Opportunities for WVU students

WVU STEM Ambassadors act as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instructors and camp/cabin counselors during 4-H summer camps and events across the state of West Virginia. Given training and materials, ambassadors travel throughout the state during the summer and deliver pre-arranged STEM curriculum in a variety of settings. Events include county 4-H day or overnight camps, summer youth program sites, state 4-H camps located at Jackson’s Mill in Jane Lew, WV, the West Virginia State Fair located in Lewisburg, WV, and camps on the WVU campuses in Morgantown and Beckley.

This is a great opportunity for WVU students to earn some extra money this summer, improve their teaching and leadership skills, and camp in beautiful locations in the West Virginia wilderness, all while spreading their enthusiasm for science to children across the state. This will be the seventh year of the program and the more than sixty previous STEM Ambassadors who served in summers 2012-2017 have reported that the program was a life changing experience. More importantly, because many of the more than 50,000 children served in the last six years have little access to mentors studying or working in a STEM field, the STEM Ambassadors can actually change lives by inspiring future scientists and engineers.

Program Details: This program is run through WVU Extension Services, the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design. Undergraduate and graduate STEM majors from these colleges may apply for the positions and will be paid a $3,000-$4,000 stipend for the full project (total days vary depending on schedule and need) to teach hands-on science activities to youth across the state. Room and board will be provided at the various camps and travel is reimbursed. Ambassadors are guaranteed at least 25 days of work on the project during the May 20 through August 12, 2018 timeframe or a portion thereof (greater total days are possible depending on scheduling and need). Additionally, there are a small number of positions that are open to other WVU schools and/or other West Virginia institutions of higher education. These positions are open to applicants with a major focusing on Science, Engineering, Technology, or Math.

More details and a full list of qualifying STEM majors is listed in the Position Announcement. A direct link to both the online application and position announcement is available here: https://wvu.taleo.net/careersection/staff/jobdetail.ftl?job=07733&tz=GMT-05%3A00

Priority is given to applications received by Monday March 2, 2018 but will be taken until all positions are filled.

Program contact is Jen Robertson-Honecker, PhD