Student Intern

The Wisconsin State Cartographer’s Office (SCO) at UW-Madison seeks to hire a student intern over the summer of 2022. The intern will support a collaborative project to produce a habitat map of the Lake Superior National Estuarian Research Reserve (NERR).

Project Goals: The Lake Superior NERR is developing a high-resolution habitat map showing the Reserve’s land cover and dominant species, a requirement of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The map will be produced from high-resolution remote sensing imagery using a customized image classification workflow that will be developed during the first phase of the project.

Project Partners: (1) The Lake Superior NERR (lakesuperiorreserve.org) is part of the UW-Madison Division of Extension’s Natural Resources Institute (naturalresources.extension.wisc.edu), with leadership from NOAA. The Reserve is a member of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), a network of 30 reserves across the country designated for long-term research on coastal resources and the human populations those resources support. (2) Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) (fdltcc.edu) is a campus of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and is jointly governed with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. A 1994 Land Grant institution, FDLTCC serves a diverse group of students, with approximately 75% qualifying as underrepresented (first-generation, Pell-eligible, and/or students of color). (3) The State Cartographer’s Office (SCO) is a special program in the Geography Department at UW-Madison. The SCO collaborates with partners across the state to help them achieve their geospatial-related goals. (www.sco.wisc.edu)

Student Role: Through the summer internship the student will gain experience in the latest remote sensing technologies and best practices as they help develop the classification workflow and participate in data collection and field work. Funding will allow the student to travel to the Reserve in Superior, Wisconsin, to collect training data. The student will collaborate with other students from FDLTCC. Student research, field work, and pilot testing will be vital to create an accurate habitat map while also providing important learning and professional development opportunities in GIS and remote sensing technologies.

Qualifications: Hands-on experience including coursework in digital remote sensing and GIS software and methods. Ideal candidate will have experience with land cover classification methods, aquatic environments and the Great Lakes region. Some field work will be required, including the ability to travel and stay overnight in the Superior area. A valid driver’s license is desired. A personal vehicle is not required. Must meet university requirements for fall semester enrollment. Open to students at any University of Wisconsin campus.

Hours per week: Negotiable

Desired start date: May 23, 2022

End date: End of summer, 2022. Exact end date negotiable.

Review of applications begins: April 11, 2022

To apply: Submit your application at www.sco.wisc.edu/employment-application