POSITION DETAILS
Position Title: Astronomy Assistant
Park Unit: Great Basin National Park
Location: Baker, Nevada
Number of positions available: 1
Can this position be fully remote: NO
INTERNSHIP DATES AND LENGTH
Duration: 12 Weeks
Start Date: 07/28/2024
Flexible Start Date: NO
LIVING AND RELOCATION ALLOWANCE:
Weekly Stipend: $525.00
Relocation Allowance: $400.00
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The SIP intern will be assisting with night sky programming up to four times a week. During these night programs, the intern will be responsible for connecting the public to the valuable resource of the night sky, enforcing safety guidelines to conduct successful programs, and directing visitors to safely use telescopes to view night sky objects.
As part of their duties, the intern will be responsible for:
• Assisting in various special programs including Star Trains and Moon Walks.
• Assisting the lead astronomy ranger with various projects to better the astronomy programming at Great Basin National Park.
• Individually conducting solar observations during day shifts, using public speaking skills to connect visitors to the sun and daytime astronomy.
• Individually conducting cave tours of Lehman Caves. Tours last 60 to 90 minutes, during these tours the intern will be responsible for the safety and education of visitors.
• Taking night-sky darkness readings multiple times and month to continue the long term project of darkness measurement at Great Basin National Park.
POSITION IMPACT
The work done by the SIP intern helps to continue dark sky education and interpretation, and maintain Great Basin’s International Dark-sky Association designation. Their work may contribute to the newly formed Basin and Range Dark Skies Cooperative mission, with social media and web outreach. The night sky measurements will be used by the park and the Great Basin Observatory to quantitatively describe the darkness of the Great Basin to the International Dark Sky Association.
DELIVERABLES
During their time as an Astronomy Assistant, interns will complete:
Monthly Dark Sky readings
The annual Dark Sky International report on Great Basin's dark sky programs, conservation efforts, monthly measurements, and next steps. This is a report submitted annually since our designation in 2016.
Create an interpretive audio/visual program
Assist with developing new Star Train programming
DESIRED INTERN QUALIFICATIONS
Experience in operating and troubleshooting telescopes with Go-To technology, knowledge of night skies and deep space objects, knowledge of caves and geology, and public speaking skills.
The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. legal permanent resident (“Green Card holder”). Prior to starting this position, a government security background clearance will be required.
WORK SETTING
Position is half and half field and office time. Intern will need to be able to lift 60 pound telescopes safely without hurting themselves or damaging the telescope. Intern will be spending long periods in the sun and out at night standing and operating telescopes.
Great Basin National Park is very remote at 6,800 ft with varying weather conditions, with high temps into the 90s and lows into 30s. The closest grocery store is 65 miles away in Ely, NV. Ely also has other services including hospital and DMV.
VEHICLE AND DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
Applicant must have a valid driver's license to drive a government vehicle.
A personal vehicle is REQUIRED for this position.
HOUSING
Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant.
Intern housing may be a private or shared room in a dorm with shared kitchen, living, dining, and bathroom facilities. The SIP will need to bring bedding, towels, and toiletries. Park housing is within walking distance of the duty station.
KEYWORDS
Public Speaking, Astronomy, Telescopes, Caves, Visitor Services
IMPORTANT NOTICES
This posting will close after receiving 100 complete applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, 21 January, whichever occurs first. Once you begin applying for a position, the application must be completed in one sitting. You cannot save and return later to complete it. Applicants can apply for up to five Scientists in Parks Intern positions per summer. You need to complete a separate application for each position in order to be considered. You should receive a confirmation email after successfully submitting an application. Sometimes institutional email filters/settings can redirect or block emails related to the application. We recommend watching spam, junk, and promotional email folders in case your service delivers messages there. Please visit How to Apply for additional resources and information about applying (i.e., learn what materials to have ready for applying, find a worksheet that previews application questions, etc.)
CURRENT NUMBER OF APPLICANTS
Under 100 (this section will update if a position reaches greater than 60, greater than 80, and greater than 90 applications before closing)
LEARN MORE
https://www.scientistsinparks.org/