New England Aquarium

Ever wonder how we make our exhibits? This is your chance to find out! Volunteers will work alongside our design team in the Charlestown studio to help create some new exhibits. Volunteers will help prepare models, chip away excess, and paint foam structures with a protective sealant to prepare them for display. This work is dirty, dusty, and sealant is industrial-grade, so volunteers should wear clothes they don't mind ruining. Gloves and brushes will be provided. Help is needed with a number of tasks which may vary day to day. To get an idea of what to expect and goals of the project, check out this video assembled by Shannon Leary, Fabrication Studio Intern: https://vimeo.com/300446336?ref=em-share After signing up, please check the "Locations Details" link in your Upcoming Opportunities (in the My Account tab) for instructions, including important phone numbers.

Want to know more about the live blue Service Corps? Through this program, we partner with local environmental organizations to provide episodic volunteer opportunities with a smaller commitment that still has an important impact on our mission! This program was built in flexibility; you only sign up for the service events in which you're interested and for which you have the time. To become a live blue Service Corps member, volunteers are first required to attend a one time, hour long orientation at the Aquarium. During this orientation, you'll learn more about the live blue Service Corps, the kinds of projects you'll be doing, and what to expect. It's also a great chance to meet other volunteers! After attending the orientation you'll be able to sign up for any and all live blue Service Corps projects posted on serve.neaq.org/calendar. [Note that if you are interested in a more committed program, namely those in animal care and education, please visit serve.neaq.org/ClassicCorps to read about the application process]

Join us for a fun and interactive three hour workshop to co-create ideas for solving environmental challenges in our state parks. Our DCR partners will be leading the session using design thinking*, a simple and highly effective problem solving approach used throughout the world by professional design teams. The ideas that we generate will be used to guide decisions about opportunities for you to volunteer in a state park. (The volunteer portion of this program will be scheduled at later dates, and is optional). Participating DCR Parks include: Constitution Beach and Belle Isle Marsh Reservation (East Boston), Revere and Winthrop Beaches. Examples of Environmental challenges in our state parks we will be addressing include: 1) Litter enters the ocean where it harms marine life and may negatively affect the safety and availability of seafood and even human health. 2) People not picking up after their dogs may pose a threat to human health especially to children. 3) Feeding gulls results in large numbers of them on the beach where they prey on nesting shorebirds and their young. For more information contact Matthew Nash, DCR Visitor Services Supervisor at Matthew.Nash@mass.gov or 781-656-1485 *Design Thinking is a fun and interactive team process for solving problems and discovering new opportunities that focuses on understanding people and uncovering the core nature of the problem (Empathy), generating lots of possible ideas for a solution (Ideation), and creating and presenting a chosen solution in the form of a skit, drawing, diorama or crude device or tool to users for feedback from them before continuing (Proto-typing). Design thinking also involves a series of mindsets that include a focus on the people you are designing for and obtaining feedback from those users (Focus on Humans), doing (Biased Toward Action), experimentation that fails fast and cheaply (Rapid Proto-typing), communicating in impactful and meaningful ways using visuals and stories (Show Don’t Tell) and which capitalizes on the strengths of diverse teams (Radical Collaboration).

Alewife Reservation, once a part of the Great Swamp that spanned the area from Cambridge to the Mystic River, is one of the most polluted waterways in the Greater Boston Area. Volunteer efforts are vitally important for protecting this green space and working to improve water quality. For this event, we will be removing debris from bike paths, streams, and surrounding woods to prevent plastics and other trash from flowing downstream into the Mystic River. Gloves will be provided, but dress in clothes you don't mind getting wet or dirty. *Note that due to potential water quality concerns, volunteers will not pull debris from the water without proper protection and in ideal weather conditions* On Saturday, February 2nd, we will conduct a small cleanup while using the INaturalist app to map locations of Ash trees. We will be looking for signs of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), so any experience in winter tree ID and EAB monitoring is welcome! *Snow/rain date: Saturday, February 16th.

Polls show that voters consistently rank environmental issues among their lowest concerns in every election. This is a huge problem. Politicians want to win elections, and if environmental issues are a low priority for voters, they will be a low priority for policy makers. Yet polls also show that tens of millions of Americans strongly prioritize progressive environmental policies – the real problem is that these people do not vote. Indeed, even in recent nationwide elections, over 15 million individually identified environmentalists have stayed at home on Election Day. Therefore, the key to getting powerful environmental policies in place is not only to persuade more Americans to be environmentalists, it is also as simple as getting more of our existing environmentalists to vote. The Environmental Voter Project uses big-data analytics to identify inactive environmentalists and then applies cutting-edge behavioral science to turn them into more consistent voters. Using a new generation of Get-Out-The-Vote techniques, they are dramatically increasing voter turnout while precisely measuring our impact. EVP is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that does not endorse candidates or tell people how to vote; instead, EVP focuses on increasing environmental voter turnout to make the voices and needs of the environment heard. This is where you come in! Volunteers will receive an introduction to EVP’s mission and a training on basic phone and text-banking tools. From there, we will contact environmental voters via phone calls and/or text messages in an effort to increase voter turnout. No prior experience or training is necessary! Scripts will be provided, and you can opt for either speaking on the phone or sending text messages. *Please note: volunteers will need to use their own phone to participate. Smart phones work best for the texting app. If opting for phone banking (instead of texting), please bring a laptop so we can provide the appropriate applications.*

