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Student Trainee (Physical Science)

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

General Information


Salary- Golden, CO:
GS-3 Salary: $33,248 (Step 01) to $43,225 (Step 10)
GS-4 Salary: $37,323 (Step 01) to $48,519 (Step 10);

Salary - Albuquerque, NM:
GS-3 Salary: $30,306 (Step 01) to $39,400 (Step 10)
GS-4 Salary: $34,020 (Step 01) to $44,225 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

If you are interested in applying to the GS-5/7 positions, please see announcement: USGS-PATH-23-11816975-DE-MW

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/30/2023 to 02/13/2023
Salary
$30,306 to - $48,519 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 3 - 4
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Golden, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Internships
Work schedule
Multiple Schedules
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-PATH-23-11816555-DE-MW
Control number
702956400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to all qualified students who are U.S. Citizens and meet the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Internship Program as described below.

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Duties

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The USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center is seeking students working towards an undergraduate degree in Physical Science or Engineering to gain practical experience in collecting data, analyzing data sets, programming, and other activities that support earthquake, landslide, and geomagnetic hazards research. As a Student Trainee (Physical Science) you will serve in a trainee capacity, performing routine and recurring development assignments to acquire knowledge and understanding of functions, principles, practices, and methods used in the characterization and mitigation of natural hazards (earthquakes, landslides, and geomagnetic disturbances).In most cases, you will work directly with scientists involved in mission-critical functions of hazard monitoring, assessment, and alerting. You will be paired with senior-level research scientists and then assigned tasks that help the senior researcher be more productive, finalize publications, conduct field work, review and analyze data sets, analyze hazards and models, and generally advance the science. You will assist the development and distribution of information products such as debris-flow maps, finite fault models, earthquake catalog relocations, stress transfer mechanisms, earthquake summary posters, and tectonic summaries.

If your position requires field work, your physical demands & work environment: The work is mainly sedentary; but may require some walking and carrying of light items. For field work, employees may be required to carry heavy equipment (up to 50 pounds) such as batteries, battery packs, computers, and field equipment over uneven or rough surfaces. Operates a government owned or leased vehicle as an incidental driver. Field conditions may include extreme heat cold, rain, or snow, and hazardous conditions such as ice and flooding.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. The entire period served under the Intern Program counts as a trial period.
  4. Housing will not be provided.
  5. If the position selected for requires field work, the selectee will be subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

  • If selected you may be asked to provide information regarding your COVID-19 vaccination status for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols, such as those related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • If selected, you will be required to provide official transcripts &/or letter from the school stating you are enrolled in a degree/certificateprogram on at least a half time basis in good standing and your expected graduation date.
  • In order to be eligible to receive consideration for this position, you must be able to: (1) report to the duty station location listed in this vacancy announcement, if selected; and (2) be available to work the schedule identified.
  • All internships will be located in Golden, Colorado, with anticipated start dates of May 22 and June 20, 2023 for students on semester- and quarter-based schedules, respectively.. We will accommodate other start dates on a case-by-case basis. End dates are flexible and expected to be during August 2023. Most internships will be full-time during the summer, but some may have the option to continue part-time through the academic year based upon the employing office's continuing need. This is a temporary appointment not to exceed 12 months that may be extended as long as the intern continues to meet the eligibility requirements of the Pathways Intern Program.
  • There is no promotion potential at any of the advertised grades. The full performance level of this position will be set at the grade level at which you are selected.

Qualifications

This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program which is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for an appointment under the Pathways Internship Program:

  • You must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full- or half-time basis as defined by the school (certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum); AND
  • Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum; AND
  • Students currently enrolled must be in good academic standing maintaining a 2.0 grade point average on a cumulative basis; AND
  • You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the Pathways Internship Program.

Qualification Requirements

This internship is geared toward students majoring in one of the following areas of study: the physical sciences, geology, engineering, computer science, and/or mathematics.

For GS-03: To be qualified for the GS-03 Student Trainee (Physical Science), you must meet one of the following two requirements listed below:

A. You must have at least 1 year of study above high school that included at least one course in subjects such as engineering, industrial technology, construction drafting, surveying, physical science, biology or mathematics. -OR-

B. You must have 6 months of general experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation.

For GS-04: To be qualified for the GS-04, you must meet one of the three following requirements:

A. You must possess 6 months of experience in work which demonstrated your ability to perform the work of this position or that provided you with a familiarity with the occupation AND you must possess 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-3 as described above. -OR-

B. You must have completed 2 years of study which included 12 semester hours in any combination of astronomy, physics, geophysics, chemistry, hydrology, health physics, engineering, electronics, geology, oceanography and metallurgy. -OR-

C. You must possess a combination of post-high school education and specialized and/or general experience which equates to 100% of the qualification requirement.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

  • Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
  • Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

  • USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.

  • For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies.
  • Students who successfully complete the internship program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent appointment or a term (1-4 years in duration) appointment. Eligibility requirements for conversion: must be a U.S. Citizen; complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship Program (*may waive up to a total of 320 hours under specific conditions); successfully complete your degree or certificate requirements from a qualifying institution; meet the qualification requirements for the position to which you will be converted; meet agency-specific requirements as outlined in the Participant's Agreement; and must have performed successfully in your position as documented through performance evaluations. *NOTE: To learn more about the conditions under which a portion of the work experience hours may be waived, visit http://www.usgs.gov/humancapital/sw/studentinterns.html.
  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • The Department of the Interior (DOI) uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • DOI places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

--Basis of Rating:

All applicants who meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements will be referred to the selecting official in veterans' preference order.

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