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| Highlights from 2005 |
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Smithsonian
Institution
National Museum of Natural History Research
Training Program 28 May 2005 - 6 August 2005 A total of 20 undergraduate students were anticipated to join the RTP Class of '05 including 2 students from the Notre Dame partnership program. The following activities schedule was in the planned for the '05 program. As the result of a catastrophic web server crash on 9 February 2005 resulting in the irretrievably loss of all data, the 2005 session of the RTP was canceled. Schedule
of Events |
Poster |
Program
Summary Created: 16 June 2004 | Last Updated: 16 August 2004
* * * ARRIVAL * * * * Friday, 27 May 2005 * 9:00 a.m. : Apartment inspection conducted by Staff Check Points:
* Saturday, 28 May 2005 *
Location:
The
Reserve at Eisenhower Phone:
(703) 751-4100 For questions contact: Debbie Lynch or available property manager. Apartments
come fully furnished:
9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. : Apartment check-in continues. * * * Check-in Notes * * *
Week
1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 7 *
* * WEEK 1 * * * * Monday, 30 May 2005 (Memorial Day Holiday) * 8:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. : PROGRAM ORIENTATION - host: Mary Sangrey 8:45 a.m. : Arrival.
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. : Program Orientation / Completion of Registration Forms.
Topic:
Everything you ever wanted to know about the
Research Training Program - here's the chance to ask. Founded in 1980, the Research Training Program (RTP) is a museum-based, undergraduate course in collections-based research and natural history studies including the biological, geological, and anthropological sciences. Developing confidence and competence in the research process is the cornerstone of the program. The course includes a curriculum of required activities and events plus a research topic conducted under the guidance of a professional scientist.
* Tuesday, 31 May 2005 * 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. : GROUP PHOTOGRAPH - host: Mary Sangrey
Topic: RTP Opening Reception. An informal gathering of residents from the NMNH community plus members from funding organizations and other special guests. Each research advisor will introduce their student to the group and students given the opportunity to offer a brief commentary. Light refreshments available. 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. : REGISTRATION - host: Mary Sangrey
3:00 - 5:00 p.m. : PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION Students: Review and copy forms, test the e-mail system, and begin preparing your project proposal. * Wednesday, 1 June 2005 * * * * A day at the Museum Support Center * * * 9:00 a.m. - noon : TOURS - Part I Join collection managers Deb Hull-Walski (Anthropology), Jeremy Jacobs (Mammals), Steve Gotte (Herps), Jeff Williams (Fish), Leslie Hale (Rocks & Ores) and Linda Welzenback (Meteorites) for a tour through the MSC pods and laboratores.
Location:
MSC Patio Moderator: Mary Sangrey (phone: 202-633-4548) Topic: Collections Management: one hundred twenty four million and counting, caring for the national collections. Join the tour hosts for a discussion about the upcoming behind-the-scenes tours of NMNH research collections. The Smithsonian collections total more than 142 million artifacts, works of art, and specimens from nature. Our collections form an unparalleled encyclopedic record of life on earth from its earliest beginnings to contemporary societies. Natural History's holding count for more than 88% of these, or 124.7 million specimens. Over 300,000 new specimens are added to the collections each year though active collecting, specimen exchanges, plus donations and acquisitions. Each year the Smithsonian loans more than 271,000 to institutions around the world, including loans to over 50 different foreign countries. Annually we borrow over 130,000 specimens from other institutions with most specimens loaned for study purposes.
The staff of Natural History includes approximately 650 federally-funded and trust-funded employees, performing collections management, research, administrative, educational, and facilities management functions at NHB and MSC; plus 197 research associates; and more than 65 scientists, technicians, and staff from resident affiliated agencies. The collections receive about 2,200 research visitors each year totaling about 16,500 visitor days Approximately 578,841 square feet is dedicated to collections storage at our two major facilities, the Natural History Building on the Mall and the Museum Support Center in Silver Hill, Maryland. Collections management activities are many and varied, as are the people that comprise this staff. Three areas, however, are common to all departments and account for a large portion of the activities. They are collections care, maintenance and conservation; specimen/object processing (including physical processing and identification) and cataloging; and "transaction management" which includes lending specimens to other institutions, processing those borrowed by our curators, donating, acquiring, and exchanging specimens or objects, and other related activities. 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's standards, that means electronically), and to provide appropriate access to our collections and their data (today that means both physical and electronic access). For more information:
Topic: The Osteo Prep Facilities Guides: John Ososky Visit the Smithsonian's osteopreparation facility and see how most vertebrate skeletal specimens are prepared. View the skeletal processing methods from carcass preparation to the production of clean, undamaged skeletons. Topic: The new whale storage facility Guide: Charley Potter (202-786-2497) Location: The Garber Facility at MSC Although the Garber Facility is best known for its airplane collection, a new whale storage facility was just established there. Housing the large whale collection and an extensive collection of baleen whales, Garber contains the most massive of the marine mammals. Join Charley into an entirely different dimension of museum collections, as he describes the wonders and challenges of having to manage such large specimens. 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. : OPTIONAL SOCIAL and TOUR
Topic:
Botany
Greenhouses Tour the greenhouses then relax amid the tropical plants. Snacks and dDessert will be available. Members from the NMNH Botany community will gather to discuss their research interests.
