With the exception of orientation and workshops, this internship position is entirely carried out at our Apollo Beach location.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand and develop all skills necessary for coral husbandry (e.g., feeding, water quality, light levels, flow, water changes, and filtration).
- Understand the crisis currently occurring on Florida’s coral reefs and the work coral practitioners and TFA are doing to help.
- Understand and develop skills for spawning and rearing of corals at the Apollo Beach campus of TFA.
Responsibilities:
- Develop knowledge and experience in coral husbandry, biology, life history, and life support technology.
- Conduct daily duties to assist primary biologist on live coral aquaria, including but not limited to cleaning, performing water changes, maintaining life support systems, feeding, and managing water quality parameters.
- Assist with gathering health assessment data and keeping accurate and detailed daily records.
- Utilize dissecting microscopes to clean coral settlement tiles.
- Assist with medical treatments.
- Assist with coral spawning observations, gamete collection, larval creation and settlement.
- Assist with collecting coral settlement and survival data.
- Complete project involving data collection and interpretation that benefits both The Florida Aquarium and the intern. Present findings internally and potentially externally.
- Other duties as assigned by internship supervisor.
Qualifications:
- Previous experience with reef aquarium husbandry and knowledge of basic coral and marine invertebrate biology.
- Experience using dissecting microscopes and ability/desire to work using a microscope for many hours.
- Ability to work in hot and humid conditions.
- Ability to lift 30 lbs.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently.
Time Commitment:
- Four days a week, a minimum of 8 hours per day, with no more than 1 weekend day per week.
- Exact hours will vary during coral spawning, but generally, the intern will work 32 hours per week.
Application deadline: April 30, 2025
Length of position: 6 Months; anticipated start date is July 1, 2025
Monthly stipend: $2,500 per month
