Field experiences and internships provide undergraduate students with valuable exposure to potential career pathways in ecology, environmental science, and conservation. When done well these high impact learning experiences can transform students’ careers and connect them to valuable professional networks. Despite these benefits and a growing interest among the environmental science community to attract and retain diverse talent, minimal data exists on what factors undergraduate students across diverse demographic groups prioritize when applying to field experiences. We surveyed undergraduate students across the US to understand students’ motivations and barriers to participation in field experiences among diverse demographic groups.
Results/Conclusions
We found that pay and skills gained are among the top factors prioritized by students when considering internships and 47% of students indicated that their level of income has been a barrier in their academic career. Students that required higher pay included those that identified as ethnic or racial minorities, males, non-heterosexual, disabled, and first-generation. Other factors such as study species/taxonomic group and location were ranked high by respondents, but were less important than pay and skills, and employer was ranked as least important among the options provided. Twenty-five percent of respondents indicated there were other factors that affected their willingness to participate in internships, including the timing of the internship, conflicts with work, school, extracurricular, cultural or religious activities, a lack of transportation or housing, conflicts with family care responsibilities, difficult or hostile working conditions, a lack of safe and inclusive spaces, and mental and physical health limitations. By highlighting priorities and limitations for students participating in field experiences, our findings provide important insights for attracting a diverse workforce to this often critical stage in career advancement for students in ecology, environmental science, and conservation professions.