Green Care Lab Undergraduate Opportunities
At the Green Care Lab, we are committed to providing comprehensive opportunities for trainees, particularly undergraduate students at UC Davis. Our aim is to offer hands-on, service-learning experiences that also support mental health. Our undergraduate research and education interns play a pivotal role in creating and supporting various aspects of our work.
Animal Behavior & Outdoor Education Fellowship
Fall 2026 Application
Only available to UC Davis undergraduate students
Credit received: NPB 099/199, 3 units, P/NP
Location: 26630 Co Rd. 98, Davis CA 95616
Gain hands-on experience teaching science, working with animals, and helping young people learn outdoors.
The Animal Behavior and Outdoor Education Fellowship is a 3-unit experiential learning opportunity for UC Davis undergraduates interested in animal behavior, education, child development, environmental science, veterinary medicine, psychology, neuroscience, or nature-based approaches to human wellbeing.
Fellows will receive formal training in inquiry-based STEM education, animal behavior, positive reinforcement, environmental education, child development, neurodiversity-informed teaching, and the science of Green Care, then put those skills into practice working directly with children and animals at Skyheart Sanctuary, a nonprofit animal sanctuary and outdoor education organization located at a ranch in west Davis.
This is not a traditional classroom teaching experience. Fellows will help children learn science by doing science: observing animal behavior, caring for rescued animals, growing food and exploring pasture ecology, designing enrichment, building for animal welfare, and asking questions about how animals think, behave, and interact with their environments.
The fellowship is overseen by Dr. Rebecca Calisi-Rodriguez, UC Davis Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and founder of Skyheart Sanctuary. Fellows will teach alongside Claire Short, Skyheart’s Lead Instructor, wildlife biologist, and K–12 educator, while receiving mentorship and professional development from both Dr. Calisi-Rodriguez and Short throughout the quarter.
What Fellows Will Do
Each fellow will assist a lead instructor with four 1.5-hour outdoor education sessions per week, working with intentionally small groups of approximately six children per session. Fellows will help facilitate hands-on activities, support individual learners, model safe and compassionate animal interactions, encourage scientific questioning, and help create an inclusive environment in which children with different learning styles can participate successfully.
Approximately 6 hours each week will be spent working directly with young people in Skyheart's outdoor education programs.
The remaining 3 hours of the 9-hour weekly commitment will provide preparation and professional development, including lesson planning, preparing materials, discussing teaching and behavioral challenges, learning about child development and neurodiversity-informed education, and exploring the scientific foundations of Green Care and nature-based learning.
Fellows will receive training and experience in:
Fellowship Capstone: Designing a Skyheart ActivityEach fellow will design one complete, ready-to-use educational activity for the same program theme and age group they worked with during the quarter. The activity may fill one 90-minute session or extend across two consecutive sessions.
Your activity should combine what you've learned about inquiry-based education, animal behavior and welfare, child development, outdoor learning, and inclusive teaching. It should also be something kids will genuinely be excited to do.
The goal is to create a resource polished enough to become part of Skyheart's curriculum and a professional example of curriculum development that you can reference in future applications, interviews, or your résumé.
Time Commitment and Academic Credit
The fellowship runs from the week of September 21 through the week of December 14, 2026.
Fellows enroll in 3 units of NPB 099 or NPB 199 and commit approximately 9 hours per week. Each fellow will select two program days and must be available for the full scheduled block on both days:
Detailed program descriptions for the youth sessions are available through Skyheart Apprentices.
Day & Fellowship Hours
Tuesday 1:30–6:00 PM: Animal Behavior Lab, Ages 15-17
Wednesday 1:30–6:00 PM: Animal Care & Training, Ages 10-12; Animal Photography, Ages 13-15
Thursday 2:00–6:30 PM: Junior Ranch Hands, Ages 7-9, Build For Animals, Ages 10-12
Friday 2:00–6:30 PM: Junior Ranch Hands, Ages 7-9, Build For Animals, Ages 13-15
Saturday 10:00 - 2:30 PM: Animal Care & Training, Ages 10-12, 13-15
The fellowship takes place in person at Skyheart Sanctuary, 26630 County Road 98, Davis, CA, and students are responsible for reliable transportation to and from the ranch.
