NOAA Hollings Marine Laboratory’s Marine Animal Health Program is recruiting to fill two dolphin photo-identification internship positions for the fall of 2012. The positions are at the NOAA National Ocean Service Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina and will involve a commitment of 20 hours per week extending over a 14 week period from       September 12 to December 16, 2012. There is some flexibility in these start and end dates.  

Building on existing data from long-term monitoring which has spanned 15+ years, boat-based photo-identification (id) and remote biopsy surveys will be conducted for Western North Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in estuaries and near-shore waters of South Carolina. Specific research questions focus on relationships between stress/reproductive hormones and environmental factors.  Interns will assist with laboratory activities such as data entry and photo-analysis and will participate in boat-based fieldwork. The internship offers an  excellent opportunity for qualified and motivated individuals to obtain field and laboratory training in photo-id methodology and analysis under the mentorship of experienced         dolphin researchers.  

There is no compensation for this position, and interns will be responsible for their own living expenses and transportation to and from the laboratory. There may be travel involved for some components of the fieldwork, which will be paid for by the laboratory.