Environmental Chemistry Analysis

Student Volunteer Opportunity

The U.S. Geological Survey Mercury, Metals, and Microplastics (M3) Research Laboratory is seeking a student volunteer to assist with method development and analysis for microplastics detection in waters and biological tissues.

Work Schedule and Flexibilities: 8 - 20 hours per week for a minimum of 90 days In office (or work site) only

Number of Positions: 1 Term(s):
Fall 2026 (90 day term between August 15 - December 15)

This vacancy will be open until Wednesday, July 15th at 11:59pm ET or until 50 applications have been received. The vacancy will close on whichever day the first of these conditions are met. If the application limit is reached on the same day the announcement opened, the open and close date will be the same. Candidates are encouraged to read the entire announcement before submitting their application packages.

As part of this opportunity the student will receive hands on training within a federal laboratory and work with cutting-edge instrumentation. The goal of this volunteer opportunity is to aid in sample preparation methods for microplastics in waters and tissues from the National Park Service Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network. The objective is for the student to complete sample processing and analysis of environmental samples and prepare a simple report to laboratory management.

The student will also be involved with the eventual publication of the work.

Milestones as part of this volunteer program include developing competency for general laboratory tasks (i.e., pipetting, working with chemicals, and sample processing), learning how to operate analytical instrumentation (i.e., infrared and Raman spectroscopy), learning data quality control and assurance methods (as outlined in the USGS QMS), and improving data visualization skills. This work supports the following secretarial (SO) and executive (EO) priorities: (1) SO 3441-restoring the gold standard of science by developing transparent and broadly applicable analytical methods that aid in the development of data driven decision making, (2) EO 14212-supporting the "Make America Healthy Again" initiative by assessing the distribution of an environmental microplastics, which was recently included list of contaminants for drinking water, and (3) EO 14314 by supporting science in our National Park system that provides data to managers for the conservation and use of our public lands.