Please
note: No financial assistance, housing, or travel
are provided as part of this opportunity. Students
are responsible for making their own arrangements.
Discover
more about serving an academic appointment at
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by visiting our Facebook page and joining the
"ARC" group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7307446629
Spring
Break Project List - 2012
More
projects coming soon!
Please
continue to check back for updates.
Not
all projects will be available all weeks.
Some projects require will special skills and
requirements.
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Spring Flower Phenology Project
Application
CLOSED * All slots filled
No longer accepting new applications for this
project
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
Since 1970 the first-flowering dates for spring-blooming
(January 1 to May 31) plants in the Washington-Baltimore
Area have been recorded each year. We now have
over 40 years of data for this important phenological
study, which can offer insights into global warming.
The intern will analyze spring flowering data,
using mean and average calculations, to look for
trends as well as create statistical metrics for
comparing change in flowering times of 100 plant
species over the 40 year period.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Good background in statistical analysis is a must
for this position.
CONTACT:
Name:
Sylvia Orli
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Phone:
202-633-0911
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E-mail:
orlis@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Zingiberales Project
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
Intern(s) will access information from the US
National Herbarium, the US NMNH Botanical Research
Greenhouses and the curator's database to create
a unified system across a variety of databases
for the Zingiberales. The Zingiberales is an order
of monocot plants found in tropical areas and
often cultivated as decorative plants in cooler
climates. Many species within is order of plants,
such as bananas and gingers, are economic crops
in tropical countries. Botanical collections,
from the order Zingiberales, are made for herbarium
specimens, live accessions, frozen tissue and
dried tissue. Currently, collection data is found
in several distinct databases. As the NMNH moves
to a central system, data must be verified across
the various databases and consolidated in preparation
for upload to the central system.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Familiarity with the binomial taxonomic identification
system. Applicants should be detail oriented and
have a working knowledge of Excel and MS Access
TIMETABLE:
March 12-16, 2012
CONTACT
Name:
Ida Lopez
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Phone:
202-633-0941
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E-mail:
lopezi@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Juchitán Zapotec Database
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
Interns will work with the lexical database of
the Juchitán Zapotec language including
editing field coding for ease of extraction and
investigating transfer of the Toolbox database
into Fieldworks Language Explorer (FLEx). Juchitán
Zapotec is one of the most phonologically conservative
languages in the Zapotec family of languages belonging
to the larger stock of Otomanguean languages.
The language is spoken indigenously in the Isthmus
of Tehuantepec in the southern Mexican state of
Oaxaca and has the largest community of speakers
of any Zapotec language which is in the tens of
thousands. The language, however, is under threat
given rapid language shift under the pressure
of Spanish, the dominant language in Mexico. Juchitán
Zapotec (also known as Diidxa Za by its speakers
and Isthmus Zapotec in the linguistics literature)
has been documented since the 1950s by various
linguists both foreing and local. In the mid-nineties,
a comprehensive effort was undertaken by the Project
for the Documentation of the Languages of Mesoamerica
to assemble the existing lexical documentation
on the language and expand upon it to create a
lexical database that currently includes some
10,000 entries. The database was built initially
in Shoebox and was later converted to Toolbox.
Entries are extensive and include fields for Spanish
and English glosses, examples, translations and
extensive grammatical data. Efforts are currently
undeway to expand, verify and edit the database
since 2003.
QUALIFICATIONS:
CONTACT
Name:
Gabriela Pérez Báez
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Phone:
202-633-0880
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E-mail:
perezbaezg@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Mammal Accession Record Verification
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The intern will work with several file cabinets
of correspondence, permits, and other data relating
to a backlog of mammal acquisitions. Key aspects
of the project include organizing these paper
files and sorting them into logical groups so
that they might then be cross-checked against
the actual collections.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Organizational skills are essential, and some
background or familiarity with museum accessioning
and cataloguing would be helpful but not necessary.
The is a data organization project.
CONTACT
Name:
Darrin
Lunde |
Phone:
202-633-1253
|
E-mail:
lunded@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Creation of User-friendly
Program for Quantitative Analytics
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The intern will write and compile a new analytical
technique using program language with user-friendly
interface and I/O options. The technique for pattern
and structure recognition in a multigroup assemblage
has been reduced to simple algebraic formulae
for programming. The formulae and structure are
currently written in Excel with graphics. The
result is to be made available through a future
website to researchers in biodiversity, economics,
paleoecology, educational measurement among others
and will include authorship attribution.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Knowledge of EXCEL, algebra, R or C++ and graphics
programming. Ability to make user friendly I/O.