* Thursday, 2 June 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
* Friday, 3 June 2005 * -
- - Botany - - - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. : LECTURE - host: Intern
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. : COLLECTION TOUR - host: Intern Meeting
Location: Academic Resources Center
- ARC Tour Guide: Greg McKee (phone: 202-633-0943) Topic: The US National Herbarium
Explore the US National Herbarium. See the "Botany Best" collection and learn why museum plant collections are important. 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 over 4.7 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.
a) Research b) Optional Botany Demonstrations & Tours Social | Histology | Pressing & Mounting | Illustration
Topic:
Meet
the NHB Botany Community Dessert will be available. Members from the NMNH Botany community will gather to discuss their research interests.
Topic: Plant Histology The workshop begins with a quick 10 minute tour around the lab and demonstration of the freezing microtome and the services provided by the histology lab. Those interested in learning more are welcome to stay for some hands-on opportunities to try the techniques. 1:30
- 1:40 p.m. 1:40
- 1:45 p.m. 1:45
- 2:15 p.m. 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.
Topic: Plant Processing, mounting & preserving Watch
as specimens are prepared for incorporation in to the herbarium. Plant
pressing and mounting will be demonstrated. On display are examples of
specimens showing different mounting and preservation techniques.
Topic: Botanical Scientific Illustration This is a hands-on opportunity to try pen and ink line drawing and to experiment with the tools used by professional scientific illustrators. On display are examples of illustrations showing different methods of botanical illustration and the steps generally followed to progress from concept to published illustration. Illustration tools, including camera lucida use, will be demonstrated and interested participants will be given the opportunity to experiment with the various illustration equipment and techniques. The workshop will also include an opportunity to experiment with drawing on the computer using the Wacom tablet. * Saturday, 4 June 2005 * Option: 8:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. : FIELD TRIP - host: Intern
* * * Advisors and their families welcome * * * Itinerary:
About the Scientists Cliffs Site: Located on the western side of the Chesapeake Bay, the "Calvert Cliffs" were formed over 15 million years ago when all of Southern Maryland was covered by a warm, shallow sea. The cliffs dominate the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay extending for more than thirty miles; from Fairhaven (Anne Arundel County, MD) to near Drum Point (Calvert County, MD).
They are considered the best marine Miocene (Miocene Epoch, 25 million to 6.5 million years ago) deposit in the world. Three formations are recognized in the cliffs; from oldest to youngest, the Calvert, Choptank, and St. Marys Formations. These have been further subdivided into Members and Beds. Because of the gentle dip (about 11 feet per mile) of the deposits to the southeast, different Beds are exposed at different localities, containing different sediment types and fossils.
The cliffs and beaches have been collected and studied from Colonial
times to the present. Over 600 species of fossils have been identified from these cliffs including the "Maryland State Fossil" Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae Wilson. The most visible fossils are mollusk shells, with some beds so densely packed that they are described as "shell beds." The most popular fossils are the sharks' teeth. Other fossils include microscopic plants and animals, macroscopic plants, corals, barnacles, crabs, sand dollars, sea urchins, bony fish, rays, crocodiles, turtles, birds, terrestrial mammals, and marine mammals. Many fossils have Calvert Cliffs as their type locality and some have been found nowhere else.
Check out more:
* Sunday, 5 June 2005 * OPEN * * * Week 1 Notes * * *
GEOLOGY
WEEK
Adventures in the Geological Sciences * Monday, 6 June 2005 * -
- - Paleobiology - - - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. : LECTURE - host: Intern
Topic:
TBA
Topic: The Springer Fossil Echinoderm Collection The Springer Collection of Echinoderms is the largest repository of fossils crinoids in the world. It consists of nearly 4,500 primary type specimens, including 1,678 holotypes, mostly from Paleozoic sequences in North America and Europe. In addition to the primary types there are more than 100,000 secondary types derived from all parts of the world. Most of specimens
were donated to the Museum in 1911 by Frank Springer. Springer was a lawyer
and businessman who spent most of his life in Santa Fe, New Mexico and
was widely known for his leadership in resolving major land grant disputes
in the southwest and his influence on New Mexico's early economic development.
