Yale University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Yale offers a Summer Environmental Fellowship. Applications are welcomed from rising sophomores through rising seniors who wish to have a substantive environmental research or training opportunity. Possibilities include interning with an environmental organization or governmental agency or working on a research project in the field/laboratory at Yale or at another institution. Students should investigate and select a suitable project, internship or training program before applying for the internship program. Potential applicants should discuss and develop their summer plans with a member of the Yale faculty in their area of interest. The Summer Environmental Fellowship has supported many Environmental Studies majors working on senior thesis research. Students whose research focuses on improved technologies related to climate change are invited to apply for the Summer Climate Technologies Fellowship. This is a new fellowship available to all Yale College. https://evst.yale.edu/student-research/summer-environmental-fellowship-0

In addition, the Yale School of the Environment (formerly the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies) requires that, during the summer between the first and second academic years, Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) students must complete an internship or research project that gives them a chance to apply knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom, gain professional experience, build networks, and investigate potential career paths. Students design their own summer internships or research experience, closely aligned with individual academic and career goals in collaboration with the Office of Career and Professional Development.

The Summer International Program in Environmental Health Sciences (SIPEHS) is an intensive short-term summer program which introduces exciting emerging topics and research tools in environmental health sciences to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and health care professionals. SIPEHS also introduces the Department of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) at Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) to these students. The purpose of SIPEHS is to motivate participants to pursue higher education and careers in environmental health sciences and public health by exposing them to major emerging topics and research tools. Areas of Study include: Climate and energy impacts on health; The developmental origins of human disease; Green chemistry solutions; Understanding and overcoming environmental health disparities; Novel approaches to assessing environmental exposures and early biomarkers of effect; and Applications and implications in major human diseases (e.g. cancer and COVID-19). At completion of the SIPEHS program, participants will have an introductory understanding of major emerging topics and research tools in environmental health sciences, a clear understanding of EHS and YSPH programs and the admissions process, exposure to on-going research, and a strong relationship with EHS faculty members. https://ysph.yale.edu/school-of-public-health/Special-Programs/Summer-International-Program-Environmental-Health-Sciences/

The Yale Center for Business and the Environment offers paid summer internships through its partnership with World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a global, CEO-led community of over 200 of the world’s leading sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the system transformations needed for a net zero, nature positive, and more equitable future. These internships offer students a unique opportunity to dig into the work happening at the WBCSD to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. The partnership provides support four (4) paid internship opportunities for students from the Yale School of the Environment and the Yale School of Management. Interns apply strategic thinking, coupled with capacity for project management and implementation, to help support ongoing projects and to position and profile WBCSD as the leading voice of business for systems transformation in one of the Imperatives (Climate Action, Nature Action, or Equity Action); Pathways (Food & Ag, Built Environment, Mobility, Healthy People Healthy Business, Energy or Circular Economy), or in Redefining Value. Each intern receives $10,000. https://cbey.yale.edu/programs/wbcsd-internships

The Yale School of Public Health offers a summer Climate Change and Health internship program. Priority is given to Masters of Public Health students in the Climate Change and Health Concentration, followed by Student Associates. Past internship projects and partner organizations include the California Department of Public Health’s Climate Change and Health Equity Unit, Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health (CEEJH) Laboratory at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation and Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, and several other organizations working at the intersection of sustainability and justice. https://ysph.yale.edu/admissions-financial-aid/applied-practice-and-research/climate-change-and-health/
Each summer, the Yale Farm Summer Internship allows a group of student interns to: Learn how to cultivate our one-acre urban plot at hand-scale, using organic methods including seeding, pest management, crop rotation, and irrigation; Become familiar with agricultural economics; Learn the critical thinking skills necessary to manage complex agricultural systems; Hone teaching and public speaking skills while hosting groups and volunteers each week; Gain a unique understanding of food security issues in New Haven; Learn how to market vegetables to urban consumers; Participate in classes on food, agriculture, and the environment; and Take a series of field trips to farms and organizations across Connecticut and New England. It can act as a springboard for students who are looking to incorporate tenets of sustainable food and agriculture into their course of study at Yale and their subsequent careers.