Winter Break Internship Program

Updated: 25 November 2008

National Museum of Natural History
Winter Break Internship Program

2009

Projects  |  Logistics

The Winter Break Internship Program provides college-level undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to join short projects in a wide variety of professional settings throughout the NMNH community. The goal is to place interested and motivated undergraduate and graduate students, during their winter break, in a professional work environment at the National Museum of Natural History where they can...

  • gain practical experience by working in a professional Museum setting
  • develop new skills by learning from NMNH professionals
  • provide a service to the organization by contributing their time and talents
  • create professional partnerships
  • pursue their fields of interest related, or not, to their current profession

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 NMNH and join in conversation, news and events by visiting our Facebook page and joining the "ARC" group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7307446629 


Winter Break Project List - 2009

To see examples from previous years visit old listings:

2006  |  2007  |  2008

Not all projects are available all weeks.
Some projects require special skills and requirements.


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PROJECT TITLE: Biocuration & Cyberinfrastructure Development for Plant DNA Barcoding

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The DNA plant barcoding project is a multi-year effort aimed at applying DNA sequence data to flowering plant identification. DNA barcoding uses the information of one or a few gene regions to identify species of life and will serve as an important tool in plant taxonomy and biodiversity discovery. For this project, two or three interns will work in a team or independently organizing, labeling and recording project materials and data including tissue samples, voucher specimens, and geographic information according to taxonomic hierarchies and data protocols. The goals of the project are to connect DNA barcoding information from different sources, to correct inconsistencies and errors in data representation, and to help establish an infrastructure to maintain data consistency and accuracy. Applicants should be comfortable handling fragile botanical specimens and working in a lab environment.

QUALIFICATIONS: Working knowledge of MS Excel, strong organizational skills, and familiarity with botanical nomenclature required. Prior knowledge of DNA barcoding terminology useful but is not mandatory.

TIMETABLE: One month, starting in January

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Ida Lopez
Phone:
202-633-0941
E-mail:
lopezi@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Antelope Ground Squirrel Curation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The intern will assist the USGS staff in the Division of Mammals with recuration of the ground squirrels in the genus Ammospermophilus at the National Museum of Natural History. Stuffed skins and skulls of approximately 500 specimens need to be individually inventoried against the database and labels need to be updated to reflect currently accepted nomenclature. Help with associated tasks, such as the replacement of trays, liners, and vials, and relabeling of drawers and cases to reflect changes is also included. This is a great opportunity to see our research collection, learn about mammalogy, and how a large museum collection operates.

QUALIFICATIONS: The ability to climb ladders and lift drawers overhead may be necessary. The intern will need to be able to maintain specimens in the proper order and handle fragile specimens very carefully.

TIMETABLE: Winter 2008/2009

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Suzanne Peurach
Phone:
202-633-1277
E-mail:
peurachs@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Conservation of Original Fluid Specimens Labels in the Division of Mammals

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Smithsonian's Division of Mammals includes about 590,000 voucher specimens, by far, the world's largest and one of the most important collections of mammals. The standard preparation is the skin and skull of which there are over 350,000 specimens. Other major holdings include 28,000 skeletons, 100,000 fluid-stored specimens, and 3,000 tanned skins. This project focuses preserving the original field labels linked to fluid-preserved specimens. Many of the original field labels became detached or deteriorated over time and needed to be removed from the containers holding the fluid preserved specimens. Some of the labels contain valuable historical information about where these specimens came from and who collected them. The intern will help organize these labels into better storage so they are protected and easily searchable to eventually enhance our database records for each of these specimens.

QUALIFICATIONS: The ability to climb ladders and lift drawers overhead may be necessary. The volunteer/intern will need to be able to maintain specimens in the proper order and handle fragile specimens very carefully.

TIMETABLE: Winter 2008/2009

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Suzanne Peurach
Phone:
202-633-1277
E-mail:
peurachs@si.edu

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Sorry, this project is now FULL

PROJECT TITLE: Rock and Ore Collections Inventory

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Unpack, organize and place in archival specimen trays, label and number backlogged rock collections; capture relevant specimen data onto spreadsheets for addition to our database. Learn about geology and how a large museum collection operates at the same time.