Knowledge of regression a plus
CONTACT
Name:
Lee-Ann C. Hayek
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Phone:
202-633-0842
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E-mail:
hayekl@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Linking
Conservation and Rodent-borne Diseases in East
Africa
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The project tasks include sorting and photographing
mammal specimens in the collections and subsampling
tissues from these for disease analysis, as well
as as various other tasks related to research
linking conservation and rodent-borne diseases
in East Africa.
QUALIFICATIONS:
CONTACT
Name:
Hillary
Young
|
Phone:
202-633-1247
|
E-mail:
younghs@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Pan-Smithsonian Cryo-Initiative
Business Development Plan
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The Pan-Smithsonian Cryo-Initiative (PSCI) aims
to provide for the fully-resourced care of the
Smithsonian Institution's frozen biomaterial collections
through collaborative management as well as increase
online access to its collections via a Virtual
Biorepository. Interns will design and conduct
a research project to generate a list of funding
opportunities and potential donors for the PSCI.
Expected outcomes include: real world experience
working through the intelligence cycle, experience
selecting and testing techniques for a specific
problem, and first-hand knowledge of sources of
intelligence.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Coursework in research methods and/or business
intelligence. Knowledge of scientific communities
of practice is helpful
CONTACT
Name:
Piper Mullins
|
Phone:
202-633-4054
|
E-mail:
mullinsp@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Pan-Smithsonian Cryo-Initiative
Environmental Analysis project
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The Pan-Smithsonian Cryo-Initiative (PSCI) aims
to provide for the fully-resourced care of the
Smithsonian Institution's frozen biomaterial collections
through collaborative management as well as increase
online access to its collections via a Virtual
Biorepository. Interns will conduct an environmental
scan of the various biorepository communities
including: a. develop a list of biorepository
archiving best practices/SOPs resources for future
reference and/or b. develop a list of scientific
metadata standards for biorepositories.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Students must possess coursework in research methods,
knowledge management, and/or business intelligence.
Knowledge archiving practices, especially scientific
protocols, is helpful.
CONTACT
Name:
Piper Mullins
|
Phone:
202-633-4054
|
E-mail:
mullinsp@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
The Illustrations of Jules
Richard
Application
CLOSED * All slots filled
No longer accepting new applications for this
project
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
Intern(s) will scan illustrations of water fleas,
done by Jules Richard, then prepare them for archival
storage including placing a sheet of acid-free
archival-quality paper between each illustration
then moving them to storage boxes made of archival
material. French carcinologist Jules Richard studied
cladocerans (water fleas) before he was hired
by Albert I, Prince of Monaco, in the late 1890's
as Director of the Musée Océanographique
de Monaco and assistant to the Prince. Over a
few short years, beginning in 1887, Richard became
an internationally renowned expert on cladocerans.
Samples of water fleas were sent to him by collectors
and other carcinologists from all over the world,
and from these Richard published almost 50 papers
on cladocerans, most of which were species new
to science. Richard's publications included very
elegant illustrations, and about 100 originals
of these illustrations were later purchased by
the American carcinologist E. J. Birge. Subsequently
Birge's gave these to his most successful student
David Frey. Recently David's son Karl donated
these to the NMNH. Richard's illustrations consist
of both ink and pencil drawings. The illustration
sheets are in good condition and a paper, of unknown
quality, separates each illustration.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Familiarity with flat-bed scanning;care in handling
older sheets of paper.
CONTACT
Name:
Frank D. Ferrari
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Phone:
301-238-1182
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E-mail:
ferrarif@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Conservation of Bureau of
Land Management's Botanical Voucher Collection
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
Gain experience in proper botanical collection
techniques, botanical taxonomic identification,
herbarium organization and conservation practices,
and appropriate record keeping by joining the
team to inventory and collect seed from all the
threatened and endangered plants within the United
States. NMNH has been designated by congress to
be the national depository for all collections
made in federal parks and on federally managed
lands. As a result, all botanical collections
made within these areas must be housed in the
United States National Herbarium at NMNH. Beginning
with the new millennium a consortium of botanical
gardens, museums, universities, and the United
States Bureau of Land Management started a project
to inventory and collect seed from all the threatened
and endangered plants within the United States.
