humboldt.edu/) to pursue an MS degree in Forestry, Watershed, and Wildland Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt (http://humboldt.edu/fwr/program/graduate_degrees). The selected students will work on a project in ponderosa pine and Jeffrey pine forests at Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest within the Lassen National Forest. We will be examining long-term fuel loading and fuel moisture dynamics within different thinning (low and high structural diversity) and prescribed burning treatments. Students will help develop research projects within the existing study. This project is funded through a partnership with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station. This position will require working well independently, supervising field assistants, assisting with other on-going projects, and traveling to regional field sites in northern California. Successful candidates must reside in or near Arcata, California during the academic year. Housing will be provided during the summer field season at governmental barracks.  
Successful applicants would begin graduate school during the spring semester of 2026. Review of applications will begin on October 20th. Position is open until filled.
To apply, send the following (as a single PDF document, if possible) to Dr. Jeff Kane (jkane@humboldt.edu):
1.     A letter of interest (clearly stating your background, research experience, and research/career interests).
2.     CV (including GPA, prior relevant work experience).
3.     Unofficial transcripts
4.     A writing sample that demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely
5.     The names and contact information for three academic and/or professional references
*Note: Applicants need not apply to the Cal Poly Humboldt Graduate Studies Program for consideration. The selected candidate will be asked to apply to the program once the application review process is completed.   

Week of September 15-19, 2025

Save the Redwoods League Student Grants! For current graduate or undergraduate students. Here are their main criteria and a link:  https://www.savetheredwoods.org/what-we-do/our-work/study/redwood-research/starter-grants-bipoc/

• Students must identify as Black, Indigenous, Latine/Latina/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, or as a person of color.
• Funding requests should not exceed $5,000.
• Proposals must be supported by a mentor.
• Student projects must have a clear connection with coast redwood or giant sequoia forests.

Job Posting for Staff Park and Recreation Specialist to Oversee NCRD Botany Program: State Parks' North Coast Redwood District will be hiring a Staff Park and Rec Specialist Position to supervise vegetation management staff in the Botany and Invasive Species Management programs and oversee both programs. There is a separate Forest Restoration, Fuels Reduction and Prescribed Fire program supervised by me, that the position will work closely with. The position will supervise, plan, develop and administer vegetation restoration and management incl. revegetation and invasive plant management, and inventory and monitoring of special status plants and vegetation communities. They will prepare environmental compliance documents and obtain permits, working collaboratively with regulatory resource agency staff. They will also assist in preparing and managing grants and contracts to support the compliance and permitting process if they cannot be performed in-house. The SPRS will supervise staff in performing the vegetation management activities, botanical surveys and monitoring. The position works at the District Office, located at Fort Humboldt Historic State Park in Eureka.
Anyone interested in applying will need to get on the staff park and recreation specialist exam list (https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/ExamBulletin.aspx?ExamControlId=2586.)

MIT EAPS Graduate Application Mentorship Program: The graduate students at MIT’s Earth, Atmosphere and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) department are hosting our seventh annual Application Mentorship Program. The Application Mentorship Program is a student-run initiative offering support for prospective applicants to the EAPS graduate program. Applying to graduate school can be daunting, so why not chat with someone who’s already been through it. We welcome anyone interested in applying to a graduate program in EAPS to sign up. Participants in the EAPS Application Mentorship Program will be matched with a graduate student volunteer who can provide feedback on the applicant's personal statement and answer questions regarding EAPS, MIT, or graduate school in general. Mentorship may come in the form of:

• Reading and giving feedback on the applicant’s personal statement 

• Answering questions about the logistics of applying to grad school (e.g., “what is a personal statement?”, “how important is it to have taken the classes listed on the EAPS website?”)

• Answering questions about the department

• Answering questions about the mentor’s own educational trajectory

The Application Mentorship Program aims to provide students who are underrepresented and/or unfamiliar with our program and/or fields with an additional resource as they navigate the graduate school application process. We value the diverse perspectives and backgrounds of all members of our community, and we hope to support this diversity among future generations of students. We especially encourage applicants from underrepresented and non-traditional academic backgrounds to use this resource. To learn more about the mentorship program, potential applicants can visit our website here! To learn more about applying to EAPS, please visit the Admissions page here.  

