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 Information
about the Research Training Program:
go directly to the current RTP on-line application forms
Smithsonian
Center for Education and Museum Studies Smithsonian Office of Fellowships - internships
Smithsonian Office of Fellowships - fellowships POST GRADUATES
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Research
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26 May 2001 - 4 August 2001 A total of 18 students were selected to participate in the 2001 session of the Research Training Program including 3 international students representing Brazil, Canada, and Yugoslavia. Schedule
of Events |
Poster |
Program
Summary Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Research
Training Program
* * * ARRIVAL * * * * Saturday, 26 May 2001 * 9:00 a.m. : Apartment inspection conducted by Marita Davison *
Apartments clean, in good repair, and ready for move-in 3:30 - 6:00 p.m. : Apartment check-in Location:
The Alexandria, formerly called The Oakwood Apartment Complex phone: 703-212-2678 Students: Report to Building C, Apartment 219 (located to the left of the Van Dorn Street entrance and to the right after the first stop sign) for apartment registration, to pay telephone deposit, and to obtain security building and room keycards. Four apartments are four-person occupancy, two bedroom, two bathroom units, and one apartment is a two-person occupancy, one bedroom, one bathroom unit. Both sets of apartments are furnished with living room, kitchen, and complete cooking facilities. The Alexandria offers an apartment community built on 36 acres of land. The complex consists of 20 mid-rise (four-story) buildings with patios or balconies. A "basic intern package" is provided which includes standard cooking and eating utensils (e.g. pots, pans, plates, cups, flatware), telephone, linens (e.g. sheets, blankets, pillows, towels), television and microwave oven. Note: Apartments are stocked with four copies of the RTP Reference Notebook - one for each RTP participant. Extra copies are NOT available! Students are asked to review the information, forms, and schedule of events provided in the notebook before the Monday orientation meeting - and are required to bring this notebook (along with questions) to the Monday meeting. 3:30 - 6:00 p.m. : Apartment check-in continues 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. : PROGRAM SOCIAL - host: Marita Davison Location:
The Alexandria Apartment Complex Topic: Welcome RTP students RTP staff will offer insight and advise about commuting, sites to see in the DC area, and making the most of all the RTP has to offer. Barbeque picnic for students. Although not required, students are welcome to contribute specialty food items from their home. This is a great opportunity for everyone to informallymeet and enjoy a fun afternoon. Week
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Week 7 *
* * WEEK 1 * * * * Monday, 28 May 2001 (Memorial Day Holiday) * 8:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. : PROGRAM ORIENTATION - host: Marita Davison * * * RTP Reference Notebook Required! * * * 8:45 a.m. Arrival. Assemble at the Constitution Avenue lobby area entrance. PLEASE BE PROMPT! Receive a behind-the-scenes identification badge from security - requires that a photo ID be exchanged for a one-day SI badge. Please DO NOT use a passport for the photo ID exchange, unless you have NOTHING else! 8:45
- 9:00 a.m.
Continental breakfast. 9:00
- 9:10 a.m. Security briefing. Captain Chatman, Chief of Security, provides information and insights about security in the Natural History Building including:
Learn the answers to these questions plus detailed information about procedures for working evenings and weekends. 9:10 - 10:30 a.m. Facilities Tour - guide: Marita Davison Here is a quick-paced introduction to all parts of the building. There is much to see! Lots of walking and many stairs to climb. Limit baggage. Bring a notepad and pencil to record security access codes for doors and elevators. We don't expect you to remember how to find each location, but offer the tour as a companion to the map to help get you started in becoming independent in finding your way around. During the tour discover answers to:
Location:
Botany Library Speaker: Marita Davison (phone: 202-786-9234) Topic:
Everything you ever wanted to know about the
Research Training Program - here's the chance to ask. - Forms to be completed:
- Required orientation information:
- Other topics to be discussed:
12:30 - 1:00 p.m. Group Question/Answer session. 1:00
- 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Break 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. RTP WORKROOM ORIENTATION OPTION: Speaker: Marita Davison (phone: 202-786-9234) Summary: The RTP Workroom (Hall 27, Room 452) will serve as a useful resource during the program, in addition to being a convenient area for you to meet with other interns or groups. The Workroom is furnished with three computers that are connected to the network (and can thus access GroupWise and the network drives); these computers also are equipped with software applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, which will be useful as you prepare for your oral presentations and design your posters. In addition, the room has a Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet Pro color printer/copier/scanner and a photocopier for your use. The RTP Workroom will also contain binders with any reference readings for lectures, tours, workshops, etc. and information of interest on the Smithsonian and the Washington, D.C. area in general. See the entire RTP area, and learn where you'll need to go and what you'll need to do to borrow laptops, overhead projectors, cameras, and other equipment. Marita will additionally guide you through the use of computers, telephones, and copiers in the RTP workroom. 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. ORIENTATION OPTIONS:
Orientation Readings & References:
* Tuesday, 29 May 2001 * 8:30 a.m. : GROUP PHOTOGRAPH - host: Marita Davison Location:
NHB front steps Photographer: Don Hurlbert (phone: 202-633-9116).
