Trust Internship Program

Thanks for your interest in our internship program at the Great Ape Trust.

Candidates who are accepted to our internship program are required to bring funding to the Trust for the opportunity to intern. A one year program is $30,000 dollars. Six month and three month internships may be considered.

Candidates are responsible for their own housing, transportation, and living support. Candidates must be willing to have TB testing and a variety of inoculations which may include seasonal flu, H1N1, hepatitis A & B and proof of childhood diseases and or vaccination records.

Candidates should submit a proposal (1) demonstrating competence in the scientific literature of Rumbaugh, Savage-Rumbaugh, and Fields; (2) articulating two or more specific aims as it relates to your aspirations; (3) describing the manner of funding support you have established or seek to obtain; and (4) providing three letters of recommendations (two academic and one personal.)

The program is highly competitive. Competence in the literature is a prerequisite and it is not possible to simply purchase an internship. Letters of recommendation are critical.

I will be glad to guide you through the process if you are interested. We encourage creativity and thinking outside the box in terms of your specific aims. If you need help in applying for funding from granting agencies, I encourage you to think in a trans-disciplinary manner focused upon informing larger issues. While most everyone has humanitarian goals, practical aims will get more attention.

Great Ape Trust Interns observe and support noninvasive research with bonobo and orangutans. Interns have the opportunity to participate in social care of captive apes and to contribute to the complex social enrichment strategies that involves symbolic communication with apes using lexigrams. Interns are invited to the Science Circle where they may express their views on science, ape welfare, and ape conservation along with the investigators of the program and visiting distinguished guests.

Thank you for your interests in the Trust.

Sincerely,

William Fields
Program Director
Great Ape Trust

Principal Investigator
Language, Culture, and Tools