This seed will then be housed in a seed bank,
propagated, and made available to federal agencies
and private landowners for restoration and remediation
projects throughout the country.
QUALIFICATIONS:
All applicants should be physically fit and able
to stand on their feet for long periods of time.
The nature of the work involved can be somewhat
repetitive so the applicant should have great
attention to detail and the ability to work independently
CONTACT
Name:
Andrew P. Clark
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Phone:
202-633-0938
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E-mail:
clarkap@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Preparing a List of Plant
Species
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)
calls for a preliminary assessment list of the
conservation status of all known plant species.
The student will use specimen data from the U.S.
National Herbarium to investigate and analyze
preliminary conservation assessments on select
plant families.
QUALIFICATIONS:
TIMETABLE:
Indefinite
AWARD
PACKAGE:
None
CONTACT
Name:
Gary Krupnick
|
Phone:
202-633-0940
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E-mail:
krupnickg@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Freshwater
mussels from eastern North America
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The intern will assist with processing of a recently
acquired alcohol-preserved collection of freshwater
mussels from eastern North America. This is a
tremendously important collection because it contains
many lots (samples) of beautifully prepared specimens
that are currently threatened or endangered. Work
will include reconciling field labels with separately
provided detailed data sheets, databasing of the
entire collection, re-housing specimens into appropriate
containers when needed, and sorting of mixed lots
(as time permits). Work will be performed at the
Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The intern must have some familiarity with zoology
(based on coursework) and an interest in learning
about museum collections work. Facility with Excel
is required.
CONTACT
Name:
Robert Hershler
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Phone:
202-633-1747
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E-mail:
hershlerr@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
The Field Book Project: Imaging
Original Expedition Notes and Journals
Application
CLOSED * All slots filled
No longer accepting new applications for this
project
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The Field Book Project is seeking an intern to
work with the primary source field book collections
in the Department of Botany. The Field Book Project
is a collaborative initiative between the Smithsonian
Institution Archives and National Museum of Natural
History and works to improve access to primary
source field notes, expedition journals, photographs,
and other materials documenting field work for
scientific research and discovery. The field book
collection spans more than 150 years of scientific
field work and contains manuscripts and other
materials that document information on specimen
collections that may not be available on the specimen
labels or in published literature. Interns will
reproduce original works in digital format for
a myriad of imaging products.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The intern must be able to handle delicate manuscripts
carefully, should have a healthy respect for historic
collections, and should be interested in learning
about best practices and techniques for digital
imaging in an archival repository. Attention to
detail for quality control purposes is a must.Any
previous experience with digitization and/or knowledge
of digital image file formats, settings, embedded
metadata and naming conventions should be mentioned
in the application.
CONTACT
Name:
Carolyn Sheffield
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Phone:
202-633-0902
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E-mail:
sheffieldc@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Cataloging and Digitizing
the Sant Ocean Hall models and artifacts
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The Sant Ocean Hall is a one of a kind exhibit,
holding 674 marine specimens, models and artifacts
that help visitors explore the ocean's past, present
and future. In this 23,000-square-foot exhibition,
visitors see a sampling of the museum's unparalleled
marine collection, the largest marine collection
in the world, with more than 80 million specimens.
Interns will develop a database and find guide
to each of the specimens on display. Having a
digital, web-based and searchable database of
all artifacts and models will greatly enhance
the visitor experience to the exhibit, both on-site
and on-line.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Applicants should be detail oriented, have knowledge
of Excel. Familiar with web and new media and
a background in natural history science also a
plus. This internship would be good for students
in Museum Studies, Library Science, and Biology.
CONTACT
Name:
Catherine Sutera
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Phone:
202-633-0080
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E-mail:
suterac@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Laboratory Safety Management
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The intern will validate current lab safety plans
and chemical inventories comparing with material
safety data sheets. Additional tasks include entry
and retrieval of data from safety training data
bases supporting the management of safety programs
the Museum.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Goods organizational skills, computer experience
helpful.
CONTACT
Name:
J.R. Smith
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Phone:
703-732-5156
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E-mail:
smithjr@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Fossil Interactions Database
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
In paleoecology, we often describe two fossils
on one specimen: A body fossil (like a bone, shell,
or leaf) and a "trace fossil" on it
that records another organism's behavior. For
this project we are looking at plant fossils that
show evidence of insect behavior, like feeding
or egg-laying. The intern will develop a database
to compare behavior from different sites and different
time periods. Data sets of varying complexity
will have to be accommodated.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience setting up flexible databases is necessary.
