Winter-Spring Science Communication Internship (Social Media)
$650 per week
Mentor: Kristen Goodhue (SERC science writer)
Sharpen your science writing skills with an internship at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), the Smithsonian’s coastal research hub on Chesapeake Bay! As the on-site science communication intern, you’ll go behind the scenes with Smithsonian scientists, educators and volunteers while crafting stories about their work.
This internship will focus primarily on social media, with an emphasis on creating short videos featuring SERC’s research and public engagement staff. You’ll create content for SERC’s three main social media platforms: Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. You’ll also have the opportunity to write longer articles for SERC’s Shorelines blog, which may appear in our print newsletter, On The Edge.
Eligibility: This internship is open to recent graduates who will have completed a bachelor’s degree between April and December 2025.
The SERC community strongly encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply. We recognize that each applicant for this role will bring unique skills, knowledge, experiences and background to this position. As such, we will be looking for candidates who possess many, but not necessarily all, of the qualifications and experience listed below:
- Scientific background (some natural sciences coursework; not required to be a science major)
- Flair for telling stories about science for a general audience, as demonstrated by writing samples
- Experience creating videos
- Experience doing social media in a non-personal capacity (e.g. for a campus club, university department or other organization)
- How to interview scientists and other experts working in the environmental field
- How to translate complex, technical topics into engaging, public-friendly language
- How to create short-form social media videos and other social media content about science for general audiences
- How to tailor content to different social media platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook)
- How to write news articles about science, following a standard journalistic style (the Associated Press style guide)
- How to find legal, copyright-free images and music to include in published content
- How to implement best practices for accessibility in digital communications
Submit the following materials to GoodhueK@si.edu by Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 at 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time, with the subject line "Social Media Intern":
- Cover letter
- Resume with two references (name, title and contact information)
- One to three writing samples explaining science for general readers. Writing samples can include school papers, student newspaper articles, or pieces you've written for a personal blog—anything that tells a story about science without all the technical jargon! Multimedia pieces and social media posts are also welcome, as long as at least one of the samples is a standard written work of prose at least one page in length. Total length of all writing samples should be no more than 10 double-spaced pages. If multimedia samples are too large to email, upload them to a file sharing system like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Dropbox and include a link in your application. Please make sure Kristen Goodhue (GoodhueK@si.edu) has access to view the link.
Pro tip for applicants: Don't just talk about your past experience. Show us how this internship would give you something new! Smithsonian internships are meant to be learning experiences, especially for students who have had fewer opportunities outside of schoolwork. Let your application reviewers know how this experience would benefit you beyond another line on a resume.
Questions? Check out the FAQs on our science writing internship homepage. If you don't see the answer to your question there, contact Kristen Goodhue (GoodhueK@si.edu). She gets internship questions often and is happy to help!
SERC is a research center of the Smithsonian Institution, located in Edgewater, Maryland, on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The campus is approximately 10 miles south of Annapolis, 40 miles east of Washington. D.C. and 40 miles south of Baltimore. SERC's 2,654-acre campus is a living laboratory for long-term ecosystem research on forests, farmland, wetlands, shorelines and estuaries. The SERC campus contains a laboratory and office complex, as well as education and waterfront facilities, dormitories for interns and guest housing for visitors.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact RichardsonHF@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: https://www.si.edu/oeo.