QUALIFICATIONS: undergraduate or graduate student seeking a college degree in geology, museum studies, or any scientific discipline. No experience necessary.

TIMETABLE: At least 80 hours, dates completely flexible.

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Leslie Hale
Phone:
202-633-1796
E-mail:
halel@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Creating educational content for Google Earth

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Seeking a Winter Break intern to assist with a variety of tasks related to the development of geology-related educational content for inclusion as a Google Earth layer. The proposed layer will feature images, links and descriptions about specialized mineral deposits from around the world. Tasks include data entry of geographic information into Excel spreadsheets, scanning scientific documents, building bibliographic databases, creating locality descriptions and editing photo files.

QUALIFICATIONS: This opportunity is best suited for neat, organized and independent persons with at least basic computer skills and experience with Excel spreadsheets. Familiarity with Google Earth or Adobe Photoshop would also be useful. The intern must also be willing to commit to an average of at least one day per week for a minimum of six months or equivalent.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite; schedules are flexible.

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Michael Wise
Phone:
202-633-1826
E-mail:
wisem@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Crustacean Reprints

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The intern will scan scientific reprints as archival copies; filing reprints into the Crustacea Library collection.

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS: No specific qualifications are required; however, knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Office would be useful.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Staff Sponsor:
Marilyn Schotte

Phone:
202-633-0675

E-mail:
schottem@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Host-use biogeography of sponge-dwelling Synalpheus snapping shrimps

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Synalpheus are a highly diverse group of snapping shrimps that reside in the canals of sponges living in coral reefs, and have become a model system for understanding the origin and maintenance of biodiversity in tropical habitats. Museum scientists have recently completed an extensive survey of Synalpheus and the sponges they live in across several different sites in the Caribbean (Belize, Panama, Jamaica, Curaçao, and Barbados) and described and photographed several new Synalpheus species. The intern will assist with two specific aspects of this project. First, in order to investigate how shrimps adapt to their host sponges, the intern will assist in measuring sponge canals (using photographs of sponges taken in the field) and measuring shrimp collected from the sponges. Second, the intern will help compile taxonomic information (including photographs, drawings, and ecological information) into a Power Point presentation and/or set of web pages for the Encyclopedia of Life and other taxonomic databases.

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS: Experience working with specimens (e.g., through an invertebrate zoology or other organismal biology class) and basic computer skills (especially working with images) are necessary. Experience setting up websites is a plus, but not required.

TIMETABLE: From 1 month to 6 months

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Staff Sponsor:
Kristin Hultgren

Phone:
202-633-0661

E-mail:
hultgrenk@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Scanning worms onto the internet!

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The intern will scan literature dealing with taxonomy and biology of worms in the phylum Nemertea. The NEMERTES web site is intended to serve as a relatively comprehensive knowledge-base for specialists, other professionals, and students interested in an important but understudied phylum of marine worms. Much of the most important literature is old and difficult to access. We are providing access to that by scanning and posting it as PDFs. Nemertean worms are predators and occupy all marine habitats, as well as some terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Despite their ecological significance and potential importance in understanding animal evolution, this particular phylum of worms tends to be ignored because they are very difficult to work with and to identify, and getting access to existing information is exceedingly difficult. Consequently, there are few specialists and becoming one is very difficult. The Nemertes web site is intended to make information more widely and more easily available, so that beginning specialists can train themselves effectively and specialists as well as non-specialists can work more efficiently with these worms. The site is built around a comprehensive literature database indexed and linked to a taxonomy database, which in turn is linked to image, glossary, and geographic locality databases. There already are several hundred PDFs associated with this literature. These PDFs have become the most appreciated part of the site. This is an opportunity for someone to make a significant contribution to advancing access to our knowledge about the world¹s biological diversity.

QUALIFICATIONS: Experience with scanning, Windows and Mac OS would be advantageous but not necessary.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None.

