Astronomy Assistant AmeriCorps

POSITION DETAILS

Position (s): 4318
Position Title: Astronomy Assistant - Ameri Corps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site

Location:

Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, Washington
Number of positions available: 1

Duration: 20 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible

Start Date:

Yes
Start Date: 05/03/2026
End Date: 09/20/2026
Ameri Corps Slot Classification: 675 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve throughout the duration of their position.

• Segal Ameri Corps Education Award
  : $ 2,817.14 upon successful completion of position
• Weekly Living Allowance: $ 600.00 per week, fixed rate
• Relocation Allowance: $ 450.00 (distributed as a one-time lump sum with first paycheck)
• Student Loan Forbearance if applicable (administered by My Ameri Corps , directly)
• Student Loan Interest Payments if applicable (administered through My Ameri Corps , directly)

Preference given to applicants who submit applications before Sunday, February 15, 2026. Applications will be reviewed after the Final date to receive applications passes. Positions will close after receiving 60 complete applications
, or at 11:59 p.m. EST on February 15, 2026, whichever occurs first.
KEYWORDS: astronomy, dark, night, sky, skies, interpretation, education, communication
PURPOSE
This Astronomy Assistant is an Ameri Corps position. The purpose of Olympic National Park is to preserve for the benefit, use, and enjoyment of the people, the finest sample of primeval forests of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, Douglas-fir, and western red cedar in the entire U.S.; to provide suitable winter range and permanent protection for herds of native Roosevelt elk and other wildlife indigenous to the area;

to conserve and render available to the people, for recreational use, this outstanding mountainous country, containing numerous glaciers and perpetual snow fields, and a portion of the surrounding verdant forests together with a narrow strip along the beautiful Washington coast. The SIP participant will have opportunities to contribute to natural resource management issues in:
Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Communication & Education. Within these, the position will more specifically address: the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on park resources and systems; resource interpretation and education; and visitor services. In particular, the impacts of light pollution and diminished air quality on dark night skies are significant threats to the natural and cultural resources and values of the park.

Understanding and communicating these issues to park visitors and stakeholders is emerging as an increasingly important interpretive message for park staff. The SIP will help educate and prepare the visiting public with the tools and techniques (including civil discourse) to appreciate, observe, and protect natural and cultural resources and processes within the park and in their local communities.

The SIP's position will be in and around the Port Angeles area of Olympic National Park under the Division of Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers. The primary emphasis for this position will be placed on science communication and interpretation that highlights the park's dark night sky resources, astronomy, relevant data collected by resource managers from regional and national NPS inventorying and monitoring (I&M) programs, and the park's primary interpretive themes.

The SIP participant will develop and present at least two interpretive programs or products to visitor audiences throughout the busy summer; at least one of these will be specific to astronomy and dark night sky resources presented as part of the park's Night Sky Program schedule. The SIP will have opportunities to projects closely with astronomers, resource managers, resource interpreters, educators, volunteers, and visitors to obtain primary and secondary data concerning a variety of phenomena, but primarily focused on the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on park resources and systems including (but not limited to) light pollution and air quality.

In addition to communicating science in this context, the SIP will be encouraged to interpret and engage with the visiting public around the social, cultural, economic, and political impacts of these phenomena as well. Opportunities for participating in field projects with park scientists in other biological and physical science disciplines may also be available. The SIP will communicate to the public how vital signs revealed through the parks inventory and monitoring (I&M) programs are valuable indicators of ecosystem health and change.

The SIP will gain a basic understanding of the National Park Service (NPS) organizational structure, and of current professional standards concerning the NPS Foundations of Interpretation, including audience-centered engagement (ACE) strategies and dialogic techniques. One area of…