The United States’ Pathways Program is a premier workforce development tool available to the USGS that has provided the Oregon Water Science Center (ORWSC) with dozens of career ready employees in the last decade. One such employee is Matthew Dale, who was a Pathways Intern in 2011 and now manages the Pathways Program for the ORWSC alongside his other responsibilities as a Management Analyst. I had the opportunity to meet with Matthew to garner his perspective on the program.
The Pathways Program was established in 2010 as a workforce development tool for federal agencies, derived from a consolidation and rework of a few existing internship programs. The program aims to bridge the gap between university studies and federal jobs by making the entry-level hiring process easier and providing a space for interns to develop industry-specific expertise. The Pathway is divided into the student path and the recent-graduate path. The student pathway begins with a part-time internship through school, and after graduation interns have a strong chance of landing a job at the USGS, usually beginning as a term position before moving to a permanent position. The recent-graduate pathway enables people who have graduated within the last two years to apply to the position. In both cases, the new employees gain access to a more entry-level position compared to what most federal jobs require in terms of experience.
For the ORWSC, the core benefit of the Pathways Program is the onboarding and on-the-job training of hydrologists drawn from talented students with fresh perspectives. Although the internships can also include administrative or other non-science positions, which Matthew’s role in HR is an example of. Across the range of possible work areas, Pathways interns provide critical capabilities to USGS research programs as climate change and national interests drive the need for more, increasingly complex research.
The Pathway in Action:
PSU engineering major Josh Gottlieb entered the Pathways program in January 2022 as an undergraduate in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department, and he plans to continue while completing his master’s degree. He posits the Pathways Program encourages students to think of themselves as developing scientists who manage their own schedules and should seek out ways to contribute ideas and expertise to ongoing projects. In this environment, Josh is learning about science, professionalism, and networking.
Josh credits his research experience with PSU’s Center for Lakes and Reservoirs as the precursor to his entry into the Pathways Program. An opening at their lab gave Josh an opportunity to do fieldwork for a few summers, where he helped sample invasive species around the Columbia River. A childhood interest in biology was transformed as Josh became captivated by water and the environment. Josh recognized his love of working outdoors and his passion for research, which he strives to provide to the USGS projects he assists with. His excitement, commitment, and energy is a great example of what the Pathways Program can bring to the USGS.
On top of soft professional skills, pathways interns develop expertise in a range of technical areas including methods, technologies, geographic regions, and more. For example, Josh’s work on data quality assurance has helped him learn the techniques, software, and data sources that the USGS uses. This has also shown Josh how dependent the fields of engineering, research, and management are on data made available by public agencies like the USGS. Everything from building bridges to managing irrigation to combating climate change depends on data and research coming out of the USGS, and Josh derives a sense of fulfillment from seeing his role in the bigger picture.
Conclusion:
The Pathways Program thrives within the collaborative agreement between PSU and the ORWSC. Mutual benefits are derived as PSU provides students with a life-changing career opportunity, while the USGS garners the top talent from the university. The program also functions as a great relationship tool for the organizations. Students hired from PSU bring forward their networks of professors and colleagues, enmeshing the culture and community of the two institutions.
With an ever-increasing demand for research placed on the USGS by climate change and the selection of the Willamette River Basin as the newest watershed to be studied by the Next Generation Water Observing System, leadership at the USGS and the UPP expect a growing influx of research opportunities in the coming years. To meet this growing need for personnel, the USGS and PSU will continue to support programs like the Pathways Program. In the coming year, we’ll highlight other ways that the UPP is providing opportunities for students to get important experience at USGS, and support USGS research goals.