The Florida Aquarium’s Coral Research Internship is designed to provide valuable hands-on experience working and collecting data at a world-class land-based coral nursery producing corals for reef restoration in Florida. This internship is funded through a grant and interns will be paid a monthly stipend.

 With the exception of orientation and workshops, this internship position is entirely carried out at our Apollo Beach location.

 Learning Objectives:

• Understand and develop all skills necessary for coral husbandry (e.g., feeding, water quality, light levels, flow, water changes, and filtration).
• Understand the crisis currently occurring on Florida’s coral reefs and the work coral practitioners and TFA are doing to help.
• Understand and develop skills for spawning and rearing of corals at the Apollo Beach campus of TFA.

Responsibilities:

• Develop knowledge and experience in coral husbandry, biology, life history, and life support technology.
• Conduct daily duties to assist primary biologist on live coral aquaria, including but not limited to cleaning, performing water changes, maintaining life support systems, feeding, and managing water quality parameters.
• Assist with gathering health assessment data and keeping accurate and detailed daily records.
• Utilize dissecting microscopes to clean coral settlement tiles.
• Assist with medical treatments.
• Assist with coral spawning observations, gamete collection, larval creation and settlement.
• Assist with collecting coral settlement and survival data.
• Complete project involving data collection and interpretation that benefits both The Florida Aquarium and the intern. Present findings internally and potentially externally.
• Other duties as assigned by internship supervisor.

Qualifications:

• Previous experience with reef aquarium husbandry and knowledge of basic coral and marine invertebrate biology.
• Experience using dissecting microscopes and ability/desire to work using a microscope for many hours.
• Ability to work in hot and humid conditions.
• Ability to lift 30 lbs.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently.

Time Commitment:

• Four days a week, a minimum of 8 hours per day, with no more than 1 weekend day per week.
• Exact hours will vary during coral spawning, but generally, the intern will work 32 hours per week.