Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Are you passionate about science and eager to be involved with research that can shape the future of our planet? SERC is now accepting applications to join our team of summer #interns! Our paid #internships offer students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in environmental research, education, participatory science and science writing. Internships are designed as training and skill-building opportunities for undergrads and recent grads still in the early stages of their careers. You don't need to be an expert already! Applications are due by Feb. 15. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/gGEqA_Gr ?? by SERC Fisheries Conservation Lab

Visitors: Want to do an impromptu turkey trot on our trails? ?? We're open for normal hours (8am-4:30pm) on Thanksgiving Day. We'll be closed this Saturday Nov. 30 for our annual forest management, but open on Sunday. For maps and other details, visit https://lnkd.in/ekeGvfZm ?? by Kristen Goodhue

One week left to enter our winter photo challenge! ?? ?? Send up to three wintry nature pics, and your images could appear on our website and social media as part of our #12NightsOfSolstice digital celebration! This year's theme is "Life From the Frozen Earth." Submit your entries before the stroke of midnight on Dec. 1! https://lnkd.in/eUfadEXX Photo: Female cardinal in Baltimore County by Michael Mininsohn, 2023 winner.

Our #12NightsOfSolstice winter photo challenge is back...with a twist! This year, two of the 12 winners will be chosen by YOU, in a new "People's Choice" category. Submit up to three winter nature pics, taken by you or your child, before the stroke of midnight Dec. 1. Your photos could appear on our social media feeds as part of our #12NightsOfSolstice celebration starting Dec. 21. This year's theme is "Life From the Frozen Earth." To enter and view the full rules, visit https://lnkd.in/eUfadEXX ?? by Laura Falsone, a 2023 winner .

We're #hiring! Our Marine Invasions Research Lab is looking for a full-time biological technician, to help study invasive species hitchhiking inside large cargo ships. This job involves both field and lab work, and the opportunity to travel. Apply by Dec. 2 at https://lnkd.in/edGrjXfW ?? by Kim Holzer

#WildlifeWednesday The saw-whet owls are finally here! Our #ProjectOwlnet volunteers, led by Melissa Boyle Acuti, banded their first saw-whet owl of the year last week. They've banded four more since then. Saw-whet #owls are some of the smallest, most elusive owls in North America. They're so secretive, for a long time experts knew almost nothing about their migrations. Thanks to tiny ankle bands—and a network of owl banding sites all over North America—we can now track their annual migrations. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/epQ-WJTm ?? by Alicia Jackson

As #VeteransDay approaches, discover courageous stories of veterans and those who worked alongside them in a new guide from Smithsonian educators and USA Today. The poppy became a symbol of remembrance for World War I veterans, in part thanks to Canadian poet Lt. Colonel John McCrae and American professor Moina Michael. Corn poppies can flourish in disturbed soil. Millions of the scarlet flowers blossomed in the battlefields of Europe, offering a sign of hope amid of tragedy. After hearing McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields," Michael was inspired to sell silk poppies to raise money for disabled veterans. The American Legion adopted the symbol in 1920, and disabled veterans made and sold silk poppies of their own. Today, the poppy retains its power as a testament that "we shall remember them." Uncover more stories and learn how veterans have been honored throughout U.S. history in the new guide. To download your free copy, visit https://lnkd.in/eMbik8y5. Moina Michael stamp image from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. .

Not a trick, just a treat! As a special Halloween weekend surprise, the SERC campus will now be open on Sundays, starting this Sunday, Nov. 2. Our new hours are 8am-4:30pm, 7 days per week. We will remain closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. For more details and to plan your visit, check out https://serc.si.edu/visit Photo: An eerie mist rises outside SERC's Mathias Laboratory on a gray October morning, its golden-lit windows looking out over the field. Credit: Karen McDonald.

Did you know the Caribbean is home to 10% of the world’s coral reefs? Caribbean corals took center stage this morning at #COP16, the U.N. Biodiversity Conference of Parties in Colombia. ???? Reefs like this one on the Caribbean coast of Honduras shelter hundreds of species across the region, and absorb up to 97% of the energy from waves, protecting local residents from hurricanes. Dr. Steve Canty, an ecologist with our Marine Conservation Lab, is working with local organizations in the Caribbean to help sustain and restore the region’s marine ecosystems. In a #COP16 panel this morning, he shared one of the biggest lessons he’s learned: To protect corals, we need to think beyond corals. By looking at the full “seascape”—including other habitats like mangroves and seagrasses—we can uncover hidden connections and pinpoint threats that are affecting the entire ecosystem. Canty’s lab will put that into practice soon, thanks to a new agreement with la Fundación Propagas signed earlier this month. As part of the agreement, Canty’s team will help expand the organization’s coral reef monitoring in the Dominican Republic. New studies will include mangroves, seagrasses and strategies for coastal resilience and adapting to climate change. #OurSustainablePlanet science.si.edu/at-cop16/ ?? by Claudio Contreras-Koob (coral and seagrass), Fundación Propagas (scientists) and Steve Canty (mangroves)

Want to explore a career in #sciencewriting? We're hiring a spring #intern next year to cover the work of our climate change scientists on Chesapeake Bay. Stipend and on-site housing in the SERC dorms included with the #internship. Apply by Nov. 15! Learn more at https://lnkd.in/eQ4RVTK8 ?? Former SERC science writing intern Marissa Sandoval, by Linda McCann