Wildlife EcoSeries Seminar this Thursday, Sept. 18 at 4 p.m.: WiGSS and the Wildlife Department are hosting our next EcoSeries talk of the Fall 2025 semester, which is scheduled for Thursday, September 18 at 4pm! This presentation is virtual, and will be streamed on Zoom (Zoom info below). We will be hosting a viewing party of the presentation in WDFS 258. Each EcoSeries presentation (both in-person and virtual), will be immediately followed by an EcoSocial! Hang out and chat while enjoying some free snacks during this 20-minute social period. This semester, EcoSocials will be hosted in WDFS 230. This week's topic: Understanding the ecological underpinnings of animal social groups: from fragile alliances to long-term partnerships:  Take a dive into the social lives of birds to learn how associations are shaped by the social and physical environments in which birds find themselves. This talk spans conspecific and heterospecific sociality, taking a look at the diverse benefits of sociality. 
Zoom link: https://humboldtstate.zoom.us/s/87278816742
Meeting ID: 872 7881 6742
Passcode: WildTalk

Week of September 8-12, 2025

Pre-MED Students! Shadow Abroad Summer 2026 Online Open House on Tuesday, September 23: Shadow Abroad is hosting an online open house for their Summer 2026 Spanish & Shadowing Program on Tuesday, September 23 at 4:00 PM Pacific, and you’re invited. This program combines Spanish immersion with medical shadowing and volunteering abroad — and new this year, students can also earn a Certificate in Spanish for Healthcare Professionals.
👉 Register here: https://www.shadowabroad.com/open-house/
If you’re interested in healthcare, languages, and global experiences, this could be a great fit. 

September is Coastal Cleanup Month: The Northcoast Environmental Center is the Humboldt County Coordinator with the California Coastal Commission for Coastal Cleanup Day and Month. Each year we work with community members, nonprofits, and hundreds of volunteers to pick up thousands of pieces of trash across our coastal region. It's a great opportunity for students and faculty to engage with the local environment and community, and to foster stewardship and connection with the beautiful area we live in. More information and registration links can be found on our website at yournec.org/coastalcleanupmonth. Coastal Cleanup Day has become an international affair and one of the largest volunteer events in the world, and it began right here in Humboldt at the NEC over 45 years ago. We've since expanded it into a month-long event to foster ongoing stewardship and create more opportunities for everyone to join. We hope you can join us this Coastal Cleanup Month! 

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge Internship: 
About the Organization:  Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) is a GFAS-accredited non-profit sanctuary dedicated to rescuing abused, abandoned, and unwanted big cats. Located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas, our refuge provides a lifetime home for
over 100 rescued animals, including tigers, lions, bears, and more.
Position Overview: We are seeking self-motivated and passionate individuals for a full-time,
six-month internship. This physically demanding role offers an incredible opportunity to gain
hands-on experience in exotic animal husbandry. Interns are crucial members of our team and
must have a strong desire to provide the highest standard of care to our animal residents. The
ideal candidate is observant, able to keep detailed records, and works well both independently
and as part of a team. 
More info and download a flyer here

Wildlife Ecoseries seminar Sep 11 at 4PM - Justin Luong: WiGSS and the Wildlife Department are hosting our next EcoSeries talk of the Fall 2025 semester, which is scheduled for Thursday, September 11th at 4pm! This presentation will be in-person in WDFS 258. As a reminder, in-person talks will not be offered on Zoom, so don’t miss out! Each EcoSeries presentation (both in-person and virtual), will be immediately followed by an EcoSocial! Hang out and chat while enjoying some free snacks during this 20-minute social period. This semester, EcoSocials will be hosted in WDFS 166.
This week's topic: The impacts of solar microgrid on coastal prairies vegetation and soil properties
California rangelands help support leading agricultural product exports, but also serve as an important biodiversity hotspot which can support over 2000 plant species across the state; simultaneously, California is working to develop the renewable energy grid and is currently the 4th largest producer of solar energy in the country. Microgrids are smaller energy units that are flexible and can be installed with relatively low disturbance and may work well to be integrated into working lands. In an effort to reconcile rangeland use to support diverse ecosystem services, we are assessing how solar microgrids across three coastal prairies in Humboldt County affect plant communities, their functional traits and impacts on soil biogeochemistry (bulk density, soil carbon). We conducted plant monitoring annually during peak growth (April/May) in 2024 and 2025, measured functional traits of the most dominant species and assessed soil properties in 2024. We found that solar microgrids had minimal effect on soil biogeochemistry but affected the plant functional traits. Our findings support that solar microgrids may be compatible for multi-use with grazing and native plant conservation and relationships between solar grid microhabitats and functional traits can help inform restoration planting and seeding efforts.
Link to this week's flyer
Link to the fall semester/full series calendar 

