Application

A student intern MUST be receiving academic credit from, or fulfilling an academic requirement for an accredited educational institution. In most instances, student interns are upper division majors or minors in the areas of biological science, horticulture, pre-veterinary medicine, education, conservation biology or related disciplines.

Internships are unpaid and are 10 to 14 weeks in length and 30 to 40 hours per week.

Applications MUST Include:

• Completed application form
• Cover Letter including a paragraph explaining why you are interested in an internship at the Minnesota Zoo;
• Resume;
• Official Transcripts; and,
• Letter of recommendation from an advisor or supervisor

Application Deadlines:

All application materials must be received by the following deadlines unless otherwise noted in the internship descriptions.

The Minnesota Zoo's Life Support department is responsible for several marine and fresh water systems. This includes 12 exhibit tanks (including a 60,000 gallon Indo-Pacific Reef tank, a 220,000 gallon Caribbean predator tank, a 1,000,000 gallon dolphin tank and a 60,000 gallon sea otter tank), along with seasonal outdoor pools and water features.

Summer Internship:

College credit required. Internships generally run 40 hours per week for 10-14 weeks. Work hours are from 6-2:30 daily and days off are Sundays and Mondays.

Life support interns are directly involved in the daily operation and duties of the life support department. Interns will work closely with life support, aquarium and marine mammal staff. Intern duties will vary on a daily basis and will include performing daily and weekly water chemistry and micro biological testing. Routine duties to include salt mixing, filter backwashing, daily monitoring of ozone and chlorine disinfecting systems, and operation of the automation and control system. Interns will assist with special projects as they arise and can expect to help with pump maintenance, plumbing, sand and carbon replacement, air compressor servicing, etc. Experience in the use of hand and power tools is a plus; preference will be given to applicants with SCUBA certification.

For more information, please contact:
Internship Coordinator, Human Resources
13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN 55124
E-mail: Human.resources.mnzoo@state.mn.us
Fax: 952.431.9211
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