Who Should Apply
This fellowship is especially well suited for students considering careers in education, veterinary medicine, animal behavior, psychology, neuroscience, environmental science, conservation, child development, occupational or therapeutic fields, science communication, or community-based STEM education.
Prior teaching or animal experience is not required. More important are reliability, curiosity, patience, enthusiasm for working with young people, comfort spending substantial time outdoors, and a willingness to learn.
Because fellows become part of a small teaching team and children will depend on their consistent presence, applicants should only apply if they can commit reliably to their two selected days for the full quarter.
What You'll Leave With
By the end of the quarter, fellows will have gained approximately 72 hours of direct teaching experience, plus an additional 40 hours of professional development. They will have practiced communicating science to children, worked alongside rescued animals in an outdoor learning environment, and developed practical skills in teaching, leadership, animal behavior, and inclusive education.
Fellows will also leave with an original curriculum project of their own design. Each fellow will develop, pilot, evaluate, and revise a complete educational activity for the age group and program theme they supported. The final product will be a polished, ready-to-use lesson that demonstrates experience in curriculum development, inquiry-based education, and translating science into engaging hands-on learning and can be referenced on résumés, graduate or professional school applications, and future job applications.
For students considering careers involving science, animals, children, education, or human wellbeing, the fellowship offers both authentic experience and a tangible professional product while making a meaningful contribution to the local community.
Learn science. Teach science. Work with animals. Get outside. Make a difference.
How to Apply
Interested in joining the fellowship? Click the link below to complete the application form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received, so early applications are encouraged. We will continue considering applications as fellowship positions remain available. Selected applicants will be contacted no later than the week of August 31 with next steps.
Only available to UC Davis undergraduate students
Credit received: NPB 099/199, 3 units, P/NP
Location: 26630 Co Rd. 98, Davis CA 95616
Gain hands-on experience teaching science, working with animals, and helping young people learn outdoors.
The Animal Behavior and Outdoor Education Fellowship is a 3-unit experiential learning opportunity for UC Davis undergraduates interested in animal behavior, education, child development, environmental science, veterinary medicine, psychology, neuroscience, or nature-based approaches to human wellbeing.
Fellows will receive formal training in inquiry-based STEM education, animal behavior, positive reinforcement, environmental education, child development, neurodiversity-informed teaching, and the science of Green Care, then put those skills into practice working directly with children and animals at Skyheart Sanctuary, a nonprofit animal sanctuary and outdoor education organization located at a ranch in west Davis.
This is not a traditional classroom teaching experience. Fellows will help children learn science by doing science: observing animal behavior, caring for rescued animals, growing food and exploring pasture ecology, designing enrichment, building for animal welfare, and asking questions about how animals think, behave, and interact with their environments.
The fellowship is overseen by Dr. Rebecca Calisi-Rodriguez, UC Davis Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and founder of Skyheart Sanctuary. Fellows will teach alongside Claire Short, Skyheart’s Lead Instructor, wildlife biologist, and K–12 educator, while receiving mentorship and professional development from both Dr. Calisi-Rodriguez and Short throughout the quarter.
What Fellows Will Do
Each fellow will assist a lead instructor with four 1.5-hour outdoor education sessions per week, working with intentionally small groups of approximately six children per session. Fellows will help facilitate hands-on activities, support individual learners, model safe and compassionate animal interactions, encourage scientific questioning, and help create an inclusive environment in which children with different learning styles can participate successfully.
Approximately 6 hours each week will be spent working directly with young people in Skyheart's outdoor education programs.
The remaining 3 hours of the 9-hour weekly commitment will provide preparation and professional development, including lesson planning, preparing materials, discussing teaching and behavioral challenges, learning about child development and neurodiversity-informed education, and exploring the scientific foundations of Green Care and nature-based learning.
Fellows will receive training and experience in:
- Inquiry-based science education: Learn how to turn children's observations and questions into opportunities for scientific discovery.
- Animal behavior and welfare: Develop skills in observing and interpreting animal behavior and teaching children to interact safely and respectfully with animals.
- Positive reinforcement: Learn evidence-based approaches to animal training and how principles of reinforcement can support effective teaching.