His name is familiar to paleontologists, however, because of his interest
in crinoids that began at an early age from his collecting visits to the
Burlington Limestone, which was about 30 miles south of his boyhood home
of Wapello, Iowa. His questions about the taxonomy of the Burlington crinoids
led to his association with Charles Wachsmuth, who had long been doing
research on fossil crinoids while making a living as a shopkeeper in Burlington.
Their mutual interest and friendship led to a 20-year collaboration that
included a series of classic monographs and taxonomic papers published
between 1877 and 1897. Springer continued publishing highly regarded papers
on Paleozoic crinoids from North America Europe until his death in 1927.
Topic:
The
Burgess Shale and other treasures from paleobiology. A mud slide during the Cambrian covered an interesting array of soft-bodied creatures which were preserved in pristine condition and lay untouched until 1909 when Dr. Walcott, fourth Secretary of the Smithsonian, happened upon the site while vacationing with his family in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia looking for trilobites. Walcott eventually collected 65,000 specimens from the site, many of which are now part of NMNH's Paleobiology collection. Two features make the Burgess Shale unique among deposits of invertebrate fossils. First, the very fine mud preserved not only hard body parts such as shells, but also soft tissues such as antennae, eyes, gills, internal organs, and even creatures with no hard parts at all. Second, this exquisitely preserved community existed during one of the most enigmatic episodes in the history of life, when almost all the major groups of animals evolved. See creatures such as Opabinia, Anamalocaris (which grew to lengths of 1 meter) , Hallucigenia, Wiwaxia, and also Pikaia, which was once considered to be the "great great ..... grandmother" of all vertebrates and is now, thanks to a recent article in Science, only one of several other chordates known from the Cambrian.
Topic: US National Paleobiology Collections
The paleobiology collections include from 40 to 50 million fossil plants, animals and geologic specimens (rock and sediment cores, and sediment samples). Included in our collections are over 1,500 catalogued specimens of dinosaurs. The notable collections include the dinosaur specimens, the world-famous Burgess Shale, hundreds of thousands of specimens from the Permian Reef complex in Texas, a large and important collection of echinoderms as well as local marine vertebrate fossils. See some of the unique specimens included in the US National Paleobiology collections are fossilized sloth dung, preserved mammoth tissue, and shark teeth. Collections are arranged in both a biological and stratigraphic series. Visit the "acid" room and the paleo vertebrate prep lab. Learn about the tools used to remove the rock and sediment from fossils, the methods used to prepare molds and casts of fossils to provide duplicates to other institutions, and the production of padded storage jackets for large specimens. Try the techniques and talk to the experts. * Tuesday, 7 June 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
: RESEARCH
Topic:
"Systematics Discussion Group" Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC
Option: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. EVENING DISCUSSION Location:
Academic Resources Center -
ARC Speaker: Sandy Feinstein, Honors coordinator at Berks Lehigh Valley College, Reading Pennsylvania.
Join a workshop on applying for competitive scholarships and graduate schools. Handy e-addresses for national scholarships
* Wednesday, 8 June 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m.: RESEARCH * Thursday, 9 June 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m.: RESEARCH
Speaker: Tim McCoy Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC
* Friday, 10 June 2005 * -
- - Mineralogy - - - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. : LECTURE - host: Intern
Topic: Nature's giant treasure chest: Pegmatites. Born of fluid, heat, and pressure, minerals dazzle us with their breathtaking colors and shapes and astonish us with their usefulness. They are forged underground, where forces that have been at work for billions of years continue to make more minerals. A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid having a specific chemical composition. Most minerals occur as crystals. Every crystal has an orderly, internal pattern of atoms, with a distinctive way of locking new atoms into that pattern to repeat it again and again. The internal arrangement of atoms determines the minerals' chemical and physical properties, including color. Gems are mineral crystals that have been cut and polished. Although almost any of the four thousand kinds of minerals can be cut into gemstones, in practice, most gems used in jewelry come from only about 15 different minerals. Many of the important gem minerals seen in today's market - aquamarine, tourmaline, and topaz, among others - come from an unusual type of rock known as a pegmatite. Gem-bearing pegmatites are crystalline igneous rocks that are distinguished by their large-size crystals, concentrations of certain chemical elements otherwise rare in the earth's crust, and various unusual minerals. To society cut and processed gems and minerals possess a high economic value but what is the value to science? What type of research questions do Mineralogists answer?
