[MARMAM] Dolphin Research Internship

[Todd Speakman]

The Marine Mammal and Protected Resources (MMPR) Program in Charleston, 
South Carolina is recruiting to fill two Dolphin Photo-identification 
Internship positions for the Summer of 2007. The MMPR is organized 
within NOAA’s National Ocean Service and is located at the Coastal 
Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research (CCEHBR) laboratory in 
Charleston, SC. The intern position involves a commitment of 20 hours 
per week extending over a 15 week period from Monday, May 5, 2008 to 
Friday, August 15, 2008. There is some flexibility in these start and 
end times, however, especially for applicants whose Spring semester 
would require a later start time. Interns will participate in the field 
and laboratory activities of the Charleston Dolphin Abundance and 
Distribution Project (CDAD). Three useful sources of information about 
the CDAD project are: 1) Zolman, E. 2002. Residence patterns of 
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Stono River estuary, 
Charleston County, South Carolina. Marine Mammal Science 18:879-892; and 
2) The Charleston Dolphin Abundance and Distribution (CDAD) Project: 
Standard Operating Protocols (SOP) for Field and Photographic Analysis 
Procedures; and 3) Speakman, T., E. Zolman, J. Adams, R.H. Defran, D. 
Laska, L. Schwacke, J. Craigie, and P. Fair. 2006. Temporal and spatial 
aspects of bottlenose dolphin occurrence in coastal and estuarine waters 
near Charleston, South Carolina. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 37. 
You can download pdf versions of these documents at the web sites listed 
below.
The CDAD project carries out boat-based photo-identification surveys in 
the coastal and inland waterways of the Charleston SC area. This 
research is designed to provide an understanding of the population 
characteristics, including temporal and spatial aspects, of the 
distribution of Charleston area Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. The 
internship offers an excellent opportunity for qualified and motivated 
individuals to obtain field and laboratory training in 
photo-identification methodology and analysis under the mentorship of 
experienced dolphin researchers. There is no compensation for this 
internship position and the successful applicant will be responsible for 
their living and transportation expenses during the time of the 
internship. During the internship interns must have a personal vehicle 
to allow them to travel to and from the laboratory and to some of the 
local field sites in the Charleston area. Ideal internship applicants 
will be advanced undergraduates or a recent graduate of a scientifically 
oriented university program in the behavioral or biological sciences. A 
typical applicant should have a strong interest in the scientific study 
of cetacean behavioral ecology, have potential interests in future 
graduate study in marine mammal science, and is an individual who seeks 
extensive and intensive exposure to the field work, data analysis 
techniques, and research literature in this field. Preference will be 
given to the selection of interns with well developed computer skills 
and boat-based field experience. The internship application will consist 
of a letter of interest, transcripts of university coursework and two 
letters of recommendation from professors or research supervisors who 
are familiar with your scholarship, research skills and work habits. 
Interested applicants should first correspond with Todd Speakman by 
email before preparing and submitting application materials. We 
anticipate filling this internship position by late March 2008.

Interested applicants should correspond by email to Todd Speakman Email: 
Todd.Speakman at noaa.gov



Zolman .pdf download:
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/psychology/psy211/defran/CDAD/Zolman2002.pdf 


CDAD SOP .pdf download: 
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/psychology/psy211/defran/CDAD/CDAD_Internship_SOP.pdf 


Speakman et. al. pdf download:
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/psychology/psy211/defran/CDAD/Speakman_et_al_2006a.pdf