Students are hired to perform various duties within the Biology Department. These duties include: teaching assistant, lab and research assistant, office help, computer lab monitor, aquatics, greenhouse, and specimens/collections caretakers.

Due to a limited budget, many of our student employees come from the Workstudy Program. Students are awarded workstudy based on financial need. You can request forms from the Financial Aid office at (509) 359-2314.

Benefits of working in the Biology Department are:

• Students have the opportunity to work with faculty, staff, and other students in the department.
• Provides students the opportunity to learn new skills or use skills learned in the classroom in another setting.
• Students get work experience without leaving the EWU campus, providing flexible work schedules.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Jobs vary from dishwashing all the way to research projects. What is most important is that the applicants are motivated, self directed and responsible. The following is a list of the job descriptions.

• Lab Assistant: Perform a variety of tasks that may include solution preparation, lab set-up, dishwashing, or media preparation.
  
• Office Assistant: Perform duties in the main Biology office such as typing, filing, copying and customer service.
  
• Greenhouse Aide: Help maintain the department greenhouse. Duties include potting, watering, transplanting, and general clean-up.
  
• Collections/Specimen Caretaker: Assist in the care of specimens used in labs/research.
  
• Aquatics Aide: Assist in the care of the aquatics facility including tank cleaning.
  
• Teaching Assistant: Teach students in a lab setting with or without professor present. These jobs are mostly filled by current graduate students or undergraduates with expertise in the teaching area.
  
• Computer Lab Consultant: Monitor Biology's Computer Lab and assist students with software applications.
  
• Research Assistant: Work closely with a faculty member on a research project. Normally faculty seek out students they know from class. If you have an interest, ask a faculty member if they need your help. Many times this can be the beginning of a long term job or at the very least a valuable experience!

HOW TO APPLY

To get information about employment in the Biology Department see John Shields in Science 284. He can provide you with an application and let you know what may be available. He may also be contacted via email (jshields@mail.ewu.edu) or voice mail (509) 359-6868.