Topic: Gems, Meteorites, Rocks and Ores
The modern meteorite collection began in 1870 and now numbers more than 17,000 specimens of more than 9,250 distinct meteorites. In addition, the National Collection houses almost 7,000 polished thin sections - thin wafers of rock mounted on glass and used for studying the mineralogy and texture of the rocks. These meteorites are available for study by qualified scientific investigators. While the collection contains pieces of every type of meteorite, it is particularly strong in iron meteorites. We also have 7 of the 13 known Martian meteorites. Many of our best specimens are on exhibit in the Moon, Meteorites and Solar System Gallery of the Geology, Gems and Minerals Hall.
a) Research b) Optional Mineral Sciences Demonstrations & Workshops Sample
Prep Lab |
Sample
Analysis Demo
Location:
East Wing Basement Guide: Tim Rose (phone: 202-633-1398) Topic: The Mineral Sciences Sample Preparation Lab A
hands-on demonstration of the large saw used to section rock materials.
See how precisely you can cut!
Meeting
Location: Elevator Lobby Guide: Mineral Sciences Staff Topic: Mineral Sciences Sample Analysis Equipment A hands-on demonstration of the equipment used by Mineral Science researchers to analyze samples including the FTIR, Cathodoluminiscope (CL), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
* Saturday, 11 June 2005 * OPEN * Sunday, 12 June 2005 * OPEN * * * Week 2 Notes * * *
* * * WEEK 3 * * * * Monday, 13 June 2005 * -
- - Vertebrate Zoology - - - 9:00 - 10:45 a.m. : LECTURE - host: Intern
Topic: The Lost World: Cerro de la Neblina Crammed into a helicopter with many weeks worth of supplies the team of biologists leave Caracas for base camp in the middle of the Venezuelan jungle. In the distance, half-hidden in the fog and rain is Cerro de la Neblina, discovered in 1955(!), the fabled "mountain of the mist," a world of virtually unexplored peaks and canyons laden with scientific mysteries. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featured Neblina's tepui neighbor, Roirama, in his famous book "The Lost World." Neblina and Roirama are remnants of an ancient plateau that covered much of what is now the northern end of South America. Over millions of years, the plateau was worn down by wind and water, leaving a series of flat-topped mountains or "tepuis." Each tepui is an austere "island" marooned in a sea of lowland forest and savanna. As a result, the tepui inhabitants were isolated from the rest of the world resulting in many unique remnants from a time long since passed possessing characters which offer clues about evolution patterns and curiosities about features whose significance have yet to be learned. An RTP classic! You can't miss Roy's famous lecture about the adventures of field research, the search for (and discovery of?) living dinosaurs, and the answer to the important question: "Would you like blueberries with your oatmeal this morning?" 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. : COLLECTIONS TOUR - host: Intern
Topic:
The
US National Bird Collection
The Division of Birds houses and maintains the third largest bird collection in the world with over 640,000 specimens. The collection has representatives of about 85% of the approximately 9,600 known species in the world's avifauna. While the majority of these specimens consists of study skins, we also manage skeletal and anatomical (alcohol preserved) collections that are the largest in the world. Additional collections include egg sets, nests, and mounted skins. We are continuing to add about 1,500 specimens a year, many of them skeletons and fluid preserved anatomicals. In recent years tissues frozen in liquid nitrogen have also been preserved and are stored at the Molecular Systematics Laboratory. The Division of Birds also holds almost 4,000 type specimens upon which original taxonomic descriptions were based. 12:30 - 1:00 p.m. LUNCH BREAK
a) Research b) Optional Ornithology Demonstrations & Workshops
Topic: Feather Identification Research and The NMNH Scanning Electron Microscope Historically, rudimentary microscopy can be traced to the first century AD, but it wasn't until the 17th century that the use of glass lenses to bend light rays, and to magnify the fine details of specimens, led to recorded scientific advancement. Generally, the light microscope is limited to the observation of objects which are at least partially transparent to the beam of light and, thus, is primarily applicable to the observation of "thin" specimens. Opaque objects or specimens for which observations of surface morphology are desired may be observed under a light microscope using reflected light. However, resolution in the light microscope is limited primarily by the wave nature of light. To achieve higher resolution, an electron source is used. An electron source (TEM or SEM)emits a beam of electrons, which is focused by an electromagnetic condenser lens onto the specimen. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) utilizes a focused beam of high energy electrons that systematically scans across the surface of the specimen. The interaction of the beam with the specimen produces a large number of signals at or near the specimen surface. These low level electrons are drawn to a positively biased detector system, converted to an electronic signal, which is then portrayed on a cathode ray tube. Talk
to Carla about her research using the SEM to identify bird species based
on their feather morphology. Learn how feather identification can be a
critical tool in solving mysteries from aviation disasters to murders.
