Call for Applications: Undergraduate Humanities Public Fellowship with Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 2024-2025

We encourage work-study and non-work-study students to apply. This role requires work authorization. 

Storytelling Fellowship

Application Deadline: October 13, 2024

The Humanities Division is excited to announce an experiential learning opportunity for Humanities undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz to work with the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Public Fellowships are internships that connect Humanities majors and minors to projects in the community to benefit students and organizations mutually. Students gain practical experience and professional training and learn about positions outside of the university that build on their studies in the Humanities. At the same time, community organizations benefit from students’ assistance and academic expertise.

About Seymour Marine Discovery Center

The Seymour Marine Discovery Center, founded in 2000, is UCSC’s aquarium, science center, and conservation hub. Seymour Center educates families living, working, and learning about marine science research and ocean conservation in Santa Cruz. The center is a 17,500-square-foot facility with additional outdoor features on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean on the UC Santa Cruz Coastal Campus.

Inside Seymour Center is an aquarium with 25+ tanks featuring flora and fauna from Monterey Bay. You will also find interactive exhibits and stories about the science behind and solutions to the impacts of climate change on our community. There are also places to relax, study, and enjoy the views.

The Seymour Center aims to tell local, coastal climate resilience stories through a solutions-oriented lens. Through this mission-based storytelling, they hope to mobilize the community to advance coastal climate resilience. They host UCSC interns from across multiple academic divisions.

Position Description: Storytelling Fellow

Together, we will develop a story that we will install on a Storybooth in the Seymour Center’s exhibit hall that will be seen by tens of thousands of visitors. This is a project-based internship that has clear timelines and deliverables. The story will weave together the following elements:

1. Science behind the impacts of climate change on coastal communities (e.g. wildfires, freshwater access, changing fisheries, coastal erosion, biodiversity, etc.)
2. A timely, relevant story of this phenomenon impacting Santa Cruz County or the Monterey Bay region
3. A solution to the problem that is currently (or soon will be) on the table for Santa Cruz County or the Monterey Bay region
4. Local heroes who are working to understand (e.g. scientists) or solve the problem (e.g. public agency or nonprofit leader)
5. Actions local families can take to advance the solution.

Each Storybooth is a small wall display, accompanied by a tabletop activity (on a 6-foot table) that includes an interactive game–an opportunity for the Fellow to be creative.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

• Research (40%) : Independently conduct primary and secondary research, including but not limited to:
  • Reading scientific papers
  • Setting up interviews and talking with local stakeholders
  • Reading local news stories
• Storytelling (40%) : Using a template, synthesize the five story elements above into a concise, impactful narrative. Confidently write about the Monterey Bay region and local marine conservation issues.
  • Writing & Revising
  • Editing
• Curation & Install (20%) : Using software and templates, learn to curate the graphic layout and evaluate the visual effectiveness of the Storybooth piece.

QUALIFICATIONS – You’re an ideal candidate if:

• You are a declared major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division and are in good academic standing. If you are currently proposed, you can declare by the end of the academic year in June 2025. [required]
• You have work authorization. [required]
• You are interested in the Monterey Bay region and local marine conservation issues. [strongly preferred]
• You can conduct research independently in an organized way and take effective notes [required]
• You are an experienced writer, and you enjoy writing (expository and narrative writing). You can translate complex scientific concepts into a 6th-grade reading level. [required]
• You work well independently and collaboratively with staff, volunteers, and community members. [required]
• You have excellent time management skills to keep the project pace and meet deadlines. [required]
• You check your campus email daily and proactively communicate with supervisors, instructors, etc. [required]
• You have some experience with graphic design basics to support visual storytelling.
• Bonus if you have taken some science-related courses, particularly biology or ecology.

Internship Term: November 2024–March 2025 (Fall & Winter Quarters)

Hours: 16-20 hours/week, flexible to accommodate your academic schedule

Compensation: $20/hour

# Positions Available: 1-2

Location : Hybrid - 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, with some remote work

• 1x/week in person at Seymour Center

Mentorship: You will report to the Seymour Center’s Executive Director, Jonathan Hicken. He will delegate tasks, provide coaching, and review your work. You will check in with him at least once per week. You may work with other UCSC interns.

How To Apply

Apply by submitting:

1. Your resume
2. And a short cover letter (one page or less) addressing: Why are you interested in this position with the Seymour Center? How does your academic expertise and skillset prepare you for this role? What are you hoping to gain from this opportunity?
3. A writing sample (one page or less) – please do not submit an academic paper. The sample should show you can communicate complex ideas simply. It can be a social media post. Expository writing is recommended.

• REVIEW these resume and cover letter resources to ensure you are a strong candidate!
• PRO TIP: The Seymour Center is FREE for UCSC Students with ID. Visit the museum to see actual Storybooths to get the best sense of this role and the required writing.

Once the application window closes on October 13 at 11:59pm, there will be a virtual interview process with top candidates.

Please contact Experiential Learning Coordinator Kylie Rachwalski at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu with any questions.

This undergraduate internship is generously supported by The Mellon Foundation.