Week of September 2-5, 2025

Fall 2025 Marine Mammal Research Assistant: The Cal Poly Humboldt Marine Mammal Education and Research Program (MMERP) is currently seeking research assistants. This is a great opportunity for students to gain fieldwork experience and get involved with local marine mammal research! We have a limited number of positions available this semester but would like to invite you to apply if you meet the following criteria:

• Have attended at least one semester at CPH previously
• Be available for 15 to 20 hours for beach surveys and data management each month
• Make a 5-month minimum commitment, longer preferred (Fall, Spring, and Summer)
• Complete a 6-8 hour online training and attend monthly meetings
• Hike 2-6 miles on remote sandy beaches each month
• Have personal transportation to beaches in northern California, or be willing to carpool
• Mileage costs are reimbursed and additional support may be available to students who qualify
• To apply to the MMERP Research Assistant Internship please fill out the Marine Mammal Education and Research Program Application Form no later than Monday 9/15/2025. 
  Link to a flyer

HBMS Community Education Scholarship for Students, 2025: The Humboldt Bay Mycological Society is now accepting applications for our annual Community Education Scholarship, which awards $800 to the selected recipient. The scholarship recipient will present a 45-minute to 1-hour talk on a mycology-related topic of their choice at our January 2026 monthly meeting in Arcata. This is a great chance for students to deepen their knowledge, share their interests with the community, and gain presentation experience. Applications are due October 31, 2025, giving students time to develop a topic, outline their presentation, and prepare their materials. Linked below is the full announcement with details on eligibility and application requirements. This can also be found on our website under the "Scholarships" tab.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions at hbmssecretary@gmail.com.
Humboldt Bay Mycological Society Scholarship

Health Careers Panel Join the UC Berkeley Biology Scholars Program (BSP) in a discussion with medical professionals from the UC San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center: 
Date: Tuesday, September 9th
Time: 12pm - 1pm
Venue: Zoom (register HERE to have Zoom link sent to you in advance of the panel) 

CSUBIOTECH: Career Webinar featuring Dr. Justin Costa, Founder and CEO of Cytheos Technologies, LLC, Monday, September 8 at 11:00AM:  We are happy to announce another exciting CSU Biotechnology webinar featuring speaker,
Dr. Justin Costa, Founder and CEO of Cytheos Technologies, LLC, Monday, September 8, 2025.  Please join us for a discussion as part of our ongoing CSUBIOTECH Career Webinar Series.
>> REGISTER HERE !

Now hiring: temp forest ecology assistants:  Sierra Nevada Inventory and Monitoring Network is hiring 2 seasonal forest ecology assistants through the Scientist-in-Park program and Conservation Legacy.  Duties include collecting field data on high elevation forests throughout Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs.  Positions will start in April 2026 and are expected to run into mid-October 2026. 
More info at:  https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/2dfc6b2b4180-ecology-assistant-americorps

Wildlands Studies International Environmental Field Programs Info Session on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. in NR 201:  International environmental field programs in Australia, Belize, Chile, Ecuador, French Polynesia, Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, and Thailand.  Earn college credits for study abroad!
Link to a flyer

Ciencia Para Todos: Opportunities for Partnership and Support: Ciencia Para Todos is a student-led, bilingual collective dedicated to making science education accessible, inclusive, and community-rooted, especially for Spanish-speaking and immigrant families. We develop and lead bilingual STEM workshops in schools and community spaces, offer interpretation and translation services to support language justice, and partner with local organizations to bridge the gap between science and community. We are excited to continue growing CPT as a space where students can develop as leaders, educators, and advocates. We would love to connect with you or your department to explore how our missions might align. Thank you for your time and for your continued support of student leadership and inclusive science. Please feel free to reach out if you would like to meet with us, collaborate, or learn more about our work this fall semester!
For more info, contact:  cienciaparatodoscph@gmail.com