Clarification from the agency

Enrolled students or individuals who have been accepted for enrollment seeking a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or professional degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis, including awardees of the Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship Program. Proof of enrollment will be verified for Spring and/or Fall 2023 semesters prior to the start of the internship.

At the GS4 level, you will:

• Perform routine laboratory testing or conduct routine aspects of field sampling or laboratory experiments; 
• Receive training in the maintenance of laboratory/scientific equipment;
• Assist in the maintenance of laboratory instruments;
• Collect literature references and organize files.

At the GS5 level, you will:

• Assist with data collection from field or set up and harvest cultures for experiments; 
• Assist with laboratory sample processing and data collection, including but not limited to measuring, filtering, grinding, and weighing samples;
• Enter and perform quality assurance checks of data collected;
• Assist with preparation of samples for analyses;
• Review literature for assessment and information gathering.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
• You must submit transcripts & proof of enrollment--see Required Documents.
• You must be age 16 or older.
• If you are selected, a written participant agreement must be signed.

This position is designated as Low Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

You must have and maintain good academic standing as defined by your academic institution (typically a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0).

You must be enrolled at least half-time and maintain at least a half-time course load as defined by your academic institution (typically 6 undergraduate credit hours or 4.5 graduate credit hours per semester).

If you are selected, the entire period served under the Internship Program will be a trial period.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

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Qualifications

In addition to the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Internship Program, you must have educational achievements as described below to qualify for this position. The required education must lead to a bachelor's degree with specialization directly related to this position.

A bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in:

- Biology: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.

- Engineering: All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for consideration for an engineering position:

• Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college

       OR

• Have a combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.  The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration as an engineer.
2. Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test.
3. Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.
4. Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.
   
   Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications.

- Physical Science: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics; OR a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

- Chemistry: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics; OR a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed that included the described coursework.

For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

To qualify for the GS-04 level, you need to have two full years of post-high school education or associate’s degree.

To qualify for the GS-05 level, you need a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in the academic discipline as described above; you do not need specialized experience.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you are eligible for Pathways Intern employment and meet the basic qualification requirements. We will notify you of the results of our evaluation through USAJOBS. If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.). NOTE:  Preference eligible veterans must be selected, or decline further consideration, before applicants who are ineligible for veterans’ preference can be selected (to learn more, visit Veterans' Preference).