CONTACT

Name:
Jon Norenburg

Phone:
202-633-1783
E-mail:
norenburgj@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Matching Fishes to Photos

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: As part of a large study re-analyzing marine fish diversity in the Caribbean through DNA Barcoding, we are accumulating hundreds of digital photographs and preserved voucher specimens of fishes from which DNA was sampled. The voucher specimens, which we ship back to the museum in lots containing all vouchers from one sampling station, need to be sorted into separate jars, matched to digital color photographs, re-checked for species identification, and cataloged into the museum's archival fish collection. There is also the possibility of assisting with editing of and organizational work on the digital photographs. Most of the work would be carried out at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, MD.

QUALIFICATIONS: Familiarity with fish identification keys preferable but not required. Good organizational skills and sense of responsibility for care in handling important scientific specimens necessary. Adobe Photoshop skills required if volunteer wants to participate in editing of images.

TIMETABLE: This is an ongoing, multi-year project. At present, we have voucher specimens from Belize, Florida, and Curacao that need to be sorted.

AWARD PACKAGE: None.

CONTACT
Name:
Carole C. Baldwin
Phone:
202-633-1205
E-mail:
baldwinc@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Botany of the United States Exploring Expedition: 1838-1842

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Interns will work directly in the US National Herbarium to extract specimens collected on the US Exploring Expedition as well as conduct research online, and in libraries and archives to resolve gaps in the specimen data record. Interns are also needed to enumerate specimens that have already been located to maintain organization of specimen data. Other opportunities include managing the growing Wilkes collection and transcribing historical documents including some data-entry is required.

Sure we've all heard about the journeys of Captain Cook and Lewis & Clark but have you ever heard about the US Exploring Expedition 1838-1842? There were 6 Vessels, 346 men, plus 9 scientists and artists that traveled the world with the goal of surveying and charting the South Pacific, exploring the Columbia River of the US Pacific NW, and claiming discovery of, then unknown, Antarctica. Even lesser known are the stories of the expedition's scientific collections. The Smithsonian Institution's natural history collections claim their roots in the wealth of specimens brought back by the scientists on board. In the US National Herbarium alone, there are potentially 10,000 US Exploring Expedition specimens from around the world. It is estimated that a total of 50,000 botanical specimens exist at a variety of herbaria across the country and around the globe. A comprehensive narrative discussing the Botany of the US Exploring Expedition has not yet been done. This project focuses on the botanical story of the expedition from its historical and scientific perspectives. The project's goals include enumerating the entire collection, conserving each specimen, and producing a web presentation that integrates specimens and historical documents, such as publications, correspondence, manuscripts, field notes, and journal entries, into a precise resource on the Botany of the US Exploring Expedition.

QUALIFICATIONS: Must have a strong interest in working directly with museum collections, especially with regard to botanical specimens. Must possess strong research skills. Must be able to work independently and demonstrate a commitment to achieving project goals. Must be detail oriented and highly motivated. Careful handling MUST be applied in working with fragile, historical specimens. Knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access a plus. A minimum of 10 hours per week is required. Individuals best suited to the project are eager to search for 'buried' specimens, patient when they don't find them, and possess a sense of humor.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Rusty Russell
Phone:
202-633-0943
E-mail:
russellr@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Plant Species Image Collection

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The plant species image resource numbers over 15,000 and is primarily based on scientific nomenclature. This library of photographic images of plant species and plant habitats is intended for public as well as professional use. In order to make searching easier for non-scientists, common names and other terms need to be added to the database. An intern is needed to research common names of plant species in a variety of online sources and update the database with these terms. Additional help with creating digital images and organizing the image resources may also be needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Rusty Russell
Phone:
202-633-0943
E-mail:
russellr@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Herbarium Curation - Filing Plant Specimens

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: In this project you will file mounted plant specimens into the U.S. National Herbarium collections. Herbarium specimens are generally mounted on 11x17 sheets of archival paper and filed according to a specific sequence, similar to library books in a library.