Accepting Applications for Waitlist Time commitment: One full day (8:00 am.-5:00 p.m.) per week for a period of 6 months Summary: American lobsters are a cultural icon and one of the most important fisheries in New England. But did you know it takes a lobster 7 years to grow to 1 pound (the legal harvest size)? At the New England Aquarium, larval and juvenile lobsters are raised in a small hatchery and then used in experiments, which have focused on growth, nutrition, and disease. Project Description: Responsibilities: Must have a desire to learn how to care for hundreds of juvenile lobsters in a small research setting. Daily tasks include observing, recording data, and feeding all lobsters in the research collection, collecting and counting newly hatched larvae, changing filters, and cleaning tanks. Opportunities to become a more active participant in ongoing research may become available, but are subject to current progress, research scope, and supervisor discretion. Qualifications: Strong interest in working with animals in a research environment. Must have basic computer skills, be able to follow written protocols, and work independently. Must be comfortable working in a wet laboratory environment, and willing to get dirty. Good attention to detail is essential. Prior lobster experience is not necessary. Must be at least 18 years old.

Education Outreach Volunteer Not currently recruiting FLEXIBLE hours due to variability of programming Summary: Aquarium Student Programs Volunteers represent the New England Aquarium off-site at schools and community centers as well as onsite alongside Aquarium Education staff. Volunteers will assist in the delivery of programs to preschool and school-age children and families on a range of marine topics. Programs may include live animals, classroom-style, exhibit-style programming or a theater presentation. The New England Aquarium reaches over 35,000 school children a year through our off-site programming. Responsibilities: · Assist with material preparation and transportation for New England Aquarium programs across New England; transportation of animals; program setup. · Answer questions and initiate conversation with program participants. · Train to lead portions of scripted programs. · When applicable, maintains marine organisms and observes animal health during programs. Programming includes: a. Outreach to schools & daycare centers b. Outreach to member's homes for birthday parties c. Outreach to community centers and after school sites d. Outreach/on-site private & promotional events e. Outdoor programming with school groups & families at a field site f. On-site classes for school groups, homeschool students, families and members 2 years-18 years Qualifications: · Willingness to learn about Aquarium exhibits, programs and marine science. · Comfort in public speaking for multiple age groups of diverse interests and backgrounds. · Must be comfortable handling marine organisms. · Must have enthusiasm and an interest in meeting and working with elementary age children. · Must be at least 18 years old. · Must have the ability to be CORI/SORI certified. Desirable: · Comfortable interpreting and presenting on marine science topics · Experience in public speaking and/or theater · Experience working with early childhood (ages 2 through 8) · Experience working with English Language Learner and/or special needs audiences · First Aid, CPR, or higher life saving certification · Knowledge of Boston neighborhoods, Boston Public Schools, and/or Boston afterschool centers · Summer camp background or experience teaching in the field Physical Demands: The physical demands listed are representative of those that must be met by a volunteer to successfully perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. While performing the duties of this position, the volunteer is required to talk, hear, sit, stand, walk, bend, stoop, crawl, reach, push/pull, and lift up to 59 lbs. Occasionally the volunteer is required to lift up to 99 lbs. The volunteer is required to apply limited manual dexterity in combination with eye-hand coordination such as basic keyboarding, basic hand tools and instruments, filing, operating office equipment, operating a motor vehicle, etc. The volunteer must have good vision to read documents for general understanding. The volunteer will be required to review non-written materials for general observation purposes. Shift schedule varies according to program; start time between 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Shifts are typically between 5 to 10 hours. It may be possible to accommodate some schedule preferences.

Volunteer Department Office Assistant Volunteer Currently full One ½ day per week Sunday-Saturday to start Summary: The New England Aquarium’s Office of Volunteer Programs & Internships processes hundreds of applications each year and mobilizes a team of 1,000 volunteers/interns annually in support of the New England Aquarium’s mission of protecting the blue planet. Responsibilities: · Assist the with administrative tasks that support the day-to-day operations of the Office of Volunteer Programs & Internships · Assist with filing, scanning, data entry, and other office tasks as needed. Qualifications: · Detail-oriented, organized, friendly, and flexible. · Familiarity with MS Word, MS Excel, and Google Drive preferred.

