Internships at CATHALAC are directed towards professionals that wish to conduct research, master degree thesis, or a professional practice during a minimum period of one month. Interns are encouraged put into practice the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom in order to develop real solutions and products to the various environmental challenges in the region.

Traditional interns of CATHALAC include students from: Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; University of Toronto; Columbia University; The Presidential Management Fellows Program- Government of the United States of America; McGill University, Canada; Göttingen University, Germany; University of Alabama in Huntsville; Laval University; and National Universities such as University of Panama, the Technological University, Universidad Latina and others.

Research topics are determined together with CATHALAC staff and considering the intern’s interest. They should fall within one or more of CATHALAC’s thematic areas: Integrated Watershed Management; Climate Change; Environmental GIS Modeling and Analysis; and Risk Management. Depending on the area of the student’s interest and work proposal, a mentor determines the student’s incorporation to the program, based on the objectives and products the student wishes to develop during his-her time in CATHALAC. The characteristics and duration of internship is agreed between the intern, the Educational Division, and the Applied Research and Development Division.

The Internship Program offers interns the opportunity to contribute to CATHALAC’s vision of a prosperous Latin American and Caribbean region with a sustainable environment heritage, while developing professional experience in an international setting.