Borlaug-Thomson Internship

Borlaug – Thomson Internship, Cresco, Iowa
Summer, 2025

The Borlaug-Thomson Internship is one of the most prestigious awards offered to undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

This internship has been designed to support the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation (NBHF) and the historic Borlaug Farms in promoting the legacy of Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug. The program is supported by generous benefactors from Cresco, Iowa: The Thomson family, and the Kramer family.

The internship will provide opportunities for an individual to be involved in public education and curriculum development, communications, landscape design/management and other related tasks. The intern will devote approximately 70% of their time to the NBHF. The intern is required to represent the NBHF at the Howard County Fair, June 25-29, 2025. The intern will also assist the Howard County – ISU Extension office with various tasks including preparation for the Howard County Fair and preparations for the Norman Borlaug Harvest Fest the last weekend in August (August 23-25, 2025) The intern will devote approximately 30% of their time to serving the ISU Extension office. The intern is expected to live in or near the town of Cresco during the internship. The intern is expected to complete a report within one month of the completion of the internship. The intern is also expected to participate in the INSPIRE DAY at the Borlaug Farm on Thursday, September 18, 2025 or Friday, September 19, 2025.

Duration: 10 weeks during the summer. By March 1, 2025 the intern will select the dates of the summer internship and communicate them to all parties in Cresco and ISU.

Location: Cresco, Iowa

Eligibility: For an undergraduate student with their primary major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Sophomore, Junior or Senior standing at the time of application. Must be enrolled during the fall semester following the internship.

Value: Total value of the Borlaug-Thomson Internship is potentially more than $9,000. The award/internship is calculated as follows:
• $6,000 based on working for $15/hr. × 8 hours/day x 5 days/week x 10 weeks
• $3,000 scholarship applied to ISU tuition
• up to $1,000 reimbursed for actual housing costs in Cresco.

How to apply: Submit your application through the online scholarship application at: https://iastate.academicworks.com/opportunities/27014

Your application should include your letter of interest, resume and names of three references, and be addressed to:

Dr. Carmen Bain, Associate Dean for Academic Innovation
20A Curtiss Hall, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University

Deadline: Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024. A decision will be communicated to all applicants by Dec.. 12, 2024.

Note: Past recipients are not eligible to apply.