You are viewing a preview of this job. Log in or register to view more details about this job.

NextGen Summer Internship with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCCE Riverside)

UCSC Career Success
Email

Please apply for this position externally by submitting this form.

 

Internship Description:

The NextGen Internship with the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is a program aimed at providing UCSC students with research and management experience at facilities managed by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). The Research and Extension Centers (or RECs), distributed throughout California, are living laboratories dedicated to research and management of agricultural systems and natural resources. UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) offices are problem-solving centers—the bridge between local issues and UC research. There are UCCE offices located in most counties in California.

In this internship, students will work with researchers and land managers on a range of agriculture and natural resource issues. They will work alongside Cooperative Extension Advisors and Community Education Specialists in field and lab research and educational outreach activities. Each intern will work with a mentor to gain experience in one or more projects. Student interns will also engage in regular check-ins with UCSC faculty and staff during the internship. Students will enroll in a 10-unit course in the summer (ENVS 192) that will involve 2-3 zoom meetings, writing a midterm report, writing a 4-5 page literature review, and making a short presentation about their experiences to other interns. The overall goal of this internship program is to provide students with field research experience, exposure to careers with UC ANR, and to prepare students for employment in sustainable agriculture and natural resources management. Students will be selected to work at one of several UC ANR locations - Hopland REC, South Coast REC, UC Cooperative Extension Offices in Riverside, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, or Santa Clara Counties. 

The UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Riverside County, is one of the University of California’s 64 Cooperative Extension offices across California. We are local problem-solving centers; and our Riverside County-based staff are part of the community – we live and work in the areas we serve. Here, more than 300 campus-based specialists and county-based farm, home and youth advisors work as teams to bring practical, unbiased, science-based answers to problems across California. 

 

Eligibility Criteria

  • The program is open to undergraduate students from UCSC who will be enrolled in Fall 2026 (in other words, not graduating in spring 2026 or summer 2026)
  • Students from any major may participate; in past programs, we have supported students majoring in Agroecology, Environmental Studies, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Sciences, Critical Race & Ethnic Studies, Sociology, and Plant Sciences
  • Students must demonstrate interest in research related to agriculture, food systems, natural resources, or human sciences; previous experience is NOT required
  • Students must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents
  • Students must have a driver’s license, and having a car is preferred, but not required.
  • Students must pass a background check for work with UC ANR

 

Preferred Skills for Interns

  • Students must be professional, show up on time for internship activities, have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision, after receiving instruction, have the ability to work outdoors in hot conditions.
  • For South Coast REC, UCCE Riverside, and UCCE San Diego interns, it is preferred that students have the ability to drive on very busy Southern California freeways, have previous experience working with plants, mammals, or pest management, have the ability to lift up to 40lbs and be comfortable working with soil and recycled water, and have experience with data management in Excel, RStudio, Python. Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a plus.

 

Expectations for internship participants

  • Participate in an internship related to sustainable agriculture and management of natural resources during the summer of 2026
  • Participate in an orientation / welcome meeting with UCSC staff in May 2026
  • Enroll in ENVS 192 - Summer NextGen scholars (10 units) during summer 2026 and complete related coursework that will include weekly timesheets, a midterm report, a progress report, a 4-5 page literature review, and a final presentation about your experience
  • Dedicate 300 hours during summer 2026 to the internship including field/ lab/ data/ research/management hours (270) and meetings with UCSC staff (5 hours), and time for paperwork and other assignments related to ENVS 192 (25 hours)
  • Attend 2-3 professional development workshops via zoom as part of ENVS 192 
  • Reply promptly to emails from UCSC and UC ANR staff requesting information needed for scholarship payments, housing applications, organizing meeting times, or completing background checks
  • Students working in pest management may be required to become a licensed pest control advisor

 

Program Dates:  

June 22 – August 14, 2026

 

Compensation: 

Each student will receive up to $6700 in scholarships for their participation. Payments will be distributed as scholarships through the Financial Aid office in summer. The student can work with the Financial Aid office to maximize the amount of their award. Each student will also have $175 for research supplies costs paid on their behalf. Funding may be available to reimburse travel expenses for visits to the research site or for conference travel. 

 

Housing:

  • Housing will NOT be provided at South Coast REC, UCCE Riverside, or UCCE in Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Santa Clara counties. Students will be responsible for finding their own accommodations.

 

To Apply: Please fill out the application form below. Be sure to answer all questions and prompts on the form.

Deadline for receipt of all materials: 5:00 PM on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

Please contact Stacy Philpott (sphilpot@ucsc.edu) with questions.

This Scholarship is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s NextGen Program (Award #2023-70508-40532).

 

Available Projects for Summer 2026 at UCCE Riverside:

 

Integrated Pest Management of Urban Pests

Mentor: Siavash Taravati

Location: in Riverside, CA at UCCE Riverside County

My program is focused on Structural pest control, which deals with pests found in or around structures (buildings, vehicles, ships, etc.). In the U.S., this industry comprises more than 20,000 companies, which generated around $8.6 billion in total service revenue in 2017.  This research extend scientific knowledge to clientele in Southern California and elsewhere to 1) To increase our understanding of the biology and management of structural pests; 2) Increase the efficacy of pest management among clientele by choosing the right tools and methods based on science; 3) Decrease water and air pollution caused by pesticides; and 4) Use safer alternative pesticides and application methods to reduce health hazards.

Various pests invade homes and other buildings and cause a large variety of problems. In California, cockroaches, crickets, bed bugs, rodents, ants, termites, and mosquitoes are commonly found in and around houses, apartments, and multi-unit housing. Some of these pests create unsanitary conditions by transmitting pathogens and causing diseases, creating and triggering asthmas and other allergies, causing anxiety and insomnia in people, contaminating food items. Certain pests cause nuisance by creating noise, itching, and discomfort in people. Termites and certain ant and beetle species are known to damage structural wood, causing significant physical and financial damage to buildings. They also may make buildings susceptible to earthquakes, storms, etc. To tackle these problems, the pest control industry, public agencies, and the general public have heavily relied on pesticide use to manage pest populations. While pesticides are very important tools in the pest management toolbox, they can cause many side effects, including pesticide resistance, runoff into surface waters, leaching into the soil, air pollution, and health hazards. Another issue is that certain pest control methods and approaches fail to provide adequate control.

Students will likely get to interact with pest management professionals (PMPs), urban pest control advisers (PCAs), urban qualified applicator license (QAL) holders, urban qualified applicator certificate (QAC) holders, professional landscape managers (PLMs), housing management professionals (HMPs), and municipalities while learning about urban integrated pest management.