Limited Weeday Openings One full day per week (8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.) for a period of six months Summary: Marine Animal Rescue responds to calls to provide medical treatment for whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea turtles. Established in 1968, the Marine Animal Rescue Team has responded to thousands of calls providing medical treatment to stranded, injured and diseased marine animals throughout the New England coastal region. Volunteers provide support for Rescue staff in all aspects of the program. Responsibilities: A significant amount of cleaning is required in order to maintain the hospital environment. Additional responsibilities include following standard quarantine protocols, food prep, feeding, restraining animals for treatments and injections, monitoring behavior and health of animals, maintaining records including water quality, daily food intake, swim charts and treatment sheets. Qualifications: Previous (large) animal handling experience is recommended. Must be in good physical condition and able to lift 50 pounds. Must be able to perform significant cleaning tasks daily. Must be able to work independently and as part of a team. Must be at least 18 years of age. This position is not located in Boston and is at our Animal Care Center located along the Fore River in Quincy. Transportation to this facility is easiest by car but one can also reach the facility by public transportation. Public transportation requires taking the Redline to Quincy Center, transferring to bus, and walking about 5 minutes.​

Monday-Friday, 1 full day or 2 half days per week for a period of 6 months Morning and/or afternoon availability from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Summary: The New England Aquarium’s Conservation Department aims to integrate scientific information, public outreach and policy initiatives to effect lasting change in the ocean environment. Our work involves extensive web-based research and report writing, which must be thoroughly and accurately documented. This position will assist the Conservation Department with organization of their computer based library, a collection of downloaded reports and journal articles. This position is an excellent opportunity for an individual majoring in library science or a related field. The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic, self-directed and able to successfully design and implement an organizational system for the library. Responsibilities: Organize an extensive collection of PDFs stored on a shared network Navigate existing Endnote files to extract relevant information in order to incorporate files into new organizational system Categorize PDF files based on topic/subject matter preferably in manner easily accessed within Windows 7 Represent the Conservation Department in a professional manner when interacting with other departments Perform other position related duties as assigned Qualifications: Must be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement due to access to proprietary information. Proficient in Windows 7, Microsoft programs, Endnote, and Adobe Familiarity with the principles and procedures necessary for computer-based recordkeeping preferred Familiarity and understanding of archival description and representation preferred Professionalism and comfort working independently in an office environment are required

Apply Now for Limited Weekday Openings Time commitment: One full day (8:00 am.-5:00 p.m.) per week for a period of 6 months Summary: The Giant Ocean Tank is a 200,000 gallon cylindrical Caribbean reef exhibit situated in the center of the Aquarium. It is home to over 600 animals and 130 species, including tropical fish, sharks, and sea turtles. 4 feeding dives and 2 maintenance dives occur daily and on a schedule. Volunteers are an integral part of our team, helping with all aspects of animal husbandry and tank maintenance. Responsibilities: This position involves no diving, but can serve as a prerequisite for the Giant Ocean Tank Dive Volunteer position. DAs will provide support to the Giant Ocean Tank dive staff and senior dive volunteers in the care and maintenance of the exhibit. Duties will include daily food preparation for the Giant Ocean Tank inhabitants, surface feedings, equipment repair and maintenance, cleaning of the food prep room and other support areas. The candidate will also provide support and assistance to the dive staff and senior dive volunteers with all aspects of Giant Ocean Tank surface work. Qualifications: Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be able to lift 50 pounds. Note: After 200 hours, DAs may be eligible to apply for the Giant Ocean Tank Dive Volunteer position, depending on volunteer’s performance, open water dives logged, and position availability. Although completion of the DA position serves as a prerequisite for the Dive Volunteer position, it does not guarantee a spot on the Dive Volunteer Team. Individuals interested in advancing to the Dive Volunteer Program must meet all criteria. All interested individuals must understand that even when all criteria are met, they may be wait-listed, depending on availability of current Dive Volunteer positions.

Currently accepting applications for limited weekday openings One ½ day per week Monday through Friday, potential for more time if desired Summary: The human resources volunteer will help with administration of the Human Resources department in support of the policies and procedures of the New England Aquarium. Responsibilities: Assist the Human Resources department with ongoing administrative projects. Perform other position-related duties as assigned. Qualifications: Strong interpersonal communication skills Keen eye for details Commitment to strict confidentiality Ability to handle multiple tasks & projects Motivated, flexible, and willing to take on new responsibilities and initiatives.