Odum Internship in Field Ecology at Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve, Inc.

Position: 2026 Odum Internship in Field Ecology at Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve, Inc.
Dr. Eugene Odum, regarded as one of the founders of ecosystem ecology, launched his scientific career at the Huyck Preserve in the early 1940s as one of the first Research Fellows at the Huyck Preserve's biological research station. In honor of his legacy, the Huyck Preserve offers an internship for undergraduate students who are interested in conducting ecological field research.

Interns work with scientific professionals, conduct and present original research, and gain valuable environmental education experience through involvement in our high school summer program.

Internship Summary

This is a full-time, residential internship lasting six weeks from June 28 to August 8.

Up to four highly qualified undergraduate students will be selected.

The internship includes a $400 living expense stipend, and housing is provided.

Arrangements for college creditmust be made with the applicant’s home institution.

About the Internship
Summer 2026 interns will perform their own independent research project under the direction of Summer Research Fellow (SRF) Mark Lesser, Ph.D.

Dr. Lesseris a forest ecologist in the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at SUNY Plattsburgh and served as the Huyck Preserve's SRF in 2024. Originally from Halifax Nova Scotia, Mark completed a BS and Masters in Forest and Forest Genetics at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay Ontario before going on to the University of Wyoming for a PhD in Ecology where he worked on long-term development and structure of ponderosa pine populations.

After completing his Ph.D. Mark held postdoctoral positions at SUNY ESF and Syracuse University, where amongst other things he developed an interest in how tree species are arrayed along elevational gradients. Work that began as a postdoc in the Great Smoky Mountains moved north to the central Appalachians and Shenandoah National Park, while he was at Shepherd University in West Virginia for two years;

and then finally to the Adirondacks when he came to SUNY Plattsburgh in 2017. Learn more about Dr. Lesser's research expertise and background here.

Intern swill also interact with other visiting researchers performing their own research projects at the Huyck Preserve. Find the list of some of our recent researchers here.

The range of intern projects is broad and focused on the natural systems of the Huyck Preserve. Under Dr. Lesser's mentorship, students are encouraged to explore their own interests within the scope of the program.

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