Internships
The Institute for Environmental Negotiation is affiliated with the Architecture School at UVA  . The Institute was formed more than 20 years ago to provide mediation and consensus building services to governments, citizen organizations and businesses dealing with conflicts and complex policy choices about land uses and the natural and built environment. The Institute also designs public involvement processes for land use planning projects such as watershed plans, brownfield and superfund site redevelopment, forest management and other related projects.
Each year, the Institute offers several paid ‘graduate student assistantships’ for students in the School of Architecture’s Department of Urban and Environmental Planning. There are full-time (40 hour week) summer internships and one-year semester internships (15 hours per week for two semesters) during the fall and spring semesters. IEN Associates work intensively on one to two projects and employ a variety of skills such as research, writing, graphic design and web site management and may also assist with meeting facilitation. Associates work on projects that apply planning theory to on-the-ground projects such as watershed plans or redevelopment of industrial sites. They also learn to conduct public involvement processes -- a key skill sought by both public and private sector planning agencies. Those who are interested may also gain experience in facilitation.
The following list provides several examples of the types of projects on which that Institute graduate associates may work. However, there are many more projects that are offered each year in which students can participate. To learn about current Institute projects visit http://www.virginia.edu/ien/projects.htm
Examples of Institute projects include:
- Watershed Planning for Fairfax County: Coordinating and developing watershed plans for Fairfax County based on extensive watershed data collection, assessment and public input processes coordinated by the Institute.
- Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute (VNRLI): Preparing issue briefs on environmental and planning issues for this statewide course for natural resource professionals.
- Money Point Brownfield: Working with the Elizabeth River Project to facilitate a community dialogue about redevelopment of this industrial brownfield along the Elizabeth River.
To apply:
Internships are awarded on a competitive basis. Only students enrolled at the University of Virginia School of Architecture will be hired and preference is given to second year students in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning. Candidates for the summer internships are hired in the spring. Fall and spring semester interns are hired in the spring of the prior academic year. To apply please email your resume or a one-page bio detailing your interests, academic and work experience and availability (start date, end date and hours available per week) to kef8w@virginia.edu or send to: Karen Firehock, Institute for Environmental Negotiation, University of Virginia, 104 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Applications are not being accepted at this time.
Current IEN Interns
Clark Larson Clark is a second-year graduate student with the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning at UVA. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2003, earning a bachelor’s of science degree in Environmental Studies. While at UNC-Asheville, Clark was active in environmental education and innovative solutions: creating a calculator for assessing greenhouse gas emissions from university operations, working with university staff and administration on ‘green’ building and operations developments, and organizing student support for environmental sustainability. He continues his interests in sustainable community planning and design and environmental stewardship at the Institute for Environmental Negotiation.
Tyler Schwartz Learning from the South Florida urban and wild geographies, I concern myself with connecting people to the landscapes they live amongst. As a coordinator of the UVa based, Students for Sustainable Communities I am interested in engaging people with their local urban ecology. I have three years of planning related experience from South Florida and Central Virginia. Renaissance Planning Group, the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Miami-Dade County, the Tropical Audubon Society, and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District are all part of my professional background. I completed a Bachelors Degree in Planning from the School of Environmental Design at the University of Colorado. Currently I plan to receive a dual Masters degree in Urban and Environmental Planning (2007) and Landscape Architecture by 2009.
Ann Whitham Ann grew up in Richmond, Virginia. While a student at Washington and Lee University, she worked with the local land trust and county government on land conservation programs and graduated with a degree in English and Environmental Studies in 2003. Upon graduation, Ann moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where she interned for the Jackson Hole Land Trust, guided backpacking trips and worked as a field instructor at Teton Science Schools. During her first year in the planning program, Ann was a Public Service Fellow at The Nature Conservancy in Virginia. Her planning areas of interest include rural land use planning, sustainability initiatives, and children in the built environment.
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Past IEN Interns
2005-2006 Interns
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| Chris David |
Jason Espie |
Amanda Taylor |
Casey Williams |
2004-2005 Interns
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| Matt Robbie |
Jessica Ryan |
Margaret Kirby |
2003-2004 Interns
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| Christine Gyovai |
Curt Ostrodka |
Melissa Taylor |
2002-2003 Interns
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| Rebeccah Ballo |
Jennifer Harris |
Lynn Wilson |
2001-2002 Interns
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| Caroline Brennan |
Brandi Collins |
Robin Cook |
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| Jovette Gadson |
John Hoover |
James Wilkinson |
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Meet the Current Interns