All RTP participants will meet with their research team for detailed orientation to their specific research facilities, to complete registration forms, and to obtain signatures. Advisors: Please include the location and information about:
Students: Be sure to get your advisor's signature on the "Intern Registration Form" and complete the "Project Description" section of this form!
Location:
NMNH Office of the Director Topic: Director's Social. An informal gathering of residents from the NMNH community plus members from funding organizations. Light refreshments available.
1. Smithsonian Registration. Meet
with Tracie Sam (phone: 202-633-8988), Smithsonian Center for Education
and Museum Studies (SCEMS), Arts and Industries Building, Room 1125. Learn about what to do and who can help if you are the subject of unwanted harassment, where the fitness facilities are located, amenities and restrictions of your Smithsonian ID, insurance options available to interns, and much more. Forms due:
4. Notary Public. (foreign students only)
Students: Review and copy forms, test the e-mail system, begin preparing the Project Proposal including the research supply/travel budget.
* Wednesday, 30 May 2001 * 9:00 a.m. - noon : RESEARCH Students: Confirm that you have a computer to use and that you can read GroupWise e-mail on it. If you have questions, have them ready before the IT ORIENTATION this afternoon. Note: the RTP has four laptop computers available for one-day check-out.
Notes: Meet in the Constitution Avenue Lobby. The group will divide into two sets of 9 each, grouped in the following manner: GROUP
1 (VZ, IZ, and Botany) GROUP 1 must go to Session I and GROUP 2 must go to Session II during the first hour (1:00 - 2:00). For these sessions only, students may not change groups. Orientation includes two 1 hour sessions (1:00 - 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.). For those interested in individual instruction, a personalized workshop in the RTP Workroom from 4:00 - 5:15 p.m. will follow the training sessions. SESSION I: Information Technology Services
Location:
ADP Conference Room Speaker: Kurt Luginbyhl - software and intern liaison (phone: 202-357-1955) References:
Meet the Automated Data Processing (ADP) staff. Learn how to communicate with your home/university e-mail account; how to access and use your Smithsonian e-mail account; review the Museum's internet browsing policies and virus protection requirements; see the common use computer facilities and receive instruction on converting computer files to film for your presentation, scanning documents and images, etc. At the conclusion of the IT Orientation all students should:
* 2:00 p.m. : ITEM DUE
NOTES:
SESSION II - Smithsonian Libraries and the Natural History Branch GROUP
2: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Location:
Natural History Branch Library Panelists:
In 1881 Spencer Fullerton Baird, second Secretary of the Smithsonian, donated his library to the "new" National Museum. That collection of books formed the core of what has developed into one of the largest natural history collections in the United States. The Smithsonian Institution Library (SIL) system, which includes the Natural History Branch, totals over 1 million volumes including rare books, current journals and reprints from around the world. The Natural History Branch is composed of 15 scientific specialty collections which are housed in locations throughout the NHB. The NHB system consists of a main location and subject-based sublocations including Anthropology, Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, Mineral Sciences, Mollusks, Vertebrate Zoology, and Vertebrate Paleontology. The Natural History main location includes a collection of reference materials covering topics such as general biology, geology, paleontology, ecology, and conservation. With more than 215,000 volumes, the Natural History Branch Library provides services for over 500 museum staff plus countless international researchers. The Natural History Library is open from 8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Weekdays, Monday through Friday, and is closed evenings and weekends. Interlibrary loan services are available. NOTE: Library computers are dedicated systems reserved for library research. These are not general use computers. Common use computers are available in the ADP area. Meet the Library staff. Learn how to check-out books and journals; how to find newly published articles; review the Museum's inter-library loan policies and borrowing requirements; see the on-line card catalogue system and receive instruction on how to find specific references; etc. At the conclusion of the Library Orientation all students should:
References & Readings:
Once done, feel free to join the Computer Workshop in the RTP workroom. Forms due:
Location:
RTP Workroom Speaker: Marita Davison (phone: 202-786-9234) Topic: Using NMNH e-mail and other computer assistance Staff will be available for 15 minute personalized help sessions to assist students with their individual computer needs and questions including reviewing NMNH e-mail, communicating with distant computer systems, scanning, and slide processing.
