Internship Opportunity: Residential Internship in Science and Society (RISS)
Residential Internship in Science and Society (RISS)
Duke University Science & Society invites applications for the 2014-2015 Residence Internship in Science & Society (RISS). This unpaid in-residence internship in Science & Society (RISS) is designed for post-baccalaureate or post-doctoral students seriously contemplating or furthering a career at the intersection of science and society. The internship provides a supportive environment to pursue scholarly interests related to the ethics of science, with a preference for those focused on neuroscience & society and genomics and society. The RISS works closely with mentors from Science & Society, who will help guide, train, and advise. The internship is located at Science & Society, Duke University, in Duke Science & Society is an interdisciplinary initiative that examines the wide-ranging and integral role of science in social institutions and culture. Science & Society integrates and fosters innovation in related research, education, and engagement at Duke by adopting a pluralistic approach to understanding how science and human endeavors intersect with a specific focus on ethical, legal, and social implications in the biosciences and engineering. For more information, visit our website at http://www.scienceandsociety.duke.edu.
The RISS is focused on experiential learning in an academic research setting; the RISS will integrate previously learned knowledge and theory with practical research application and skills development.
The RISS will have no prescribed duties related to the daily work of the initiative. The nature and extent of the RISS involvement with Science & Society are to be determined more by the RISS’s own interests than by any demand on his or her time. The RISS will be invited to weekly bioethics seminars, journal clubs, conferences, and other educational opportunities related to the intersection of science and to maximize the benefit of the internship, during the pendency of the term, the RISS shall not have any other full-time job, nor be a degree candidate in any college or graduate school. The specific term of the internship, which can range from 4 months up to 1 year, will be determined before the start of the program. Science & Society will provide facilities and work space during the internship.
Goals & Learning Objectives
• Understand the basic and contemporary issues in bioethics and science policy, as well as familiarity with the literature on these issues
• Gain valuable applied experience in a research and educational setting
• Make connections with mentors in fields related to science and society
• Complete a mentored research project with the goal of publishing one or multiple first-authored articles for placement in premier academic journals
• Gain competency in oral and written presentation of the project/research results
• Participate in journal clubs and works-in-progress seminars
• Completion of an undergraduate or graduate degree
• High academic achievement
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong interest in Science and Society
• Demonstration of good judgment, flexibility, and integrity
• Fluent English speaker
• Committed to the unpaid fellowship
Applicants should submit a CV, contact information for three references, a writing sample, and a statement of purpose (in 2000 words or less) to Julia Walker (julia.s.walker@duke.edu). The subject line for all applications should read “RISS 2014 Application” and must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 3, 2014. Decisions will be made by March 24, 2013.