WeatherSTEM Internship Opportunity

Overview

WeatherSTEM is an education initiative operated by education software maker Ucompass of Tallahassee, Florida.  WeatherSTEM’s mission is to set up weather stations (we call them WeatherSTEM Units) at schools and places of educational significance and combine the data they collect with engaging STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum for K-12 students.

We are looking for help with the hands-on maintenance of the WeatherSTEM unit we installed at the Arboretum of Penn State.  We’re also looking for assistance with promoting it as a useful teaching and learning tool for teachers in Centre County, Pennsylvania.

This internship opportunity has the potential to evolve into a full-time salaried position with benefits.

Internship duties

  • Troubleshoot and resolve issues with Penn State’s WeatherSTEM unit
  • Manage the WeatherSTEM unit’s snow/ice melter
  • Perform basic maintenance on the Penn State WeatherSTEM unit including battery replacements and rain gauge cleaning
  • Give WeatherSTEM demonstrations to K-12 students and teachers in Centre County
  • Post daily interesting observations, data points, or media to Penn State’s WeatherSTEM unit social media pages (Twitter and Facebook) relevant to weather conditions measured and recorded by the system

Internship requirements

  • Must be physically able and willing to climb ladders to access the Penn State WeatherSTEM unit which is located on the edge of the roof of the main building on the grounds of the Arboretum at Penn State.

  • Must be willing to travel to Tallahassee, Florida for a 2-day WeatherSTEM training (at WeatherSTEM’s expense)

  • Knowledge of basic computer networking or a willingness to quickly learn

  • Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation

  • Must be comfortable speaking to a group and have good written and verbal communication skills

  • Since this internship would require visits to schools, you would be expected to take a background test and/or drug test which is required by most school districts and may be required before you could access any of Penn State’s facilities in any sort of maintenance capacity

  • Must complete any mandated Penn State child protection training

  • Must be willing to find a suitable replacement who would tend to any WeatherSTEM maintenance issues that arise when you’re not on campus (Christmas break, Spring break, Summer, etc.)

Plusses

  • Experience with graphic design software (e.g. Photoshop)

  • Any web development experience (HTML/CSS/JavaScript)

  • Carpentry skills

Time commitment

The WeatherSTEM units are supposed to be reliable and mostly maintenance free. There would be some weeks where no intervention with the unit was necessary. The expected time commitment for this position would be 10 hours per week, on average, comprised of daily postings, hands-on WeatherSTEM unit maintenance and/or support, and visits to Centre County schools to promote WeatherSTEM.

Compensation

This is a paid internship and specific compensation would be articulated in a formal offer letter.

Next steps

If you are interested in this internship opportunity, e-mail your resume to Ed Mansouri at emansouri@ucompass.com. Also, share your thoughts on why you are interested in this opportunity and why you believe you’d be successful with it.

Application Deadline / Position Start Date

November 30, 2014 / January 5, 2015