Summer Internships
DLiA’s summer internship program is a unique, immersive opportunity for current and recently-graduated undergraduate students to work with our small nonprofit in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). We strive to provide a rich, biodiversity-focused experience for our interns in a supportive work environment. Interns help us with scientific research, programming, promotion, and more. Much of each internship is loosely structured and tailored to fit the interests, experience and comfort level of each intern.
Timing
The internship program spans 10 weeks in the summer. It is important that our interns are available through the entire internship. The 2025 internship:
- starts June 2nd, 2025
- ends August 8th, 2025
Where you’ll work
Our office is located here in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The park comprises over 500,000 acres across Tennessee and North Carolina in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve, and much of the park is considered a temperate rainforest.
Responsibilities
- Work in coordination with DLiA staff, fellow interns, NPS staff, and others
- Help organize and carry out field- and lab-based biological research
- Assist park staff and visiting scientists with biological research in the Smokies
- Document species in the Smokies are using the iNaturalist app (see Smokies Most Wanted)
- Help us with educational and fundraising events, including bioblitzes and our Fireflies Event at Norton Creek
- Give a short presentation about your summer experience to the DLiA Board of Directors at our July Board Retreat
- Obey all laws and policies, including those laid out in our NPS Research Permit, and practice the Leave No Trace principles while in GSMNP
- See additional responsibilities specific to each internship track, below
Perks
We provide
- $1,500 stipend
- Local housing
- Reimbursement for work-related mileage
- Parking tag for GSMNP
As a DLiA intern, you will
- Learn about and contribute to the Smokies ATBI, the largest and longest running biodiversity census in America
- Become familiar with flora and fauna of the Southern Appalachians
- Go “behind the scenes” of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Work in a friendly, supportive, LGBTQ+ affirming environment
- See the inner workings of a small 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
- Work alongside National Park Service staff
Qualifications
Internship applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a current or recently graduated undergraduate student in a field related to the internship track to which you are applying (see below)
- Be reliable, honest and hardworking, but also flexible and easygoing
- Have a keen interest in nature and the outdoors
- Be okay with touching bugs and other creepy crawlies
- Be okay with working independently or in a small group
- Be okay with working a few late nights, early mornings, and weekends (which we will compensate with time off, as appropriate) and also a few remote-work days
- Be able to occasionally hike up to 12 miles in a day carrying a light daypack
- Be able to occasionally carry a 25-pound backpack for up to 8 miles
- Be cool with heat, rain, and humidity (we’re in a temperate rainforest)
- See additional qualifications specific to each internship track, below
Internship tracks
Interns can specialize in our biology and photography/videography tracks, though many of our interns share interest in both of these related fields. Regardless of track, all interns will spend lots of time working together.
Biology track
Our biology interns spend more time on organismal-focused biology research, such as biodiversity surveys, DNA barcoding, and curating specimens and data. The DLiA biology track is open to students interested in any kind of organismal biology, allowing them to get experience in fieldwork and taxonomy (especially entomology and botany), to get a taste for nonprofit work, and to generally bask in the biodiversity wonderland that is the Smokies!
Additional responsibilities
- Assist park staff and visiting scientists with ongoing research projects
- Collect biological specimens and data in the field
- Curate biological specimens (e.g., pinning, labeling and sorting insects, pressing plant specimens)
- Take diagnostic macro photos of specimens
- Collect and manage specimen images and metadata
- Capture georeferenced biological records through iNaturalist
- Learn about and use DNA barcoding to identify arthropod specimens
- Learn and apply basic arthropod taxonomy
Qualifications
- Have a keen interest in organismal biology
- Be familiar with some group of organisms living in the Smokies (e.g., wildflowers, birds, beetles, mosses, salamanders) OR have a group in mind that you’d like to get to know over the summer (this list might be helpful)
Photography/videography track
Our photography/videography interns help us to visually convey our work in the Smokies and also document our local flora and fauna for both scientific and aesthetic purposes. This track is an opportunity to practice your skills in wildlife, landscape, and event photography, and story-telling through photography and videography, while we bring a wealth of knowledge on the natural and cultural history of your subjects. From the magnificent and ever-changing vistas in the Smokies, to the stories of millions of park visitors, to the mysterious and spectacular macro-world just under our feet, there is so much to see and hear in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Additional responsibilities may include
- Photograph flora and fauna in the field and in a lab setting, including through macro- and scientific photography
- Document our outreach and fundraising events through photograph and videography
- Develop stories to promote DLiA projects through video
- Conduct, film, edit and archive interviews with DLiA folks and affiliates
- Keep your photo and video media logically organized and well-labeled
- Create videos for use on DLiA’s website, YouTube channel, and social media
- Perform related, non-photo/video duties as assigned
Qualifications
- Have some experience in the arts of photography and/or videography
- Have your own digital camera and equipment capable of producing professional quality photographs and/or video (highly recommended)
- Be able to use Adobe Photoshop Suite (or similar program) to edit photos and videos, and creative platforms such as Canva to create attractive promotional materials
- Demonstrate keen attention to detail when editing and fact checking
How to apply
The application for our summer internship opens from January 2-31, annually. We typically begin contacting applicants by mid-February and typically make a final decision by the end of February.
Applicants will need to:
- Fill out the online application linked below
- Submit their resume or CV, and include 1-3 references that we may contact (as part of the application)
Questions relating to DLiA internships? Feel free to email Todd (todd@dlia.org). Please note: applications must be submitted through the application link above and will NOT be accepted via email.