- Outdoor and environmental education: Help children investigate gardens, pastures, wildlife, animal habitats, and ecological relationships through hands-on experiences.
- Child development and teaching: Learn how developmental stage influences attention, communication, motivation, behavior, and learning.
- Neurodiversity-informed education: Develop strategies for supporting children with different sensory, attentional, communication, and learning needs.
- Green Care: Explore the emerging science behind interactions with animals, plants, and natural environments and their potential contributions to human wellbeing.
- Leadership and communication: Gain authentic experience facilitating small groups, explaining scientific concepts, solving problems in real time, and working as part of an interdisciplinary educational team.
Fellowship Capstone: Designing a Skyheart ActivityEach fellow will design one complete, ready-to-use educational activity for the same program theme and age group they worked with during the quarter. The activity may fill one 90-minute session or extend across two consecutive sessions.
Your activity should combine what you've learned about inquiry-based education, animal behavior and welfare, child development, outdoor learning, and inclusive teaching. It should also be something kids will genuinely be excited to do.
The goal is to create a resource polished enough to become part of Skyheart's curriculum and a professional example of curriculum development that you can reference in future applications, interviews, or your résumé.
Time Commitment and Academic Credit
The fellowship runs from the week of September 21 through the week of December 14, 2026.
Fellows enroll in 3 units of NPB 099 or NPB 199 and commit approximately 9 hours per week. Each fellow will select two program days and must be available for the full scheduled block on both days:
Detailed program descriptions for the youth sessions are available through Skyheart Apprentices.
Day & Fellowship Hours
Tuesday 1:30–6:00 PM: Animal Behavior Lab, Ages 15-17
Wednesday 1:30–6:00 PM: Animal Care & Training, Ages 10-12; Animal Photography, Ages 13-15
Thursday 2:00–6:30 PM: Junior Ranch Hands, Ages 7-9, Build For Animals, Ages 10-12
Friday 2:00–6:30 PM: Junior Ranch Hands, Ages 7-9, Build For Animals, Ages 13-15
Saturday 10:00 - 2:30 PM: Animal Care & Training, Ages 10-12, 13-15
The fellowship takes place in person at Skyheart Sanctuary, 26630 County Road 98, Davis, CA, and students are responsible for reliable transportation to and from the ranch.
Who Should Apply
This fellowship is especially well suited for students considering careers in education, veterinary medicine, animal behavior, psychology, neuroscience, environmental science, conservation, child development, occupational or therapeutic fields, science communication, or community-based STEM education.
Prior teaching or animal experience is not required. More important are reliability, curiosity, patience, enthusiasm for working with young people, comfort spending substantial time outdoors, and a willingness to learn.
Because fellows become part of a small teaching team and children will depend on their consistent presence, applicants should only apply if they can commit reliably to their two selected days for the full quarter.
What You'll Leave With
By the end of the quarter, fellows will have gained approximately 72 hours of direct teaching experience, plus an additional 40 hours of professional development. They will have practiced communicating science to children, worked alongside rescued animals in an outdoor learning environment, and developed practical skills in teaching, leadership, animal behavior, and inclusive education.
Fellows will also leave with an original curriculum project of their own design. Each fellow will develop, pilot, evaluate, and revise a complete educational activity for the age group and program theme they supported. The final product will be a polished, ready-to-use lesson that demonstrates experience in curriculum development, inquiry-based education, and translating science into engaging hands-on learning and can be referenced on résumés, graduate or professional school applications, and future job applications.
For students considering careers involving science, animals, children, education, or human wellbeing, the fellowship offers both authentic experience and a tangible professional product while making a meaningful contribution to the local community.
Learn science. Teach science. Work with animals. Get outside. Make a difference.
How to Apply
Interested in joining the fellowship? Click the link below to complete the application form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received, so early applications are encouraged. We will continue considering applications as fellowship positions remain available. Selected applicants will be contacted no later than the week of August 31 with next steps.
At the Green Care Lab, we believe in nurturing personal growth and development, valuing individuals over publications. Our hope is that each student leaves not only better equipped for their future careers but also as improved versions of themselves. Join us in shaping a holistic approach to research and well-being.
