Eckerd Shadow Days
Coordinated by the Career Center, Eckerd Shadow Days connects students with local employers, community partners, and alumni for one-day job shadowing opportunities. Students will gain first-hand professional experience by exploring local industries, employers, and occupations.
Any Environmental Studies, Marine Science, or Biology students who have completed and passed the required introductory courses within your major are invited to apply.
Introductory Course Examples: Introduction to Environmental Studies, Introduction to Coastal Management, Geological Oceanography/Biological Oceanography, or Ecology, Evolution and Diversity
Monday, September 14
Pinellas County Government, Coastal Management (up to 3 students)
The Coastal Management team handles beach nourishment projects, dune restorations, dredge & fill projects, and sea turtle lighting education. Spend the day in the field learning about beach nourishment projects, RTKs, and taking water-line shorts of wave run-ups. Shadows will learn more about relationships between the County, coastal municipalities, and residents as a whole, as well as see the policy and science side of environmental work.
Pinellas County Government, Monitoring & Assessment (up to 2 students)
The Monitoring & Assessment team monitors all the surface waters in and around the County through various programs to gauge the health of our marine and freshwater systems. Assist staff with water quality sampling of the different environments.
Tuesday, September 15
Pinellas County Government, NPDES (up to 2 students)
A day of shadowing will consist of proactively inspecting industrial and commercial sites for threats to stormwater pollution in addition to responding to incidents reported by citizens and other staff members. Every day is different, but what is consistent is that we’ll be out in the field making observations and protecting surface waters!
Pinellas County Government, Monitoring & Assessment (up to 2 students)
The Monitoring & Assessment team monitors all the surface waters in and around the County through various programs to gauge the health of our marine and freshwater systems. Assist staff with water quality sampling of the different environments.
Tampa Bay Watch, Restoration (up to 3 students)
Through this shadowing experience, you will focus on the restoration programs. You will take part in an Oyster Reef Ball program event, be introduced to the other restoration programs and finally get to visit local restoration projects and see them in action through monitoring of these sites. Learn more here.
Photos were submitted by Hanna Panagrossi '24 during Fall Break '23 Eckerd Shadow Days.
With Pinellas County Government, students had the opportunity to assist with field runs (Freshwater Land or Water) related to environmental surface water monitoring and assessment. They were able to collect samples and prepare them for analysis.
Photos were submitted by Carly Harshbarger during Spring Break '26 Eckerd Shadow Days.
With Pinellas County Government, students spent the day in the field learning about beach nourishment projects, RTKs, and taking water-line shorts of wave run-ups. They were able to learn about relationships between the County, coastal municipalities, and residents as a whole, as well as see the policy and science side of environmental work.
Student FAQs
When will I hear back if I got in?
Application closes two weeks prior to the Shadow Day. Students will be notified one week prior to the Shadow Day if they were accepted.
Will I receive any compensation for participating?
Students will not earn academic credit or monetary compensation for participation.