Familiarity with the program R for Computation
is preferred.
CONTACT
Name:
Sandra Schachat
|
Phone:
202-633-1382
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E-mail:
SchachatSR@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Digitization of excavation
quarry maps from California and Chile
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The intern will assist in processing paper quarry
map data from two different excavations of fossil
marine mammals: one, conducted recently in Chile
(2010-2011) by Smithsonian and Chilean scientists;
and one from California (1994) by the San Diego
Natural History Museum. The goal is to digitize
these maps, especially all of the bones and their
orientations, using drawing tablets and associated
software. Subsequent analyses will focus on using
Rose diagrams and abundance metrics to understand
the taphonomy and paleoecology of these localities.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience with graphics tablets (e.g., WACOM-brand,
etc) and Adobe CS platforms (i.e., Illustrator
and Photoshop) preferred, but not necessary. Candidate
can be trained with minimal time; an aptitude
for troubleshooting and quickly learning new software
and hardware is key.
CONTACT
Name:
Nick Pyenson
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Phone:
202-633-1366
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E-mail:
pyensonn@si.edu |
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PROJECT
TITLE:
Digitization of fossil whales
from Chile
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION:
The intern(s) will process a large volume of digital
datasets collected in November, 2011, from an
emergency salvage expedition jointly organized
between the Smithsonian and collaborating Chilean
institutions. In 2010, a road construction company
expanding the Pan-American Highway uncovered a
putative mass death assemblage of fossil marine
mammals that are likely Pliocene (~5-3 million
years old) in age. Further study shows that this
new site is dominated by complete skeletons of
large baleen whales (n >35), and other fossil
marine mammals. With funding from the National
Geographic Society, Smithsonian scientists and
staff from the 3D Digitization Program Office
conducted both long-range and high-resolution
laser scans of the remaining fossil material,
for archiving and scientific study. A variety
of 3D digitization projects may also supplement
work on Chilean fossil marine mammal data set.
The specific work of the project involves using
software to process 3D scanned data for end use
in research or public access online and in museums.
Additional duties could include operating 3D scanning
equipment, object handling and processing 3D data
for other projects. The main
duty station will be at SI building facilities
in Landover, Maryland, between the Landover and
New Carrolton Metro stations. Work may occasionally
take place downtown at the National Museum of
Natural History or other Smithsonian museums.
A shuttle system will be available for daily or
occasional commute between museums and Landover
facility.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience with 3D CAD, sculpting, animating and
rendering. 3D software experience might include
3D Studio Max, Maya, Zbrush, AutoCAD, Rhino etc.
Experience with professional photo and video equipment
and software is also of interest. An aptitude
for troubleshooting and quickly learning new software
and hardware is key.
CONTACT
Name:
Nick Pyenson
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Phone:
202-633-1366
|
E-mail:
pyensonn@si.edu |
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Logistics
Questions
How
do you apply for the Alternative Spring
Break Program?
Students
interested in participating in the ABS
should contact (e-mail) the person listed
as the "Contact" for the project
they are most interested in working on.
Include in your e-mail the name of the
project you're interested in, the dates
of your spring break, and your academic
background including any experience relevant
to the project selected.
How will students be selected?
Students
selected for participation will receive
a confirmation e-mail from the project
Staff Sponsor.
How many students will be selected?
We
will make every effort to host as many
students as staff can affectively work
with.
Where will students report on the first
day of the week? Do you have advice or
directions for how to get there?
Students
selected for participation will report
to the National Museum of Natural History
(10th Street and Constitution Avenue,
NW) Constitution Avenue Lobby. Have a
security officer call Mary Sangrey (633-4548)
who will meet the group in the lobby.
What time should students arrive on the
first day? And what will be their regular
working hours?
Monday
at 9:00 a.m. is preferred arrival. Regular
work hours are 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
After selected and reporting for the first
day, whom should students ask for?
Mary
Sangrey, phone: 202-633-4548. Students
will be directed to their Staff Sponsor
after registration is completed. Registration
generally takes about one hour and inculdes
issue of a Smithsonian identification
credential.
What sort of attire should students wear
throughout the week?
Work
dress is casual attire. Clothing easy
to work in is best.
