Internships in Ecological Design

Compton Internships in Ecological Design are a Berea College-funded initiative supporting student ecological design projects. Up to four internships are available annually for the summer months, although proposals for internships at other times of the year will be considered. These internships give you a chance to design, plan, and build through on and off campus internships. You may develop your own proposal or you may consider these possible projects:

• Design a campus aquaculture/hydroponics facility
• Work on a campus transportation plan
• Construct and test an anaerobic digester to convert organic waste to methane
• Help build energy-efficient housing
• Create an ecological art installation
• Assist in developing an Appalachian ecovillage course

Internships connected with sustainable community development efforts or internships with outside organizations are also plausible. Interested students should prepare a one-page written summary of a proposed internship and then arrange an appointment to discuss the proposal with Jim Dontje or Richard Olson before Spring Break during the Spring Term. A stipend is included in the internship and you can earn academic credit and fulfill internship requirements.

For further information see "Compton Internships in Ecological Design" and for complete application details, contact Richard Olson.

Compton Mentor Fellowship

The Compton Mentor Fellowship supports innovative, student-initiated projects that "focus on environment and sustainable development, or connect environmental concerns with peace and conflict resolution, or population and family planning issues.". The unique feature of this fellowship is that applicants identify a mentor during the application process and work with that mentor during the fellowship period. The mentor relationship is intended to enhance the development of the fellow and increase the effectiveness of the proposed activities. The Compton Mentor Fellowships are funded and administered by the Compton Foundation as part of a new initiative that included Berea College in the pilot year of the program. While this fellowship is only open to US citizens who will graduate either in December or May of the current academic year, the mentors need not be US citizens and fellowship activities can take place in or outside of the U.S. Berea faculty cannot be mentors in the programs of Berea nominees, but faculty can assist in the identification of mentors and facilitating the mentor relationship. The Compton Fellowship will support each fellowship with a grant of $35,000. Announcement of the Compton Mentor Fellowship selection procedures for the 2003 fellowship year will be made in the fall of 2002.

Questions about the Compton Mentor Fellowship should be directed to James Dontje.