* Thursday, 31 May 2001 * 9:00 a.m. - noon : RESEARCH NOTE: RTP staff will be conducting site visits to check on "how things are going" and to photograph student/advisor teams for the "photo board" and RTP web site.
Location:
Waldo Schmitt Room Topic: One hundred twenty four million and counting: using, managing and maintaining the NMNH collections. Why do we have museum collections? What does it mean to manage them? How are collections arranged? What are the best specimen storage methods? What dangers do specimens (and entire collections) face? How many of each species do you need? What is a type? Can a juvenile be a "type?" What are the procedures for using and borrowing specimens? How does the "repatriation act" and the "endangered species act" effect Museum collections? When do you need collecting permits (. . . you mean I can kill a mouse in my house in a grocery store mouse trap but I need a permit to "collect" that same mouse for a museum . . . )? What are the "ethics" of collecting within the US and in foreign countries? NMNH technicians and collections management staff will discuss their views and comment on their experiences. We will begin the discussion with a 15 minute overview of Museum science departments, organizational structure, and research and collections activities. Following the overview each Department will present a 5 minute synopsis about what's unique to their collections.
The NMNH is divided into four science departments: Anthropology, Mineral Sciences, Paleobiology, and the recently established Department of Systematic Biology, which consolidates the former departments of Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, and Vertebrate Zoology. Some departments (both current and former) are further divided into Divisions, for example in VZ there are four Divisions which function as mini-departments: Amphibians and Reptiles, Birds, Mammals and Fishes. Each department is headed by a Chair (usually a "research scientist") and divisions are led by a Curator-in-Charge. Within each department, the staff are largely divided into two groups: researchers (entitled "research scientists" or "curators") and collections management staff. Some departments have additional staff such as conservators, illustrators, research assistants, and technical assistants. Other museum activities, such as exhibits production, education, publicity, and outreach are managed by different administrative units and will not be discussed at this time. The
activities of the science departments generally can be divided into two
categories: research and collections management. Research is the primary
domain of the curatorial staff, who typically are Ph.D scientists, but
may also be conducted by other staff and resident researchers. Curators
also engage in many other activities including collections work, exhibits
production, administration, outreach, and education, to name a few. Some
departments have research assistants and illustrators who support the
work of the curators. The bulk of the collections management work is handled
by the collections staff, which may also include research assistants. Although techniques for many of these operations are unique to each department or division, the goal is common to all: to acquire and conserve specimens and objects that are appropriate to the museum's mission, to capture collections data (and by today' standards, that means electronically), and to provide appropriate access to our collections and their data (likewise, today that means both physical and electronic access). As you tour the different departments you will be exposed to the myriad of objects in our collections as well as the wide variety of the activities conducted by our staff. Panelists and Points-of-Contact:
2:00 - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
* Friday, 1 June 2001 * - - - BOTANY - - - Botany is the science dedicated to the study of plants. Botanical research at the NMNH focuses on plant systematics in the broadest sense: taxonomy, nomenclature, comparative anatomy and morphology, ecology, evolutionary theory, and conservation biology. Both modern and fossil species of many plant groups, including algae, mosses, lichens, ferns, and flowering plants are currently being studied. Department research emphasizes field studies and utilizes the collections as a primary resource. Numerous floristic studies are under way, while others are aimed at elucidating evolutionary development, phylogeny, and the broad questions of classification. Publications include monographs on selected groups of plants, floras, checklists, and research papers addressing relevant biological and evolutionary questions. References: W.
John Kress, Botany Head
Location:
Waldo Schmitt Room Speakers: Drs. Mark and Diane Littler. B.A. (1961), M.S. Ohio University; Ph.D. (1971) University of Hawaii. (phone: 202-357-3012). Topic: Recent Discoveries in Marine Botany.
