{"id":58460,"date":"2026-03-26T13:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mesweekly\/?p=58460"},"modified":"2026-03-26T13:35:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:35:05","slug":"internship-usda-fs-prescribed-fire-weather-data-processing-and-research-u-s-dept-of-agriculture-seattle-wa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mesweekly\/internship-usda-fs-prescribed-fire-weather-data-processing-and-research-u-s-dept-of-agriculture-seattle-wa\/","title":{"rendered":"Internship: USDA-FS Prescribed Fire Weather Data Processing and Research,\u00a0U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (Seattle, WA)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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<\/i> Save Job<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)<\/p>\n

Seattle, Washington<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Job Type<\/td>\nPaid Internship<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Salary<\/td>\nThe anticipated stipend range is $70,000 – $90,000 annually.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Deadline<\/td>\nMay 08, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min. Experience<\/td>\n0 – 1 year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
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*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.<\/p>\n

USDA Forest Service\u00a0Office\/Lab and Location:<\/strong>\u00a0A fellowship opportunity is available\u00a0with the US\u00a0Department of Agriculture (USDA)\u00a0Forest Service (FS) within the\u00a0Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNWRS) located in\u00a0Seattle, Washington.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the USDA Forest Service’s mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency\u2019s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It\u2019s been there from the agency\u2019s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the USDA Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.<\/p>\n

Research Project:<\/strong>\u00a0Wildland fire and smoke are one of the most pervasive hazards to human health and infrastructure in North America.\u00a0 Prescribed burning is a critical management tool for building community resilience by reducing hazardous levels of fuels, and key for restoring and maintaining fire-adapted ecosystems. To be safe and effective, prescribed burns must be conducted in a specific set of weather and fuel conditions that are conducive to the burn plan\u2019s particular fire behavior and smoke management objectives.\u00a0 Increasing the pace and scale of prescribed burning at the scale needed to mitigate the evolving threats of wildland fire and smoke will require optimizing our ability to utilize all available resources.<\/p>\n

Our group develops decision support systems that harness historical weather and fuel record knowledge, and their counterpart real-time forecasts, to reduce hurdles to increasing prescribed burning. A current focus is on optimizing the identification and utilization of burn-weather windows.\u00a0We also utilize our data warehouse to investigate the role that weather variability plays in controlling prescribed burn weather opportunity and wildland fire and smoke activity.<\/p>\n

We are looking for fellows with interest in weather\/fuel and related data processing, analysis and visualization, to help research and\u00a0develop potential\u00a0expansions to\u00a0our suite of weather-knowledge-based decision support systems and tools.<\/p>\n

Learning Objectives:<\/strong>\u00a0The Fellow will learn how wildland fire managers use weather and fuel data to plan and conduct prescribed burns.\u00a0 The Fellow will gain understanding of the range of meteorological data sources currently available, and their potential applicability and limitations for wildland fire management decision making.\u00a0 The Fellow will learn to add value to source data by processing it into readily-available, fit-for-purpose products and decision support systems. They will also learn about current needs for additional weather and fuel information and how to expand incorporation of meteorological forecasts into these products and systems to meet them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mentor:<\/strong>\u00a0The mentor for this opportunity\u00a0is\u00a0Andrew Chiodi (andy.chiodi@noaa.gov<\/a>).\u00a0If you have questions about the nature of the research,\u00a0please contact the mentor.<\/p>\n

Anticipated Appointment Start Date:<\/strong> April 2026.\u00a0\u00a0Start date is flexible and will\u00a0depend on a variety of\u00a0factors.<\/p>\n

Appointment Length:\u00a0<\/strong>The appointment will initially be for one year but may be\u00a0extended\u00a0upon\u00a0recommendation of\u00a0USDA Forest Service\u00a0and is contingent on the availability of funds.<\/p>\n

Level of Participation:<\/strong>\u00a0Full time participation is preferred, with part-time opportunity considered for current students.<\/p>\n

Participant Stipend:<\/strong>\u00a0The participant will receive a monthly\u00a0stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.\u00a0The anticipated stipend range is $70,000 – $90,000 annually.<\/p>\n

Citizenship Requirements:\u00a0<\/strong>This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.<\/p>\n

ORISE Information:<\/strong>\u00a0This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USDA Forest Service.\u00a0Participants do not become employees of USDA, USDA Forest Service, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.\u00a0Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.<\/p>\n

Questions<\/strong>:\u00a0Please visit our\u00a0Program Website<\/a>. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email\u00a0ORISE.USFS.PNWRS@orau.org<\/a>\u00a0and include the reference code for this opportunity.<\/p>\n

Qualifications<\/strong><\/p>\n

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s\u00a0degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received by 7\/1\/2028.<\/p>\n

Preferred skills:<\/strong><\/p>\n