UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Undergraduate students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences have a new place to go to find internships, research opportunities and other positions. The College of Agricultural Sciences Internship, Research and Employment Opportunities Web site (http://internships.cas.psu.edu) is designed to connect students with potential employers who are seeking to fill positions, according to Ketja Lingenfelter, project associate in the college's Office for Undergraduate Education. "Students simply sign in with their Penn State user ID and password to access available opportunities," Lingenfelter says. "They can search by industry, location or job description." Students often seek internships as early as their sophomore year of study, and many will complete several internships during their college career. Interns from the college have designed topiaries at Walt Disney World, marketed hardwood in Indonesia, cared for exotic animals at the Cincinnati Zoo, collected environmental data in Northern Ireland, helped develop new products at General Foods and worked for state and federal agencies, including Congress and the White House. "By participating in internships, students can explore career interests and gain experience related to their field of study, usually while receiving academic credit and wages," says Lingenfelter. "Because many employers use internship positions to develop a pool of qualified candidates for future openings, internships also can be a direct path to that first full-time job. In fact, internships for some students lead to employment offers well before graduation." To advertise opportunities, employers first must register with the site and create a profile. Once they've created their profile, they will be able to enter the site at their convenience to add, edit or delete positions. Faculty and staff in the college also will be able to access the site to advertise internships or undergraduate research opportunities. Employers can enter as many internships, research positions or full-time openings as they wish. After positions have been reviewed by college staff to confirm that they are appropriate for students in the college, they will be posted to the site, usually within one business day. "We believe this site will be flexible and user-friendly and will benefit both students and employers," says Lingenfelter.

For more information, contact Ketja Lingenfelter at 814-863-3943 or at ketja@psu.edu.

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Chuck Gill office: 814-863-2713 home: 814-466-7671 e-mail cdg5@psu.edu