Education: Zoo InternQuest

Join us online as the Zoo InternQuest interns report their discoveries while exploring the world of specialized careers at the San Diego Zoo, San DIego Zoo Safari Park, and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. Read about the interns' adventures on the Zoo InternQuest Blog.

About Zoo InternQuest

Zoo InternQuest is a program that provides San Diego-area high school students interested in pursuing careers in the life sciences (biology, zoology, human or veterinary medicine, wildlife management, botany, etc.) with the opportunity to learn from Zoo and Safari Park experts. Students in this program learn about such subjects as conservation, pathology, genetics, veterinary medicine, animal behavior, reproductive physiology, ecology, and more by visiting the job sites, labs, and animal exhibit areas where experts in these fields spend their days. Though each term is different, students in each session visit a wide variety of professionals and locations.

Zoo InternQuest participants also receive all the necessary training to create blogs of their experiences, illustrated with digital photos. They also communicate with Virtual Interns throughout the world on the blogs.

Virtual InternQuest

Individual students or whole classrooms anywhere in the world can view past Zoo InternQuest sessions through the Internet.

InternQuest Obligations

The group meets at the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) from 3 to 5 p.m. over seven weeks. Some sessions may require an earlier meeting time. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the San Diego Zoo.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are spent with Zoo experts, and Tuesdays are dedicated to creating the blog posts in the Zoo's Computer Lab. Journals are written either on home computers or in the Computer Lab on the intern's own time. Blog posts will be completed in the lab during the Tuesday meeting.

Please note the scheduled dates for each semester. Each intern will be responsible for attending all meetings on time.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be in grade 10 or 11and attending a San Diego County school. Students apply in the spring of their sophomore or junior year and participate the following school year.
• Students must have a 3.0 (B) grade point average or better.
• Students must demonstrate a commitment to conservation or the environment.
• Two letters of recommendation are required: one from a science instructor and a second from a teacher, career counselor, school administrator, or other adult who can recommend the applicant for this program.
• The application includes two writing prompts. Student writing samples will be critiqued for accuracy, quality, style, content, and grammar. 

Application period

The application period for Winter 2012 is closed.

Note for Teachers

More information on using Zoo InternQuest and other San Diego Zoo website resources in the classroom is available in Education.

Traditional Internships

For clinical veterinary externships info...

College Internships— See College Fellowships in Zoo Jobs.

Summer Internships for college students in the Zoo's Education Department—Informal science education is an important part of our mission. Paid student internships are available for college students who have completed their first year of college. Summer Camp interns work Monday through Friday as part of a teaching team for campers ages 4 to 17. Please contact the Education Department for more information.

Other Zoo Internships— For information on internships available at zoos and aquariums throughout the United States and Canada, check with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).