The University of Hawai?i at Hilo Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) is currently conducting open recruitment for its 2010 summer program. Undergraduate students of Native Hawaiian ancestry, other kama?aina, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation college students are eligible for paid summer environmental internships statewide.
PIPES encompasses a wide variety of programs including the University of Hawai?i Hawaiian Internship Program (UH-HIP), the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), and the Micronesian and American Samoa Student Internship Program (MASSIP). Each program targets a broad range of students from different majors with a common interest in tropical conservation sciences, natural and cultural resource management, and environmental education and outreach to create a passionate and focused group of student interns.
The summer program begins in June with a four-day intern orientation at UH Hilo. Students will then report to their host agency site to work side-by-side on a mentored project, and later attend the Hawai?i Conservation Conference on O?ahu to hear presentations and network with researchers, land managers, and other Hawai?i-based conservation and environmental professionals. The summer concludes with a student symposium where interns present their research and summer work to their peers, the UH Hilo community, and other host mentors.
PIPES was established in 1996 through partnerships between UH Hilo and federal and state agencies to increase local representation in Hawai?i’s conservation workforce. Program efforts are supported by the USGS Biological Resources Division Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (PIERC), USDA Forest Service Institute for Pacific Islands Forestry (IPIF), US Fish & Wildlife Service, Kamehameha Schools