Landslide Database Intern w/ City of Portland

Internship Title: Landslide Database Intern

Name of organization: City of Portland Bureau of Development Services 
Type of organization:  City government
The Bureau of Development Services promotes safety, livability and economic vitality through efficient and collaborative application of building and development codes.

GoalsTo meet the needs of our community, we pursue the following goals:
●      Support community vitality and protect life, property, and natural resources by promoting compliance with applicable codes and regulations
●      Provide cooperative and responsive internal and external customer service
●      Process all Bureau functions efficiently
●      Create a collaborative workplace that promotes mutual respect through trust, fairness and open communication
●      Support continual professional growth of the workforce and organization through education, technology and diversity
Values●      Dedication to serving the public
●      Pride in our work
●      Care for the long-term viability of our community
●      Recognition of worth, quality and importance of each employee and member of the community
●      Support of continual learning, education and innovation   
Link to organization’s website:  www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/

​INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION
Internship location: 1900 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97201
The internship will consist of primarily database creation and maintenance.  Historical landslide occurrence and loss data currently exists in several locations within City of Portland bureaus and the Oregon State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI).  Recent efforts by city and state collaborators have resulted in a single database for all records.  However, this database remains incomplete. 
The primary responsibility will consist of scanning, organizing, and filing historic landslide files within the existing collaborative database for use in the Statewide Landslide Inventory Database of Oregon (SLIDO). 
Additional responsibilities may include: collaboration and communication with staff at DOGAMI and other City of Portland bureaus, researching historic landslide locations using aerial photography and building permit records, researching landslide loss data, and GIS analyses of landslide locations relative to landslide susceptibility mapping.
Learning outcomes include, but aren’t limited to: communication skills advancement through collaborative project management, obtaining knowledge of local geologic terrain, slope instability hazard areas, and landslide mechanisms typical to different geologic terrains in the City of Portland, and research and problem solving experience through mining data from several existing unconnected systems.
Required skills and experience: GIS, Excel, and general computer skills   
Additional preferred qualifications: Good communication and organizational skills
Preferred student level and/or major: Junior, Senior, or Graduate student in the Department of Geology or Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. This internship is best suited for a Geology major interested in pursuing a career in Engineering Geology or a Civil Engineering major interested in pursuing a career in Geotechnical Engineering.
Duration of internship: Fall 2016 term only
Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin immediately.  Open until finalists are selected.  For best consideration, submit your application no later than September 12th, 2016.
Desired start date: September/October, 2016
Time Commitment per week/per term: 12 hours per week; 11 weeks per term for a total of 132 hours per term.
Compensation: Graduate students: $1600 per term; Undergraduate students: $1300 per term. (Stipend will be prorated to reflect the day and month that you begin the internship).
Application: This position requires current enrollment as a PSU student and enrollment for the duration of the internship.  To confirm that you are formally admitted and enrolled, please email your full name and student ID to [email protected].  Include the name of the internship you are applying for in the subject line.  Once your status is confirmed, you will receive the full application instructions via email. 
 
About the Portland Climate Action Collaborative (PCAC) Internship Program:
This program is a partnership between the city of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and the Institute for Sustainable Solutions to advance the work of the Portland Climate Action Plan.
Interns in PCAC will attend and participate in PSU Portland Climate Action Collaborative networking events and prepare a final poster presentation of their internship work with Climate Action interns from the other cohort organizations.
Funding for the Climate Action Interns is made possible by generous donations to the Sustainability Internship Program to support student career pathways in sustainability