Not Required

Duties

Work Schedule and Flexibilities: 10 hours per week for a full academic term (quarter or semester). Hours per week are flexible based on student's schedule and goals. Preferred hybrid but remote work is also an option. Project Description: Remote Sensing Algorithm Development for Water Quality Monitoring in San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Bay is an economically and environmentally important estuarine system where water quality is dynamic and highly variable. USGS scientists are developing and validating satellite-based algorithms to monitor water quality constituents - including suspended sediment, chlorophyll-a, and dissolved organic matter - using publicly available imagery from Landsat, Sentinel-2, and the new NASA PACE satellite. The student volunteer(s) will support this work by contributing to algorithm testing, validation, and development under the supervision of USGS research scientists. Core tasks may include: Compiling and processing satellite imagery and in-situ water quality datasets using Python Testing published remote sensing algorithms against field measurements from San Francisco Bay Supporting development of novel retrieval approaches, potentially including machine learning methods Contributing to map product generation or validation summaries

Requirements

To participate in this Program, you must: Be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National studying in the U.S. or abroad. International students on valid visas may participate if they meet applicable immigration, visa, and agency authorities. Be enrolled not less than half-time in an accredited trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution. Be in good academic standing as defined by your institution. Commit to volunteering 8 - 20 hours per week for a minimum of 90 days. Complete all required onboarding documentation assigned by the Department of the Interior and your academic institution. Agree to volunteer. This position is unpaid. No compensation, stipends, or hiring preference will be granted from this work. You may use this volunteer experience to qualify for future jobs you choose to apply for. Agree to understanding volunteers are not Federal employees.

Qualifications

Applicants will be considered based on their knowledge, skills or abilities related to project needs. Specifically, applicants should have: demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, curiousity and interest in learning new things, and a background in environmental science, remote sensing, geography, oceanography, hydrology, or computer/data science and an interest in applied environmental monitoring. Familiarity with GIS, satellite imagery, or water quality concepts is a plus but not required. The government-wide "Semester of Service" Student Volunteer Program, as authorized under 5 U.S.C §31114 and 5 CFR Part 3085, enables Federal agencies to engage students in unpaid, project-based assignments of limited duration. These assignments are designed to align with each agency's strategic priorities, offering participants practical experience within Federal operations while supporting the advancement of targeted initiatives.

Education

To qualify, you must be enrolled not less than half-time in an accredited trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution. You also must be in good academic standing as defined by your institution. Attach a copy of your transcripts to your application package for verification.