Intern/Externships

Inernships and externships provide ADR and ENR students with real world experience that is critical to success. Students can apply concepts learned in the classroom to solving genuine problems, developing policy and facilitating groups among other important activities.

Below are descriptions of just a few of the opportunities our students have had to put their classroom skills to work:

During an internship with the National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC), Tyler Elliott, Appropriate Dispute Resolution master's degree candidate, played a key role in assessing stakeholder readiness to engage in the center's collaborative governance project related to sediment management in the lower Columbia River. This project involved crabbers, fishing interests, environmentalists, development interests, and local, state and federal government. The project centered on finding proper disposal sites for the sediment that is dredged out of the lower Columbia's shipping channel, moving toward a solution that meets the diverse stakeholders' ultimate goals: the mitigation of coastal beach erosion, continued navigational safety, sustainable environmental impact and positive socioeconomic impact. Elliott interviewed key stakeholders to identify areas of scientific consensus and divergence, as well as individual interests and concerns regarding dredge material disposal practices, as a precursor to a two-day workshop bringing scientists and policymakers together to develop solutions.

Timothy McCabe, Appropriate Dispute Resolution master's degree candidate, recently began an internship with West Eugene Collaborative to assist the group in developing an integrated land use and transportation solution. Supported by more than 30 stakeholders, the land use and transportation solution will facilitate movement of people and commerce from/through/to west Eugene and west of Eugene while enhancing community, business and the environment.

McCabe attends meetings, takes notes, writes grants, facilitates subcommittee groups and serves as a local resource for West Eugene Collaborative members.

Drew Johnson, Appropriate Dispute Resolution master's degree candidate, served as an intern for the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC) to develop an information resource on environmental dispute resolution benefiting public interest environmental organizations, advocates, attorneys and their funding organizations.

Johnson explored views and alternatives to litigation, including mediation, consensus building, and facilitated agreement seeking and negotiation, by interviewing more than 20 key stakeholders, including attorneys, clients and public interest and environmental advocates.

"One of the things I found is language and terms are important to define when talking with so many groups," said Johnson.

Johnson's internship at WELC is a stepping-stone to his dream job as an attorney that assists the environmental advocacy community in strategically listening and talking to one another in order to be more effective in protecting environmental resources. "I'd love to find work as an attorney that's paid to listen, not force predetermined outcomes," said Johnson.