The
Research Training Program (RTP) of the
Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of
Natural History (NMNH), is an extraordinary
opportunity for undergraduate students to actively
participate in the research investigations of
prominent museum scientists. NMNH houses by
far the largest natural history collections
in the world.
The
ten-week, in-residence, museum-based program
is exclusively
for English proficient undergraduate students
interested in a career in natural history research,
especially systematic biology, geology, and
anthropology.
Systematics
is the science dedicated to discovering, organizing,
and interpreting the biodiversity of the world
around us. Natural history research is the study
of the natural world and our place in it. It
includes exploration, investigation and communication
of new ideas and discoveries about humans and
their culture, and the earth and its biology,
geology and ecology.
Through
the Research Training Program, museum staff
share the science of the National Museum of
Natural History with students interested in
becoming the next generation of natural history
researchers.
 |
| RTP
'02 participants Doug Edmonds,
Kristen Iriarte, and Diego Cisneros-Heredia
are treated to a behind-the-scenes peek
at the paleobotany collections. |
The
RTP introduces undergraduates to the diversity
of scientific disciplines, research techniques,
and career choices available in the field of
natural history. The structured
ten-week curriculum covers all the NMNH natural
history disciplines and includes a personalized
research project plus group lectures, workshops,
discussions, demonstrations and tours of the
NMNH specimen collections.
Following
a competitive process,
including approximately 200 applicants annually,
20-24 outstanding undergraduate students from
around the world are selected
to participate.
What
sets the Research Training Program apart from
many other opportunities is the corporate memory
of more than twenty years of experience and
the method of operation that has resulted. The
RTP has a tradition of recruiting the best students
from different natural history sub-disciplines
including a high percentage of women and minorities.
 |
| Tsitsi
McPherson from
Guyana and Hector Angarita from
Colombia participated in the 2000 RTP. |
In
addition to working on a research topic the
RTP includes a diverse curriculum anchored in
traditional natural history studies but enhanced
with new scientific discoveries.
The
RTP is guided by a dedicated
staff commitment to every aspect of the
program - from prompt, personal advice, to providing
adequate financial assistance and safe housing
to alumni opportunities, tracking and reporting.
 |
| RTP
participant Sydella Blatch (1999). |
The
superior research facilities, collections, and
staff of the NMNH create an unparalleled environment
for inspiration and investigation.
Students
participating in the Research Training Program,
in conjunction with their Smithsonian advisor,
develop and test a scientific hypothesis and
communicate the results through written manuscripts
and oral presentations.
Examples
of research projects are: description and publication
of a new species, morphological or molecular
analysis of a taxonomic group, and mineralogical
or geochemical study of a rock or mineral. The
research project is supplemented with a schedule
of required activities including lectures, discussions,
demonstrations, field trips, and tours. Activity
topics include: species concepts, measuring
biological diversity, biogeography, cladistics,
morphometrics, molecular systematics, paleoecology,
forensic anthropology, global volcanism, and
mass extinctions.
The
students selected to participate in the Research
Training Program become part of the NMNH scientific
community. As community members, students are
included in museum activities such as the Senate
of Scientists, research seminars and discussion
groups, special lectures by visiting scientists,
exhibits development and preparation, and interaction
with the non-scientific public.
 |
| RTP
participant J. Phil Gibson (1987),
now a Professor of Botany at Agnes Scott
College, continued his collaboration with
his RTP mentor, Botanist Dr. Vicki Funk,
through graduate school and now into his
career. |
In
all aspects the program is designed to prepare
participants for scientific careers - selecting
and entering graduate school, designing and
conducting research, and presenting and publishing
results.
Since
its beginning in 1980, more than 500 students
have participated in the Research Training Program.
Many RTP alumni have gone on to graduate school
and successful careers in natural history.
To
apply for a position in the Research Training
Program, follow the application procedure detailed
at this web site. All application forms may
also be completed electronically. A complete
application folder includes four parts: (1.)
one-page cover letter, (2.) two letters of recommendation,
(3.) the RTP application form, and (4.) the
selection of project advisor. At this web site
applicants can also track the status of their
application or review the process from previous
years.
The
annual application deadline is February 1st
and notification date is March 8th.
Students
selected to
participate in the NMNH Research Training Program
are provided
a stipend, housing, transportation allowance,
and research support budget.
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