The USGS, a bureau of the Department of the Interior, is responsible for fulfilling the Nation's needs for reliable, impartial scientific information to describe and understand the Earth. This information is used to minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; enhance and protect the quality of life; and contribute to wise economic and physical development. The USGS is the Federal Government's principal civilian map making agency; the primary source of its data on the quality and quantity of the Nation's water resources; the Nation's primary provider of earth-science information on natural hazards, mineral and energy resources, and the environment; and a major partner in developing the Nation's understanding of the status and trends of biological resources and the ecological factors affecting living resources. To accomplish its mission, the USGS:
- Conducts an expanding National program to describe the status and trends in the quantity and quality of surface- and ground-water resources. The USGS monitors more than 45,000 stations that measure the amount and quality of surface- and ground-water.
- Evaluates hazards associated with earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, droughts, toxic materials, landslides, subsidence, and other ground failures; develops methods for hazards forecasting; and provides information to help Federal, State, and local agencies in mitigating the effects of these natural disasters.
- Assesses energy and mineral resources, provides credible information about their quantity and quality, determines origin and manner of occurrence, and develops techniques for discovery.
- Works with others to provide scientific understanding and technologies needed to support sound management and conservation of biological resources, such as migratory birds, anadromous fish, endangered species, and marine mammals.
- Develops technology to increase efficiency and expand collection of data for paper and digital maps to meet the needs of the public and the private sector.
- Publishes approximately 3,000 new or updated reports and maps every year and maintains a stock of 88,500 different maps. Some 54,000 maps are required to cover the lower 48 States at a working scale of 1:24,000.
- Sponsors and conducts basic and applied research in geology, hydrology, mapping, biology, and related sciences.
- Provides scientific information and technical assistance on a diversity of Federal trust animal and plant species and on the effects of toxic chemicals, control of wildlife diseases, and restoration of habitats to DOI land and resource management bureaus on National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and other public lands.
- Establishes and maintains national earth and biological science data bases for use by Federal, State, and local land management and regulatory agencies; disseminates earth and biological science data and information; and produces and updates geographic, cartographic, and remotely sensed information in graphic and digital forms.
- Serves as the lead Federal coordinator for national geographic, geologic, and water and biological resources data, and provides other scientific and technical assistance.
- Administers the Cooperative Research Units in partnership with state fish and game agencies and universities to train graduate students to become fisheries and wildlife professionals and to conduct research and provide technical assistance on a variety of natural resource questions.
- The USGS posts new job vacancies at: http://www.studentjobs.gov/.
(You can view USGS jobs by entering "Geological Survey" as the keyword in the search form.) - Student employment information is available from the Student Employment web site at http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/student/.
The principal professional career opportunities at the USGS are in geology, hydrology, geophysics, cartography, chemistry, fishery biology, wildlife biology, ecology, and information science.
The USGS is an equal opportunity employer and actively recruits qualified applicants who share its commitment to cultural diversity in the workforce.