Dear Marman Members,

The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies is currently conducting interviews for 
our Research Internship Program this Fall. Below is a description of the 
position. Please pass along this information. Thank you for your help.

Best Regards,

John Baker, Ph.D.
Research Program Director
Institute for Marine Mammal Studies



Bottlenose Dolphin Photo-ID Program Fall Internship
Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS)
Gulfport, Mississippi

Job Description
IMMS' Research Internship Program is designed to provide exceptional research 
and learning experiences in a real-world setting to early career scientists in 
the fields of marine biology and ecology, marine mammal population ecology and 
behavior, veterinary sciences and conservation. In this position, interns will 
primarily assist the institute's Bottlenose Dolphin Photo-ID Program in 
collecting and processing photographs of bottlenose dolphins in the Mississippi 
Sound. Other research efforts may include conducting literature reviews, 
collecting and managing fisheries, habitat and environmental data, and 
investigating ecological factors and relationships. Interns will also gain 
diverse experience working in other program areas including marine mammal and 
sea turtle stranding response, sea turtle surveys, veterinary research, aquaria 
maintenance and animal care (bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, rays, 
starfish, birds, reptiles, etc.), and marine education and conservation.
As part of a research team, primary duties include:
Conduct boat-based bottlenose dolphin photo-ID surveys up to 7 days per month 
in estuarine and nearshore marine Gulf Coast waters. Dolphin surveys generally 
take at least 7 hours and often occur in challenging weather and coastal 
conditions.
Photograph dolphins and collect survey data during boat-based field surveys
Sort and process photographs of bottlenose dolphins
Collect photograph-based data and enter it into Microsoft Excel
Match dolphin photographs to our catalog of known individuals using finFindR
Enter collected bottlenose dolphin and environmental data in FinBase/Microsoft 
Access
Assist in diverse research efforts related to bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, 
and estuarine and near-shore marine ecology
Manage spatial data in ArcGIS

When needs arrive, assist other program areas including stranding response, sea 
turtle surveys, veterinary research, animal care and marine education.

Internship Research Projects and Presentations
As part of the research internship, interns will be assigned an independent 
research project. Research projects are designed to help expand the science of 
dolphins and sea turtles, contribute to IMMS' Research Program, and provide 
interns with real-world research experience. Assigned research project topics 
will vary depending on the current needs of IMMS' Research Department. Interns 
will be given time at work to work on their research projects. Interns are also 
expected to conduct at least 3 hours per week of research outside of work. 
Interns will present the findings or their research with a 15 to 20-minute 
PowerPoint presentation in the last week of their internship.

Internship Requirements
Applicants must be 18 years or older. Applicants should be actively pursuing a 
college degree or be a recent graduate in marine science, marine biology, 
marine and estuarine ecology, oceanography or a related field. Previous 
research experience is a plus. Applicants must be able and willing to fulfill 
all of the duties described in this internship position.
Internship positions are 40 hours per week (generally Mon-Fri/8 am-4 pm 
depending on current projects and needs) and a minimum of 12 weeks in length. 
As needs arrive, responding to strandings, for instance, interns may need to 
shift their schedules and work on weekends.
Additional Information
Research internships are unpaid positions. IMMS provides a $30 reimbursement 
per week for groceries. Interns are responsible for their own housing and 
transportation. Once accepted, IMMS staff will assist interns in finding rooms 
available to rent.
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the 
positions are filled. For application and full details on how to apply please 
visit our website at http://imms.org/internship/. Please send any Research 
Internship questions or correspondence to 
researchint...@imms.org<mailto:researchint...@imms.org>. Please check the FAQs, 
as they might answer questions you may have.
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