General Internship, Water Health Educator

In the internship position for Water Health Educator, interns will work in a self-paced manner to accomplish tasks including but not limited to the following:

1. Research and writing on water pollution and health-related topics, including but not limited to directed readings and documentaries, abstracts and journals,

2. Health-related fieldwork on location, to be determined,

3. Water-related outreach and education, including an on-campus lecture, or a library or school program for children,

4. Researching and adding news and interest articles to Water Pollution Forum and Ethnographic Health Research Forum on Facebook and Twitter,

5. Other duties as assigned.

This internship is for a period of one semester, under the guidance an university-approved course.

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Organic Sustainable Family Food Production Internship

This internship will look at the challenge of healthy eating and sustainable gardening methods during changes in climate, farm policy, crop controls and economy. Students will have a directed reading to include Foodopoly, The World According to Monsanto and others, to understand the changing dynamic in food production and how we feed our bodies. There will be an ethnographic look at the availability of healthy foods in low-income, urban areas, and farmers markers will be explored to understand the challenge for farmers and home growers to sustain themselves financially in the current political and economic climate. The internship will research and explore organically-grown foods, various pesticides and health effects, non-pesticide gardening and GMOs. Students will be able to talk about the “dirty dozen” and health implications of eating these foods and what protocol should be used to ensure food is clean. Finally, through this internship, we will look at innovative farming practices, such as hydroponics and aquaponics. There will be fieldwork required, including many on-site assignments, such as visiting a hydroponic farm and various farmers markets. For GMU Students: registration in GCH 498 or graduate-level GCH internship is required.

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"Garbageland" Internship

This internship will span the environmental health topics of water pollution, air pollution and wastes, from solid to hazardous to e-Waste. Students will have a directed reading to include, among others, Garbageland, to understand the increasing production of waste and where it goes, domestically and internationally. There will be an ethnographic look at communities surrounded by trash, whether it be a municipal decision to make money by bringing waste into a community or international communities surrounded by imported waste. Students will take an in-depth look at the disease implications of handling e-Waste, as well as the impairment of local streams utilizing benthic macroinvertebrates and participating in stream cleanup. The internship will also understand EPA acts, as well as the challenge of Superfund sites. Finally, students will take a look at recycling and if it really works. For GMU Students: registration in GCH 498 or graduate-level GCH internship is required.