Berea College Home	Compton Internships in Ecological Design at Berea College	Back to James Dontje's course home page SENS Home
Ben Ibershoff worked locally, assisting the Egret's Cove intentional community as they planned and constructed two houses with low ecological impact. The Egret's Cove community is adjacent to the Owsley Fork Reservoir. The Compton Internships in Ecological Design offer experiential learning in the application of ecological design principles for Berea students. These internships can take place either on or off-campus, and may be done under the supervision of organizations outside Berea College. The internships enable students to focus on the design and implementation of projects that support ecological sustainability. Past internships have worked on renewable energy (biogas production) and ecovillage development and construction. Other possible internship topics include but are not limited to: energy and material-efficient building design and construction, developing an art installation that incorporates ecological principles, designing a campus aquaculture/hydroponics facility, and alternative energy work with private or public institutions. Students are welcome to propose their own ecological design project, but the SENS Program also has a list of internship possibilities. As with other internships, the Compton Internships in Ecological Design can take place during the summer break, or a student can develop an internship that takes place during a regular semester or short-term. Funding is allocated for four internships per year, including a labor stipend and funds for implementation of the project (supplies and necessary services). Students interested in applying for a Compton Ecological Design Internship should note the following procedures: 1. Applications are considered on a rolling basis until available internships for the year are filled. To ensure consideration for Summer 2006 internships, interested students should begin the application process by March 31, 2006. Jordan Rumsey's ecological design internship focused on developing the gardens for the Boyd and Gaynell Fowler Child Development Laboratory in Berea's Ecovillage. 2. The application process begins with a one or two-page written summary of the proposed internship (submitted to James Dontje (ext. 3948/ james_dontje@berea.edu). This summary should outline the applicant's proposed activity, the relationship of the activity to ecological design, the expected final result, the skills/background the applicant brings to the internship, and the student’s reason for wanting to undertake a Compton internship. The following criteria apply in intern selection a. The internship has a significant ecological design component that includes the planning and implementation of a project that will enhance ecological sustainability. b. Evidence that the applicant has the skills, work habits and educational background to complete the internship. c. Indication that the resources available (time, funds and supervisory capability) are sufficient to ensure a quality result. d. All College requirements for an internship are met. The internship proposal will be reviewed and approved by the Office of Internships after approval for a Compton Internship in Ecological Design. For summer internships, this application will need to be complete and submitted to the Office of Internships by April 27, 2006. Interested students should contact James Dontje (ext. 3948 or james_dontje@berea.edu) or Richard Olson (ext. 3593 or richard_olson@berea.edu). Shelley Slocum did her Compton Internship in Ecological Design at the Damanhur Community in Italy. She worked with a subgroup of that community that was renovating an old farmstead following ecological principals. This drawing is Shelly's rendering of that farmstead. Tricia Feeney's ecological design internship focused on anaerobic digestion of swine waste to produce biogas (methane). Back to top