Purdue Weather and Climate Risk Internship Program
For Fall 2024+, the official program has ended as we transition to supporting new resources on campus that help you find internships/jobs. We're still here to help provide guidance -- see below.
Why the change?
The Weather and Climate Risk Internship program started in 2021 as an effort to help better connect employers in the area with our weather/climate students seeking internships. We filled a gap.
However, we realized that in other fields this gap is filled by Career Fairs and on-campus career resources. Students seek out opportunities.
In Fall 2023, we began our transition by helping students launch the inaugural Purdue College of Science Career Fair. We also began guiding students to the Purdue Center for Career Opportunities (CCO), the one-stop shop to get personalized help so you can win that internship/job.
We are happy to say that this gap is now closing. As a result, for Fall 2024+ we are ending our formal "program" and transitioning to this simple website.
Here we will have streamlined information: 1) career resources on campus, and 2) companies in weather/climate risk that we recommend you to reach out to about potential internships (many have hired our students before!).
In the end, you hold the power to win that internship!
How can I find an internship?
Check out our new EAPS-wide webpage for advice on how to find internships.
Are there specific companies you recommend for internships in weather/climate risk?
To find potential internship opportunities, you should seek out companies on your own (e.g. Google), go to Career Fairs, and meet with the CCO to find out who they can connect you with from their alumni database.
Note: when summer internship positions are posted is highly variable -- it can be any time from August to April. Keep checking, or if there is an email contact listed then ask them when a position will become available.
In this same vein, below is a list of companies that we have worked directly with in the past as part of our internship program (and many have hired at least one of our students). You should regularly check their website for employment opportunities and email the employment contact listed on the site to ask about current/future opportunities.
Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC)
Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)
Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN)
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)
If you need assistance reaching contacts at any of these companies or have questions about other specific companies you are interested in, feel free to reach out to Prof Chavas by email (dchavas at purdue dot edu).
Past summer cohorts (Summers 2021-2024)
In our first three years, we had 15+ students hired across 8 employers spanning energy, ag, water, and weather/climate consulting. Students came with backgrounds across atmospheric and environmental sciences at the sophomore, junior, senior, and masters levels.
Some feedback from students on their experiences:
- "It was an awesome program and a great summer experience!"
- "Thank you SO much for putting this program together. It's definitely not easy to find internships in this field, so it was super helpful to have some options laid out."
- "The internship opened my eyes to opportunities in other sectors."
- "I really enjoyed working on a range of projects to help figure out what I like."
What is "weather and climate risk"?
Who do we evacuate ahead of the landfall of an impending hurricane? How should the power grid redistribute power to minimize outages due to extreme weather? Where should we place our wind farms to maximize efficiency over the next 50 years? What practices can ensure my farm's corn crop survives the next summer drought? How can we plan our transportation network to ensure extreme weather never cuts of access to critical medical supplies for our hospitals? How much snow removal equipment must our stores stock to meet consumer needs after the next blizzard? Every day, individuals and organizations must make important short-term and long-term decisions that depend on the weather and/or climate.
A job market is rapidly emerging to use weather and climate information to help people make better decisions. In 2019, meteorology graduates had the lowest unemployment of any major in the U.S. Students who know weather/climate and can work with data in an interdisciplinary setting are uniquely fit for these jobs – and are highly sought after.
