Undergraduate Summer Internship: Climate Ready Boston

The Boston University Initiative on Cities seeks an outstanding undergraduate student for a summer internship with the City of Boston’s Environment Department in City Hall. The intern will spend the summer working with the Climate Ready Boston team on bus shelter pilot projects to advance heat and stormwater resilience. The projects aim to provide cooling or green infrastructure enhancements to bus stops to keep residents cool while managing stormwater.

The Intern will primarily assist with community engagement during the pilot. This may entail going to pilot bus stop sites to speak with people about their experiences, collecting qualitative and/or quantitative data at sites, and working with the team to create educational and informational materials about the program, heat resilience, or other general information. This is a multi-office effort, and the Intern may work alongside the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and other departments within City Hall.

Climate Ready Boston is the City’s initiative to prepare for the impacts of climate change. The Climate Ready Boston team works to implement the City’s 2022 “heat plan,” Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston, which identifies strategies to address existing and future impacts of extreme heat.

Read about the experience of the 2023 Climate Ready Boston intern here and other past interns and fellows here.

Page Overview

Summer 2024 Internship Information

Please note, applications for summer 2024 have closed. Please check back in late fall 2024 for future updates. 

The intern will be paid approximately $4,620 for a full-time internship (35 hours per week), which will run for 8 weeks between June and August 2024. The exact start date will be determined by the Environment Department as the summer approaches. 

Work may be conducted in person both at Boston City Hall and at pilot sites in the City of Boston. Students with concerns about housing during the internship should contact David Gross at davgross@bu.edu. 

Qualifications

  • Strong work ethic and initiative
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • A passion for issues of sustainability, climate resiliency, and environmental justice
  • Comfortable with and enthusiastic about speaking with people about their experiences
  • Enthusiasm for public service and local government
  • Familiarity with Google Workspace
  • Experience with media communications, including newsletter/blog writing, website design, or social media platforms, is preferred.

How to Apply & Timeline

Please note, applications for summer 2024 have closed. Please check back in late fall 2024 for future updates. 

Please note that your completed application must contain all of the following in a single PDF:

  • Cover Letter including a description of your interests, skills, and knowledge you expect to apply or expand in this position. 
  • Resume
  • Short essay of no more than 500 words about your perspectives on climate preparedness in Boston. 
  • A list of two references, either academic or professional. Please include their title, organization, phone number, and email (no letters of recommendation).
  • Unofficial copy of your academic transcript, including your spring 2024 courses.
    • Screenshots are ok as long as text is clear and legible.
    • Your BU unofficial academic transcript can be obtained free of charge on student link. You may use the preview transcript page (print -> save as PDF) on the transcript ordering page on student link without completing your order of an official transcript. If you have questions regarding obtaining an unofficial BU transcript without ordering one, please contact the registrar or your academic advisor.

    Eligibility Details

    Only current Boston University undergraduate students who meet the following conditions are eligible:

    • Applicants must be in good standing at Boston University
    • Applicants must be enrolled in classes as part of a degree-seeking program at Boston University for the current semester. They must continue in either the same or a new degree-seeking program at Boston University in the 2024 fall semester or the 2024 summer 2 term.
      • Graduating seniors are eligible if they enter a graduate degree program at Boston University and meet the above requirements.
      • Undergraduate students continuing at BU in Fall 2024 or summer 2 terms are eligible. However, students working on an incomplete to finish a graduation requirement are not considered enrolled, according to the Student Employment Office, and are therefore ineligible.
      • Students may enroll in summer 1 courses but must also meet the above requirements.

    Responsibilities/Terms of Award

      • The intern will work 35 hours per week for the entire eight weeks.
      • The intern must be responsive to requests from the Initiative on Cities during the internship and may be asked to submit content for web and/or social media.
      • Interns must complete a reflection piece within one month of the completion of their internship, reflecting on their work in the office and the project(s) they worked on throughout the summer. This piece should emphasize the interns’ core focus for the summer, their project’s impact, and lessons learned. They are encouraged to incorporate interactive elements, including video and photography. This reflection will be shared on the IOC website.
      • The intern may participate in a roundtable discussion held in Fall 2024 to share their experience working in city government.

      Questions

      If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with David Gross, MetroBridge Program Manager, at davgross@bu.edu.