Drs. Mark and Diane Littler are marine scientists who have developed a unique husband and wife working relationship. Their mutual interests and aspirations in the field of marine botany provided the foundation from which two jointly productive research careers have been based. Their research has taken them around the globe, including field research in the Belize Barrier Reef Islands, French Polynesia and Galapagos Islands. They have collectively published more than 100 research papers. As a team, the Littlers' research interests are directed toward the stability of marine ecosystems, the productivity and evolution of marine plants and the analysis of plant morphology as a method of predicting its ecological role in the reef community. In 1983 they generated excitement in the scientific community with their discovery of the deepest plant life ever collected from the ocean. The crustose red alga was found in the Bahamas at a depth of 880 feet. This discovery extended the depth distribution limits of marine plants and challenged established theories concerning the minimum light levels necessary to maintain plant growth. In 1994 they discovered a new pathogen of reef building algae - "CLOD" - that threatens Pacific coral reefs. Other recent discoveries include "Black Band Disease" - which appears to be a bacteria first found in the Cook Islands. Readings & References:
Location:
Fern Counter NHB, West Wing, Fifth Floor, Tour Guide: Greg McKee (phone: 202-357-1590) Topic: The U.S. National Herbarium Explore the US National Herbarium. See the "Botany Best" collection and learn why museum plant collections are important. See the smallest known terrestrial fern and learn why we continue to revisit well collected sites. Learn about how we manage security for the "drug" plants. View the algae greenhouse. Hold a specimen of the largest pine cone and biggest seed. Discover plants that grow IN rocks. Examine a specimen of Welwitschia, known only from desert areas of southwestern Africa. This Gymnosperm, in the class Gnetinae, is probably the most bizarre of vascular plants. It produces just two long leaves during its lifetime, which may last as long as a century. The leaves, which have a basal meristem, keep growing, breaking off at the distal ends and splitting lengthwise. Also on display: phylogeny of the paper clip, yes, that's right! Dead, usually various shades of brown, pressed and dried plants, generally mounted on 11" x 17" sheets of paper may not have the initial appeal of furry mammals or brightly colored bird skins but bring your hand lens or take advantage of the dissecting microscopes available - herbarium collections hold many wondrous characters, it just takes a discerning eye to see the intricate beauty, patterns, and uniqueness. The United States National Herbarium (US) was founded in 1848, when the first collections were accessioned from the United States Exploring Expedition (50,000 specimens of 10,000 species). Current holdings total 4.6 million specimens from worldwide locations including 90,000 type specimens, making this collection among the ten largest in the world representing about 8% of the plant collection resources of the United States. An average of 40,000 specimens are added to the collection each year. The Department maintains an extremely active loan and exchange program. About 50,000 specimens are lent annually to other institutions around the world and an additional 20,000 specimens are exchanged. Approximately 200 researchers visit the herbarium each year. The
collection encompasses all major groups of plants (bryophytes, ferns,
gymnosperms and angiosperms) as well as algae (esp. marine algae and diatoms)
and lichens. The fungi were transferred to the National Fungus Collection
(BPI). The scope of the collection is worldwide, but with special strengths
in the neotropics, North America, Pacific oceanic islands, the Philippines,
and the Indian subcontinent. Other flowering plant groups that enjoy active support include Araceae, Commelinaceae, Onagraceae, Passifloraceae, Sapindaceae, Sterculiaceae, Theaceae, and Zingiberales. Other important collection resources of the US National Herbarium include a wood collection, maintained at the MSC, that numbers over 43,000 specimens and microslides of wood sections, and a pollen and spore reference collection of over 7,500 microslides.
Noon - 1:00 p.m. LUNCH BREAK
Location:
Plant Anatomy Laboratory Instructor: Stan Yankowski (phone: 202-357-2338) Topic: Plant Histology
The Plant Anatomy Laboratory highlights the wonderful world of Plant Microtechnique. Learn about why anatomy is useful in taxonomic research and especially about the methods that reveal anatomical structure and cellular organization in plants. This is an opportunity to observe and discuss techniques while they are being demonstrated. The session features microtomy, whole mount clearing, critical point drying, light microscopy and photomicrography. On display are examples from the wood collection and the botanical anatomical reference slide collection. Plant histology techniques including whole mount clearings, paraffin embedding and sectioning, freezing microtome sectioning, critical point drying, and photo micrography will be demonstrated.
Location:
Waldo Schmitt Room Instructor: Dan Nicholson (phone: 202-357-2522) Topic: The Linnaean System of Classification Linnaeus organized almost everything he put his mind to and was the first to systematically apply a binomial system to all of nature. The philosophy underlying his system of nature is that of a ladder (pyramid) leading from stones, the lowest (furthest from Man), to animals, Man, created in the image of God, being the highest. The classification functioned like a two dimensional map, characters of taxa being like latitude and longitude with a hierarchy of precision. It was of value in an age of discovery, although his classifications of stones and plants had short lives. The binomial system of naming, although not considered important by Linnaeus, was important in separating diagnoses/descriptions of taxa from the names of taxa. It is hoped that new philosophies will maintain the distinction between things named and their names.
Location:
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