Small World Initiative®

Remote Internship Program

We are in the midst of a global pandemic that is taking lives and straining every aspect of our healthcare system, economy, and personal lives. To provide opportunities to students while social distancing and self-isolation measures are in effect across most of the country, the Small World Initiative® (SWI) is offering remote internships (unpaid). These internships will provide students with a chance to develop their skills and gain real-world experience while tackling pressing global health and education challenges.

Formulated at Yale University in 2012, the Small World Initiative is an innovative program that inspires and retains students in the sciences and increases scientific literacy while addressing the most pressing global health challenges of our time. Founded on evidence-based policy, SWI centers around engaging thousands of educators and students around the world in the hunt to discover new drugs to treat antibiotic-resistant infections, commonly referred to as “superbugs.” To date, SWI has grown rapidly to include more than 350 undergraduate and high school institutions across 45 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 15 countries. The growing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a very real example of why the work we are doing is so critical, and we believe that programs like ours are part of the broader solution.

We are currently working on programs to find treatments for infectious diseases; expand the educational program nationally and internationally; broaden our communications strategy and global campaigns; promote projects that close the gap for women, minorities, and other talent pools historically underrepresented in STEM fields; develop follow-on modules (e.g., innovation cultivation protocols, bioinformatics, chemistry, transposon mutagenesis, genome sequencing); engage the public in creative new ways (citizen science); build a collaborative pipeline to partner on central storage and advance promising candidates into the drug development pipeline; publish on our educational and scientific impact; advance research and knowledge on important scientific subjects; and expand our pipeline of opportunities for students and faculty. For more information, please visit www.smallworldinitiative.org.

Please note that interns may select at least 50% of their projects from our database of ongoing assignments or even create a project of their own design that aligns with SWI’s mission. Other projects are assigned based on upcoming deadlines and priorities. Interns will report directly to SWI’s President & CEO.

Sample Projects:

• Conducting research and drafting reports (sample topics – infectious diseases, the antibiotic crisis, STEM for girls and minorities, authentic scientific research courses, White House education and health initiatives, citizen science)
• Creating compelling content, compiling and reviewing submissions, and helping expand partnerships for SWI’s Do Something About Antibiotics Challenge™ – our annual public health campaign and student challenge
• Conducting interviews, drafting articles and posts, and scheduling online and social media communications, including for Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, SWI’s Blog, LinkedIN, Facebook Groups and Page, Newsletters
• Conducting school outreach and providing support for SWI’s annual instructor training
• Helping develop a new interactive activity to engage the general public and increase scientific literacy
• Assisting in measuring, gathering, and evaluating data on our impact
• Creating and revising messaging materials for different audiences (e.g., speech writing, presentations, proposals)
• Creating infographics and PowerPoint slide presentations
• Updating information in materials and on website and checking for errors
• Researching potential partners, funders, companies, schools, and overlapping events and conferences
• Building up our database of SWI instructor and student opportunities
• Developing a plan to engage students and SWI alums
• Participating on domestic and global infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance efforts, including through our efforts on Capitol Hill and at the United Nations
• Assisting SWI’s committees in completing their projects
• Researching best practices in nonprofit governance and systems
• Developing a commitment curve
• Assisting with conferences, trainings, board meetings, and events
• Developing new apps and improving SWI’s databases (dependent on programming skills)

Qualifications:

• Excellent command of the English language and strong communication skills – In particular, it is imperative that the Intern communicates professionally and has strong writing skills (e.g., grammar).
• Can-do, positive attitude
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Ability to learn quickly (not make the same mistake twice) and meet deadlines
• Ability to take direction and incorporate feedback into revisions
• Creative problem solver
• Driven
• Interest in global health, social impact, science education, journalism, and/or fundraising
• Familiarity with using or ability to quickly learn how to use: AirTable, Excel, Word (esp. track changes), Google Drive, PowerPoint, and SurveyMonkey

To Apply:

When you are ready to apply, please click here. You will be asked to upload a PDF of your resume and to answer a few questions. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, and internships can start on an agreed upon date. If you have any questions, please email info@smallworldinitiative.org and include “Remote Internship Question” in the subject line.

Note: We require interns complete a minimum of 15 hours per week.