Hiring: Forestry Extension Program Assistant (UMD Extension)

University of Maryland Extension is currently accepting applications for a full time program assistant for our Forestry and Natural Resources program. Please share this opportunity widely with your networks; we are looking for applicants with an interest in outreach and forest stewardship in Maryland. The URL to the position posting is below, and a summary of the position is attached as a PDF.

Position Posting: https://umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/job/Extension-Program-Assistant--Forestry_JR104549

This would be an excellent position for a recent college graduate who is interested in getting involved with data collection and management, scientific writing/communication, event planning, and stakeholder outreach. Applications should be submitted by September 11, 2026. Please reach out to me (dpratson@umd.edu) or Bill Hubbard (whubbard@umd.edu) with any questions.

Environment & Technology Assistant Internship

 

Build Your Community Organizing Skills at POWER, Sept. 25-26

 Build Your Community Organizing Skills at POWER, Sept. 25-26

Interested in environmental justice, community advocacy or bringing people together to make change? Join fellow Huskies for the People’s Organizing Weekend Empowerment Retreat (POWER) on Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.

Now in its 12th year, POWER brings student advocates together to learn about community organizing, social justice and collective action. Participants will build practical skills, explore coalition building and develop plans for working together as allies and collaborators.

For Environmental Studies students, this is an opportunity to strengthen skills that support environmental advocacy, community partnerships and efforts to address unequal environmental impacts.

At POWER, you can:

• Learn organizing strategies from experienced advocates.

• Connect with students who care about social change.

• Explore how to build coalitions across communities and experiences.

• Develop tools to turn shared concerns into collective action.

Priority registration deadline: Monday, Sept. 21. Interested students are encouraged to register early to help organizers plan for the retreat.

Register for POWER

Questions? Contact POWER@niu.edu.

Explore Vietnam’s environmental systems through winter study abroad

 Travel from the industrial zones of Ho Chi Minh City to the farms of the Mekong Delta and the coral reefs of Côn Đảo National Park during Factory to Farm to Reef: An Environmental Journey Through Vietnam, Dec. 13–23, 2026.

This immersive NIU Study Abroad program will explore how industrialization, agriculture, water resources and coastal ecosystems are connected. Students will collect water-quality data, learn from Vietnamese researchers and community members, and examine the lasting environmental effects of war and rapid economic development.

Program experiences include:

• Visiting an active industrial park to learn about environmental management, wastewater systems and regulatory compliance

• Following the production of Vietnamese rubber from seedling to latex and waste management

• Visiting catfish farms, shrimp aquaculture operations and rice paddies in the Mekong Delta

• Speaking with farmers about how upstream water pollution affects their livelihoods

• Snorkeling the coral reefs of Côn Đảo National Park and studying coastal ecosystem management

• Exploring the War Remnants Museum, Agent Orange contamination sites and the historic Côn Đảo Prison complex

• Experiencing the culture, markets, museums and street life of Ho Chi Minh City

The program is led by Dr. Melissa Lenczewski of NIU’s Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment and co-instructor Professor Bao-Son Trinh of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.

Undergraduate and graduate students in Environmental Studies, Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Southeast Asian Studies and related fields are encouraged to apply. Participants will earn two credit hours through EAE or CSEAS.

Program dates: Dec. 13–23, 2026
Program cost: $4,230, plus international airfare and other personal expenses
Application deadline: Oct. 1, 2026

Financial aid may be used for study abroad. Students should contact the NIU Financial Aid Office to discuss their options.

Apply through the NIU Study Abroad portal and search for “Vietnam.” Questions may be directed to the NIU Study Abroad Office at niuabroad@niu.edu or 815-753-0700.

Study Abroad in Coastal Mexico This Winter

 

Study Abroad in Coastal Mexico This Winter

Explore the connections among water, culture, community resilience, sustainability and environmental justice during NIU’s faculty-led study abroad program in Puerto Morelos, Mexico.

Water, Community, and Environmental Justice in Coastal Mexico will take place Dec. 28, 2026, through Jan. 6, 2027. Students from all majors are welcome.

Through field visits, applied activities and collaboration with local partners, participants will:

• Explore cenotes, karst groundwater and coastal environments

• Examine water access, sanitation and tourism pressures

• Learn with Centinelas del Agua and local communities

• Investigate mangroves, sargassum and sustainable practices

• Consider how environmental challenges affect communities across the Riviera Maya

Attend an Information Session

Meet the program leaders, learn about planned activities, review costs and course-credit options, and ask questions.

In person
Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 5 p.m.
Montgomery Hall 353

Online via Zoom
Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m.
https://niu-edu.zoom.us/j/85362605398?pwd=dCSf0XejSbBfOaSbZEO4w10iuMghAO.1

Course Credit

Students may select from ENVS 496, NNGO 328, POLS 496, PSPA 496, SOCI 395 or INTL 301 for three credits, or EAE 494 for one credit. Qualified students may request Honors credit with approval. Undergraduate and graduate credit options are available.

Cost and Application

The program cost is $2,635. Airfare, most meals and the NIU Academic Program Enhancement Fee are additional.

Application deadline: Sept. 29

View program details and apply through the NIU Study Abroad Portal.

Questions? Contact Melissa Burlingame Greenhagen at mburlingame@niu.edu.