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University of Florida

The Whitney Lab Accepts Volunteers and Interns

The Whitney Lab is an amazing place, with a suite of scientific experts from around the world that work on cutting edge projects which may yield insight into the health, biological, and conservation issues of today!

 

Group of people with estuary in background

Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers!

To be considered eligible to volunteer at the Whitney Laboratory you must:
  • Be 18 years of age (sometimes exceptions can be made)
  • Have a good attitude
  • Be reliable and have transportation to/from the lab
  • Have an active email account that you check on a weekly basis
  • Have a working phone number which you can be reached on the day of your shift
Perks of Being at Volunteer at the Whitney Laboratory:
  • Opportunity to work alongside people with like interests and develop new friendships
  • Invitation to special science lectures and educational field trips
  • Invitation to Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
  • Invitation to participate in community events and special on-site Whitney Lab events
  • Training provided on all aspects of assigned program or task operation
  • Volunteer Name Tag, T-shirt, and Manual

Volunteer Areas

K-12 SCHOOL PROGRAMS - Trained Education volunteers, or Docents, guide K-12 students through science programs at local schools (Traveling Marine Zoo) and at the Whitney Laboratory (Day at the Whitney Lab). Docents may represent the Education department at offsite community events, assist with the care of our marine invertebrate collection, help with summer camps, and much more!
K-12 School Programs
SEA TURTLE HOSPITAL - Volunteers provide basic husbandry for our sick or injured patients (checking water quality, cleaning tanks, prepping daily diets, etc.), assist staff with individual patient treatments (record keeping, handling, etc), and help transport turtles between rescue location & hospital sites. Volunteers develop skills in basic animal husbandry, basic veterinary care.
Sea Turtle Hospital
RESEARCH LABORATORY - Volunteers help with tasks ranging from collecting data in the field, preparing and processing samples, collecting specimens, and performing husbandry tasks to care for and maintain animal collections and their housing. Volunteering in the Lab contributes to short and long-term research and helps keep Community Citizen Science Projects active and ongoing.
Research Faculty

Process to become a Whitney Volunteer

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Whitney Laboratory. At this time we have limited volunteer positions available.

Complete the Online Application: 

Whitney Laboratory Volunteer Application

Note: Additional documents are not required to apply as a volunteer

Your application will be maintained in our database and you will be put on our waiting list. When a position fitting your experience and availability opens, you will be contacted for an interview. When we have openings, we ALWAYS search our waiting list prior to soliciting help via public avenues. 

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Whitney Laboratory!

If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact Amy Biedenbach, Education Manager, (904) 201-8423.

 

Internship Opportunities for High School, College Undergraduates and Graduates

 

High School

High School Interns in the Research Lab must be 16 years of age

  • Internship: Townsend Scholarship

Must Attend a Title 1 High School for Eligibility

Competitive ‘paid’ Summer internship. To apply, email your CV/Resume, a letter of interest, and one letter of recommendation from a teacher (preferred) and/or a supervisor from work to Amy Biedenbach, abiedenbach@whitney.ufl.edu. Include in the email that you applying for the Townsend Scholarship. We accept applications September 1st  – Feb. 28th.  Participants are normally chosen before the end of March or early April.

  • Volunteer

To apply, complete the online volunteer form, upload your CV and a letter of interest and submit. Then email your CV and letter of interest to Amy Biedenbach, abiedenbach@whitney.ufl.edu, include in the email that you are in high school student and are applying for a summer volunteer opportunity.

 

 College Undergraduates and Graduates

  • Internship: Sea Turtle Hospital

Please see Employment Page 

  • Research Experience for Undergraduates

Research Lab: Competitive Undergraduate Summer Opportunity - See Research Experience for Undergraduates program

  •  Volunteer: Research Lab

To apply, complete the online volunteer form, upload your CV and a letter of interest and submit. Then email your CV and letter of interest to Amy Biedenbach abiedenbach@whitney.ufl.edu, include in the email whether you are an undergraduate or graduate, which semester(s) are you available, and list the top three Whitney Laboratory Research Projects you are most interested in. See current research faculty. Your information will be distributed to the Whitney Laboratory faculty, if a lab is interested, they will contact you. You can also email your information directly to any of our principal investigators.