CEHL Teacher Internship Program Teacher Testimonials Download Application

Teachers work side by side with experienced CEHL high school and undergraduate interns monitoring MDI’s harbors, swim beaches and shellfish areas for harmful bacteria and toxic phytoplankton (Red Tide). Teacher interns will collect data that contribute to ongoing State initiatives organized through Maine Healthy Beaches, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Department of Marine Resources. 

Teacher Internships are seven days long and include an orientation, five days of field and laboratory work, and a curriculum development workshop designed to help educators bring methods and issues back to the classroom.  Teachers receive a stipend and can earn 4 CEU's. The program is funded through MDIBL and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center for Membrane Toxicity Studies.  Mentoring is provided by MDIWQC.

My Experiences as a Teacher Intern at the Community Environmental Health Lab
By Teacher Intern Sarah Winne, Summer 2004

I've been having an unbelievable week as a teacher intern with the MDI Water Quality Coalition's CEHL program.  As a teacher of the gifted and talented, I spend my school year surrounded by students who are full of questions, but this week has been an opportunity for the tables to turn and for me to ask the questions.  I quickly realized that the student interns at CEHL have the answers.

As "citizen scientists" they have spent their summer diligently monitoring the health of MDI's beaches and waters by identifying bacteria and phytoplankton in collected water samples. This week, they shared their well-honed skills and expert knowledge with me, patiently leading me through multiple processes including the collection of sterile water samples, towing for and identifying phytoplankton, and measuring for dissolved oxygen.  In addition to educating me, time and again as we've been out in the field, I’ve witnessed CEHL student interns also educating the public.  People around us were constantly coming up, wanting to know what was going on; I stepped quietly to the side, as the students turned and responded politely, clearly, and knowledgably.

Listening to these incredible student interns respond to public concerns, spending some time alongside them collecting and analyzing data, and noting their dedication to the maintenance of safe waters, I can't help but feel hopeful.  I can verify, at least here on Mount Desert Island, we have a remarkable group of young environmental scientists serving as trustworthy stewards of our waters. I feel quite privileged to have worked side-by-side with them for a week.