Show Lyon Summer Internship

Harold L. Lyon Arboretum coordinates and facilitates research, instruction, and service activities that utilize its plant collections and resources. Its major emphases are tropical plants, native Hawaiian plants, conservation biology, ethnobotany, preservation and restoration of native and endangered species.

The 2025 Summer Internship Program at Lyon Arboretum is co-sponsored by the Friends of Lyon Arboretum (FLA) and Lyon Arboretum.

The Education Department, Horticulture Department, and Micropropagation Lab, under our Hawaiian Rare Plant Program, will host one intern each. The Grounds Department will host two interns: a Grounds and Collections Intern and an Arborist internship.

Applicants can select their first, second, and third choice for their home department. If selected, interns will also experience the other departments during the cohort rotations.

Applicants must submit a resume and transcript (unofficial transcript is acceptable), after which placement will be determined.

Interns are required to participate in group activities as scheduled and will assist in various tasks detailed by their respective departments and gain valuable in-depth experience there. During group rotations, they will also develop an appreciation for the other units at Lyon and receive insight into what their colleagues are doing during the internship timeframe. Other activities include field trips to other gardens, a service project offsite, and participation in an outreach event. Interns will also be required to do a presentation about their time at the Arboretum as well as report about their department project results.

Schedule:
10 weeks: June 3, 2025, through August 8, 2025
Monday – Thursday
Exceptions for the schedule: The first week will start on a Tuesday, and the last week will end on a Friday for the Pau Hana presentation and celebration.
Full 8 hour day (Specific start and end time hours depend on the department)
Holiday: Kamehameha Day, Wednesday, June 11th
Award:
A $3,125.00 award will be provided in two installments upon successful completion of the internship.

Requirements:
Specific requirements will vary for each department but all interns will be required to do a presentation at the end of the term about their project for their respective departments.

• It is highly recommended that interns have reliable transportation to the Arboretum. The public bus runs only once an hour up to the neighborhood directly below the Arboretum and is a 10-15 minute walk from the bus stop to the Arboretum
• UH System students are preferred but we will accept out-of-State students. The Arboretum does not provide housing for the interns.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years of age on the first day of the program.
• High school graduates, current and recent college students, and other individuals interested in gaining experience working in conservation are all welcome to apply.