QUALIFICATIONS: The intern must be able to handle delicate specimens carefully, should have an appreciation of filing specimens properly, and should be interested in plant classification. The intern's knowledge of geography will improve by using references.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None.

CONTACT
Name:
Debbie Bell
Phone:
202-633-0924
E-mail:
belld@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE
: Floristic Changes in the Santa Rosa/San Jacinto National Monument

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Department of Botany has a cooperative project between the U.S. National Herbarium, the Riverside Municipal Museum, the University of Redlands and the University of California-Riverside mapping changes in the flora of the Santa Rosa/San Jacinto National Monument area in Riverside County using thousands of historic specimen records and modern botanical collections. Herbarium specimens from this locality have been assembled and the data for each needs to be collected in electronic form. Some digital images will be created. Most importantly, the general locality information needs to be translated in georeference points in order for it to be interpretable by GIS. Information obtained from this project will contribute to improved public education as well as decisions that are being made the Bureau of Land Management regarding designation of certain land in the area of the National Monument.

QUALIFICATIONS:

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Rusty Russell
Phone:
202-633-0943
E-mail:
russellr@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: Computer skills: file management and organization; experience with MS Excel and/or MS Access files; independent worker.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Gary Krupnick
Phone:
202-633-0940
E-mail:
krupnickg@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Marrketing the Museum

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Office of Education and Outreach produces a variety of public programs including lectures, films, music and arts programs, workshops, demonstrations, seminars, tours, and other activities. The intern will assist museum staff in promoting these programs. Primary projects include: researching appropriate media contacts (print, online, social media, radio, television) to effectively promote the National Museum of Natural History's public programs; assisting staff in writing and updating press materials including news releases; analyzing effectiveness of current promotions; working with local, national and international media contacts; assisting the public affairs and marketing staff by acting as liaison between media and museum educators and scientists; developing and maintaining targeted mailing lists; developing and administering audience surveys; assisting with events; and general administrative office tasks.

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS: Undergraduate or graduate student who has completed course work or is currently enrolled in courses in marketing, communications, writing or similar subjects; eager to learn, flexible, have excellent communication and organizational skills, and be interested in working with staff and volunteers in a museum setting; strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, the Web and online resources is required.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Staff Sponsor:
Karen Fitzgerald

Phone:
202-633-0814

E-mail:
fitzgeraldk@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Web-based Education Resources Internship

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The National Museum of Natural History has over 100 websites, managed by nearly 20 different offices. Many of the pages contain excellent resources for educators and enthusiasts, including lesson plans, online exhibits, web-based student activities, newsletters, searchable databases, multimedia, and public interest stories. The intern will catalog, annotate, and categorize the educational resources available on a selection of the museum’s web pages, and organize web resources for the Explore a Topic and Education sections of the NMNH website. The intern will systematically navigate web pages of multiple museum departments and interview staff in those departments about the resources they offer.

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS: Undergraduate or graduate coursework in education, preferably with an emphasis on science education; interest in natural history; excellent online research skills; basic familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel; ability to quickly analyze and interpret information according to a set of guidelines, but flexibility and initiative to recognize and propose additional guidelines; ability to write brief, clear, and engaging summaries of educational resources.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Staff Sponsor:
Bill Watson

Phone:
202-633-1127

E-mail:
watsonb@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Assist with Publication of AnthroNotes and Anthropology Web Pages

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The intern will assist in upgrading the biannual publication AnthroNotes and web pages, which are publications of the Anthropology Outreach Office. The Anthropology Outreach Office promotes the public understanding of anthropology and the research conducted in the department. It also serves as a liaison for communication within the department and within the museum and larger community.

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS: Experience in graphic and web design and desktop publishing. Knowledge of Adobe Dreamweaver, PageMaker, InDesign, and Illustrator.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Staff Sponsor:
Ann Kaupp

Phone:
202-633-1918

E-mail:
kauppa@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: The Arctic Studies Center Annual Newsletter

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Since 1993, the Arctic Studies Center has produced an annual newsletter for donors, supporters and colleagues that reviews the Center’s research initiatives, fieldwork, exhibits and publications. The newsletter is currently distributed to approx. 1500 subscribers, and is posted on the ASC website: http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/pub_news.html. ASC is looking for a Winter Break intern with an interest in circumpolar studies who can both assist in the production of the 2008 newsletter (deadline: Feb. 2009) and more importantly, lead an effort to produce a comprehensive index of all past editions. This would be an ideal project for someone with superior writing/editing skills and an interest in archives development or scientific history.

