Marine Ecosystem Conservation Externship Opportunity with National Geographic and the Nature Conservancy

This spring, a fellow forestry student from LC Dren in Macedonia, Petar Krstevski, took part in a very interesting and exciting new opportunity for students around the world. The company Paragon One has come up with a platform aimed at students and adults looking to explore different career options. Paragon One partners with big companies such as National Geographic, Beats by Dre, Home Depot, and The Nature Conservancy and organizes remote externship programs.

What probably interests us, as forestry students in particular, are the ongoing externships under professional mentorships from the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy for: 

The Externships are:

  • Open to students from all over the world
  • Part-time(10-hour-per-week) and fully remote
  • The externship starts June 5, 2023, and will last 8 weeks
  • $500 stipend for the ones who successfully complete the project

The accepted externs go through a two-month process of carefully curated remote sessions with about 10 hours of work per week that guides them through the researching stadium of an important local freshwater or marine ecosystem challenge and then composing those scientific data into a format understandable for everyday folks who don’t have a close connection to the scientific lingo. The scientific data are then sublimed into an ArcGIS StoryMap, which has the amazing capability of combining maps, videos, animation, and various visual elements into an article which makes it compelling to the reader.

Useful acquired skills through the program:

  • Data analysis, 
  • Data visualization, 
  • Teamwork, 
  • StoryMap building, 
  • Idea pitching, 
  • Scientific communication

Let’s spread the word together about how careful and scientific forest management can positively impact freshwater and marine ecosystems!