Salary: Salary is dependent upon the associated duty station which will be determined upon hire. The salary range listed is based on the associated General Schedule Locality Pay Tables as determined by Locality Pay Area Definitions. NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Duties

NOTE: In order to be eligible to receive consideration for this position, you must be able to: (1) report to the duty station location listed in this vacancy announcement, if selected; and (2) be available to work the schedule identified. The USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center is seeking graduate level student working towards a degree in Physical Sciences to gain practical experience in collecting data, analyzing data sets, programming, and other activities that support earthquake, landslide, and geomagnetic hazards research. As a Student Trainee (Physical Science) you will serve in a trainee capacity, performing routine and recurring development assignments to acquire knowledge and understanding of functions, principles, practices, and methods used in the characterization and mitigation of natural hazards (earthquakes, landslides, and geomagnetic disturbances). In most cases, you will work directly with scientists involved in mission-critical functions of hazard monitoring, assessment, and alerting. You will be paired with senior-level research scientists and then assigned tasks that help the senior researcher be more productive, finalize publications, conduct field work, review and analyze data sets, analyze hazard and models, and generally advance the science. You will assist with the development and distribution of information products such as debris-flow maps, finite fault models, earthquake catalog relocations, stress transfer mechanisms, earthquake summary posters, and tectonic summaries. Physical Demands & Work Environment The work is mainly sedentary but may require some walking and carrying of light items. For field work, employees may be required to carry heavy equipment (up to 50 pounds) such as batteries, battery packs, computers, and field equipment over uneven or rough surfaces. Field conditions may include extreme heat cold, rain, or snow, and hazardous conditions such as ice and flooding. Applicants selected for projects that require fieldwork, will be required to take and pass a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense.

Requirements

Qualifications

This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program which is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. Eligibility Requirements In order to be eligible for an appointment under the Pathways Internship Program: You must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full- or half-time basis as defined by the school (certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum); AND Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum; AND Students currently enrolled must be in good academic standing maintaining a 2.0 grade point average on a cumulative basis; AND You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the Pathways Internship Program. Qualification Requirements This internship is geared toward students majoring in one of the following areas of study: the physical sciences, geology, engineering, computer science, and/or mathematics. Definitions: EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.) EDUCATION: One year of full-time academic study is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained in an accredited business, technical school, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite. GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Student Trainee (Physical Science), all grade levels. A. Successfully completed all requirements for a bachelor's degree in physical science, engineer, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties or materials, and electronics. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience/course work is equivalent to a major in physical science or engineering or math that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science. For GS-07: In addition to meeting the basic requirements listed above, you must meet one of the four following requirements to qualify at the GS-07 level: A. Possess at least 1 year of progressively higher-level graduate education in physical science or other directly related field of study. -OR- B. Possess Superior Academic Achievement - You must meet one of these: (1) Upper third of graduating class based on completed courses; (2) GPA 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 on official transcript based on 4 years college, or based on courses completed in final 2 years of curriculum, or GPA 3.5 or higher based on average of required major courses competed in final 2 years of curriculum; (3) Member of a national scholastic honor society recognized by Association of College Honor Societies. -OR- C. Possess at least 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level. Examples of GS-5 level experience could include taking measurements and collecting information; learning to take proper samples; conducting routine calculating, plotting, and checking of numerical data; preparing graphs and data profiles; and accomplishing routine analyses. This work experience would have involved receiving clear, specific, and detailed instructions as to the methods, procedures, and guidelines to use. -OR- D. Possess a combination of related graduate level education and appropriate specialized experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

• Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
• Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Contacts

• Address GEOLOGIC HAZARDS SC 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Mail Stop 600 Reston, VA 20192 US
• Name: Desmond Hornbuckle
• Phone: 303-236-9557
• Email: [email protected]