QUALIFICATIONS: Proven writing/editing skills and experience in desktop publishing preferred.

TIMETABLE:

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
William Fitzhugh
Phone:
202-633-1887
E-mail:
fitzhugh@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: The MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr project!

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Intern(s) will work with a variety of NMNH offices to help investigate, manage, maintain, and add appropriate museum content to our "spaces" on existing (or new) social participation and outreach websites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr. This project may require some basic research into the best practices and standards of mainstream Web 2.0 online resources and websites. This project work may take place onsite at NMNH in Washington, DC using either a Mac or a PC – or - virtually from any remote telecommuting location. The modern online tools and facilities that incorporate Web 2.0 features are already gaining great traction with educational organizations and institutions. While NMNH already has some limited content online in various capacities from a few offices and programs, we are not even scratching the surface of our potential for joining the social networking and Web 2.0 communities. Here is an opportunity to help the Museum in the early stages of this new development.

QUALIFICATIONS: use of the web and basic online resources; good communication skills, dynamic initiative, creativity, thorough follow-up, and documentation skills; ability to work independently.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT
Name:
Dennis Hasch
Phone:
202-633-0848
E-mail:
haschd@si.edu


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PROJECT TITLE: Power to the Podcasters!

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Intern(s) will develop and implement an easy-to-use Podcast toolbox, establish usage standards, audio encoding guidelines, and documentation for museum Podcast feeds. Podcasting is among the fastest growing internet audio visual technologies to syndicate and distribute online information and is growing in popularity as one of the best ways to promote museum events on the NMNH Web Site. The intern will also gain valuable experience by working with a powerful and industry standard, enterprise wide WCM.

QUALIFICATIONS: basic or advanced skills in audio and video web development; good or aspiring understanding of Podcast technologies and associated encoding and RSS formats; good communication skills, dynamic initiative, creativity, thorough follow-up, and good documentation skills.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT

Name:
Dennis Hasch
Phone:
202-633-0848
E-mail:
haschd@si.edu

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PROJECT TITLE: Fantastic Flash Development

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Flash is considered the industry standard for creating high-impact interactive web presentations and is well suited for many museum virtual efforts, online exhibits, and educational and informative interactives. This Flash-based internship opportunity offers 2 options:

1) Fantastic Flash Development – scribble: The intern will implement a small collection of Flash-based applications that use the "scribble" coloring book Flash interactive application technology, which allows web users to color or draw on a selection of images. Specifically, the intern will assist in choosing and editing optimal natural history related images (dinosaurs, gems, animals, plants, etc.), work with Flash and code configurations, upload test, and document the steps and procedures.

2) Fantastic Flash Development – interactive: The intern will design and implement their own idea for an educational or entertainment oriented Flash interactive that makes innovative use of our rich online educational and collections content.

QUALIFICATIONS: These opportunities are best suited for candidates with basic or advanced levels of Flash experience, but aspiring Flash developers are also welcome.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

CONTACT

Name:
Dennis Hasch
Phone:
202-633-0848
E-mail:
haschd@si.edu

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Logistics Questions

How do you apply for the Winter Break Program?

Students interested in participating in the Winter Break Program should contact (e-mail) the person listed as the "Contact" for the project they are most interested in. Include in your e-mail the name of the project you're interested in, the dates of your winter break / dates you're available, 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 internship? Do you have advice or directions for how to get there?

Students selected for participation should 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 are the regular working hours?

Monday at 9:00 a.m. is preferred arrival so as to join the weekly group registration session. Regular work hours are 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday - Friday.


After selected and reporting in on the first day, whom should students ask for?

Mary Sangrey, phone: 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.


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