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Snapshot

Terms and Dates:

  • Summer 2023
One Time Opportunity

Advisor:

Beth Fox

Cornell Affiliations:

Atkinson Center

Off-campus partner:

Environmental Defense Fund

Overview

Opportunity Description

(Important: please see the Requirements tab of this posting to ensure that you submit all necessary application materials.)

EDF offers internships and fellowships for students and recent graduates in a variety of programs and departments throughout the organization. The ultimate goal of our internship and fellowship program is to provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Job Title: Atkinson Intern, Climate Impacts of Crop Production
Program/Department: Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Team

Program/Department Overview
EDF’s Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) team aims to lay the foundation for a future in which farms, ranches and forests support thriving communities, help stabilize the climate and increase the resilience of people and nature to the stressors of global change. Guided by science and economics, we strategically focus on pulling levers for systemic change (e.g., policy, finance and environmental markets, collaborative and adaptive processes) to support more resilient agricultural production that generates significant environmental improvements (such as reduced water pollution, increased flood protection, reduced GHG emissions, and land conservation). Within the Climate Smart Agriculture program, the intern will sit in the Future-Proofing Agriculture team, which seeks to help farmers and farming communities thrive in the face of a changing climate by considering climate-adaptive strategies and future climate scenarios.

Overall Function
The intern will conduct research under the supervision of a senior scientist on the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) team to evaluate net greenhouse gas emissions associated with crop production in major U.S. cropping systems. Using the scientific literature and other available information, the intern will compile quantitative and qualitative data to compare typical crop rotations with resilient alternatives expected to be feasible within the next 10–30 years. By the end of the project, the intern will have prepared a well-documented dataset along with data visualizations within a summary written report or oral presentation. The intern will be integrated within the broader CSA team, with opportunities to participate in discussions of policy and other relevant avenues for bringing science to application in the real world.