SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

CSS has developed an innovative internship program that combines its research activities with the development of future professionals. The Sustainable Systems Internship Program provides graduate and undergraduate students with opportunities to perform quality work and gain practical experience enabling them to assist their future employers in making more informed decisions in the following areas:

• Sustainable development
• Industrial ecology
• Renewable energy & materials
• Life cycle assessment, design and management
• Pollution prevention

As a CSS intern, students have the opportunity to work directly with a corporate, governmental or non-profit sponsor institution. Past sponsors include 3M, American Automobile Manufacturers Association, Champion International Corporation, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, E.B. Eddy Paper Corporation, Federal Railroad Administration, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, Guardian Industries, Mead Publishing Paper Division, MI Department of Environmental Quality, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Optical Imaging Systems, Rock-Tenn Corporation, Steelcase, Stone Container Corporation, U.S. EPA and the Xerox Corporation.

CURRENT POSITIONS

We currently have four open internship positions at the Center for Sustainable Systems.

INTERNSHIP POSTING NUMBER:  2012-01 (NOW FILLED)

Sponsor: The Center for Sustainable Systems
Location: UM Central Campus

Description:
The Center for Sustainable Systems has a position available for a student in Sustainability Science or Engineering. The student will:

• Update our current suite of 24 Factsheets on the sustainability of various systems that meet human needs by conducting research to gather data on the current patterns of use, environmental impacts and sustainable alternatives.
• Develop a new Factsheet(s) on Natural Gas Fracking, Ecosystem Services, Water:Energy Nexus, Land Use, Rare Earths, and/or Batteries. 
• Update the Flash-based website Sustainability: Live It – Learn It that is built on these facts.
• Create and update “Did You Know?” highlights for website

Qualifications:
Intern must have upper class or graduate standing in Environmental Science, Civil, Chemical, Environmental or Mechanical Engineering, or Corporate Environmental Management with an interest in Sustainability.  Completion of Industrial Ecology course (NRE557/CEE586) is highly desirable.  Candidate must be well organized.  Candidate must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.  Prior database, spreadsheet and Flash programming experience are desired.

Internship Pay:  Pay ranges from $14 - $18 per hour, depending on grade level and experience. 40 hours per week

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Extended to 8:00 AM, Tuesday, April 17, 2012
INTERVIEWS: April 19, 2012
NOTIFICATION: April 20, 2012
TERM: May 1 – August 24, 2012

INTERNSHIP POSTING NUMBER:  2012-02 (NOW FILLED)

Sponsor: The Wege Foundation
Location: Steelcase, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI

Description:
The Global Environmental Performance Department of Steelcase, Inc. has a position available for student in Sustainability Science or Engineering.  The student will be involved in a variety of environmental management and sustainability initiatives ranging from supporting corporate regulatory compliance programs to participating in product development projects.  The goal of the broad-based intern experience is to provide the student with a practical perspective of the opportunities and challenges in driving sustainability efforts in the corporate world.  Projects include:
•    work on ISO 14001 implementation
•    energy conservation initiatives
•    waste reduction and recycling research
•    product design for the environment initiatives(including interface with materials chemistry and life cycle assessment initiatives)
•    development of metrics and data collection for the Corporate Sustainability Report
•    implementation & reporting of Steelcase’s commitment to reduce their global footprint at least 25% by 2012

Qualifications:
Intern must have upper class or graduate standing in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, or Corporate Environmental Management with an interest in Sustainability including Corporate Environmental Performance.  Completion of Industrial Ecology course (NRE557/CEE586) is highly desirable.  Must be well organized.  Must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.  Prior database experience desired.

Internship Pay:  Pay ranges from $14 - $18 per hour, depending on grade level and experience.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 8:00 AM, Tuesday, April 17, 2012
INTERVIEWS: TBD -- likely late April or early May
NOTIFICATION: approximately one week after interview
TERM: May 14 – August 31, 2012

INTERNSHIP POSTING NUMBER:  2012-03

Sponsor: Michigan Energy Office
Location: partner businesses in southeast Michigan (TBD)

Description (2 openings):
The Energy Efficiency Student Internship Program (EESIP)  is designed to advance the concepts of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in southeastern Michigan using junior and senior class engineering students from universities and colleges with accredited undergraduate engineering programs.  Two EESIP interns from the University of Michigan will implement projects that have a measurable reduction in energy usage and reduce energy costs at partner businesses located in southeastern Michigan.  Energy Efficiency encompasses all changes that result in a reduction in the energy used for a given energy service (heating, lighting, etc.) or level of activity.  This reduction in energy consumption is not necessarily associated with technical changes, since it can also result from a better organization and management or improved economic efficiency in the sector (e.g., overall gains of productivity).  Renewable Energy is any naturally occurring, theoretically inexhaustible source of energy, such as biomass, solar, wind, tidal wave and hydroelectric power that is not derived from fossil or nuclear fuel.

Intern tasks include:

• Implement a project that measurably reduces energy usage and costs at the business, this may include substituting renewable energy sources for fossil or nuclear-based fuels.
• Collect measurement data that demonstrates the effectiveness of the energy efficiency solution in a business setting.  The student will gather baseline data and fully implement the project by the end of summer, then, if possible over the fall, they will gather post-implementation data to test actual performance.
• Submit monthly updates to immediate supervisor at the partner company, CSS and to the Michigan Energy Office via email.
• Prepare a final report due no later than December 31, 2012.

Qualifications:
Interns must have upper class (Junior or Senior) standing in Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial Operations or Manufacturing Engineering, with an interest in Sustainability.  Must be well organized.  Must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills. Intern must agree to work up to 40 hours per week for 14 weeks in the summer; ideally, the candidate will also work part-time in Fall term to collect post-implementation data.

Internship Pay:  Bi-weekly pay will be through the University of Michigan in the range of $12 - $17 per hour.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 8:00 AM, Monday, April 23, 2012
INTERVIEWS: April 25
NOTIFICATION: approximately one week after interview
TERM: May 7 – August 24, 2012

TO APPLY: Go to http://css.snre.umich.edu.  FIRST click the "login" link found in the upper right corner near the "search" box and use your U-M uniquename and Kerberos password.  THEN visit http://css.snre.umich.edu/webform/intern-application-form and complete the on-line webform including attachment of resume and transcripts. If you wish to include an optional cover letter, please combine it with your resume document.  Please use the following file naming convention:  Lastname_Firstname_RESUME or Lastname_Firstname_TRANSCRIPT.

To view a list of past internships, click on Intern Roster.