Prospective Student information

Intern Hanae Spathias on the USCG Healy off Barrow, Alaska

The MATE At-Sea Internship Program was created to help prepare students to be competitive and prepared for employment upon graduation. Interns will work with marine technicians on shore and at sea, learning how to operate and maintain a variety of scientific and navigational equipment and support a scientific cruise. Past internships opportunities have ranged from onboard chemistry projects, GIS/bathymetric surveys(seafloor mapping), geological studies, work with ROVs and manned submersibles, and much more!

Interested? Scroll down for more information and to apply.

Are you excited about marine technology but not looking for an at-sea internship right now? The MATE Center maintains an extensive list of marine technical internships.  Please click here to learn about other internships that may interest you.

Prospective Student information

Each year approximately fifteen students are selected as marine technician interns aboard sea-going research vessels that are part of the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) and the United States Coast Guard. Most internships last for 1-8 weeks and occur all over the country and all over the world: Florida, California, Hawaii, Alaska, Samoa, Europe, etc.  All intern travel to and from the ship is covered by the MATE Center, and the intern lives and eats aboard the vessel for the duration of most internships.  We also place one or two six-month interns each spring, and those interns are provided with on station housing when the ships are in port.   In addition, all interns receive a stipend of $500/week.

MATE internships focus on technology and scientific support of marine research rather than the academic research. Click here to see a description of the 2008 and 2009 internships.

Click here for Internship Profiles.

For more information about marine technical careers, please click here.

What is life like on a ship?

Hear from marine technicians and a MATE intern why they chose marine technology as a career and what their life is like at work in this video.  You can also get a tour of the research vessel the Hugh R. Sharp and see where marine technicians and interns eat, sleep, and work in this video.

• See what life is like on a research vessel by watching two videos created using clips from past MATE interns: Ship Life and Work Life
• Read the updates from past MATE interns on their experiences
• Watch a video of a typical internship (including a tour of the inside of
  the ship) made by 2010 MATE Intern, Franky Stankiewicz, on the R/V Sharp
• Watch a video on the use of a CTD on a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s vessel
• Take a virtual tour of the R/V Sharp
• Watch a time-lapse video of the intense ship-loading process before a research cruise
• Check out a virtual tour of a research vessel similar to the ones used for MATE Internships
• View a slide show of “Life at sea” aboard the NOAA Okeanos Explorer.
• Check out other NOAA videos of ocean exploration on YouTube.
• Check out life at sea by reading the blogs for different interns, ships, and technicians:
  • 2010 MATE Intern on the R/V Endeavor, Vittorio Pascal's blog
  • Joides Resolution
  • WHOI Marine Technician, Alex Dorsk’s blog
  • Read a blog from a East Carolina University research cruise on the R/V Revelle
  • Read a blog from a University of Colorado scientist on a cruise on the R/V
    Revelle
  • See a video from the R/V Revelle of the retrieval of an ocean bottom
    seismometer
  • Read another blog from the University of Colorado scientist with a video
    of equipment on the R/V Revelle
  • See a compilation of videos on Deck Operations on UNOLS vessels
    
• Read more about the ships where interns get placed at http://www.unols.org/info/vessels.htm.
• MATE Intern photo gallery

How do I apply?

Internship Requirements

Summer 2012 internship applications are due March 5, 2012.  ALL application materials must be received electronically and via mail by the deadline.

Students must be:

• At least 18 years of age.
• A current undergraduate student or very recently graduated from an undergraduate program and a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its possessions; international students are not eligible for this program. An undergraduate student is defined as a student who is enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree. Students who are transferring from one college or university to another and are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer may participate under certain circumstances. 
• Interested in becoming marine technicians on research vessels.
• Able to enroll in a for-credit cooperative work experience course (either at Monterey Peninsula College or their home institution). If the costs for this are a burden to participation, the MATE Center can pay for this up-front and deduct the cost from the internship stipend.

Applicants for the spring six-month internships must be ready to enter the job market with academic studies complete or near complete.  Demonstrated time at sea is highly desirable for the six-month position, but is not required for the summer at-sea positions.

Students in two-year and certificate marine technology and science programs, MATE partner students, and students and in related marine technology undergraduate programs will be given preference.

The MATE Center encourages a diverse pool of applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, or age.

Where do past MATE interns work now?

Click here to see a list of the MATE Internship Program alumni who participated in UNOLS, USCG, or Ocean Drilling Program research cruises and where they are now.

What if I am not interested in an at-sea internship or what if I am not accepted this year?

Students are welcome to apply in multiple years.  In addition, the MATE Center maintains an extensive list of marine technical internships.  Please click here to learn about other internships in this area that may interest you.

Copyright © 2012 MATE