Topic: Bird Skinning and Specimen Preparation A hands-on demonstration of the techniques to prepare bird study skins for incorporation into museum collections.
* Tuesday, 14 June 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC * Wednesday, 15 June 2005 * 9:00 - 2:00 p.m. : WORKSHOP - host: Mary Sangrey
Topic: Bioethics: A conflict of interest and you're caught in the middle! Why should you care, and what would you do? http://www.nmnh.si.edu/rtp/students/2005/ethics05.html Summary: Scientists all over the world are faced each day with ethical questions regarding their research, ranging from the methods and rules of collecting specimens, the adherence to foreign laws, and to the accessibility of biologically sensitive species and specimens. As an aspiring natural history scientist, you will undoubtedly encounter ethical issues that will affect and shape the course of your own research. Becoming familiar with these issues and acquiring a sensitivity to the multidimensional nature of their implications will prove to be critical as you progress professionally. Guest speaker Dr. Lynn Clark will pose a difficult and challenging question in the framework of a real life scientific dilemma. You
will spend the day tackling this issue and engaging in interactive dialogue
on how you would handle such sensitive conflicts. Come prepared to "think
outside of the box", travel to various parts of the building to interview
staff, research particular topics, then debate your side to your fellow
students. This thought-provoking exercise will certainly test your convictions
and your ideas of where to draw the ethical line. * Thursday, 16 June 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Speaker: Rob Fleischer Evolutionary Biologist. B.A. (1978) University of California, Santa Barbara: Ph.D. (1983) University of Kansas. Research specialties: evolutionary biology, ornithology, molecular population genetics, behavioral ecology. Science Unit: Department of Zoology, Vertebrate Zoology Section. Genetics Lab. Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC * Friday, 17 June 2005 * -
- - Vertebrate Zoology - - - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. : FILM SCREENING - host: Mary Sangrey Location:
Johnson IMAX Theater Topic:
Galapagos,
in 3D IMAX One time deal! See the IMAX film, Galapagos, complements of Natural History. In this 3D film, watch the diverse tapestry of life unfold. Follow Carole Baldwin on her first expedition to to Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. Also included in the film is NMNH scientist, Dave Pawson. On land, come face-to-face with giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and unusual birds that have evolved into splendid oddities of nature. Under water, meet new species of marine life and explore caverns buried beneath the sea. 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. : LECTURE - host: Intern
Topic: Conversations with Scientists, including the making of an IMAX Film - Galapagos Join us for a lecture by Dr. Carole Baldwin, ichthyologist, and star of the IMAX File "Galapagos." Learning to effectively communicate research to general audiences is not just a researchers' tool - it's a necessity to survival in today's scientific community. Securing funding to pursue pure research topics is no longer "easy" and "free of obligation." Most often major funders for research, such as foundations and corporations, are not experienced scientists. Explaining why the research is important, understanding the broad scope of how the results could benefit other science disciplines and human resources, and utilizing different media to share scientific insights is not a goal of the future but today's reality. Even the National Science Foundation - the major funding agency for curiosity-driven research in the science, mathematics, engineering and technology fields - requires each funded investigator to provide general audience summaries of the research supported and to elaborate on its connectivity to other applications. Scientists of today must be creative to succeed! To do so many scientists are turning the tables on the traditional methods of pursuing research endeavors. Instead of seeking funding solely for their scholarly research, they are working with exhibit designers and media producers on made-for-the public products such as exhibitions, films, and electronic web-based products. By doing so they often earn all-expense paid trips to research destinations and access to state-of-the-art equipment. The successful are sought after, as expert advisors, instead of experts desperately seeking funds. The 3-D IMAX film GALAPAGOS about biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands stars Ichthyologist and NMNH researcher, Dr. Carole Baldwin. Although at times tedious, participating in the film project provided Carole "an all-expense paid collecting opportunity and the chance to make collections from a submersible." During the filming she discovered many new species of fish, especially deep-water fishes taken from the Johnson Sea Link submersible but what compromises did she have to accept? How did she get this opportunity? Talk to Carole and learn her insights into conducting research as part of made-for-the-public initiatives. Web Links 11:00 a.m. - noon: COLLECTION TOUR - host: Intern
Topic: The US National Fish Collection
The fish collection was established in the mid 1800's, with the first entry in the specimen catalog ledgers recorded on December 15, 1856, for a sucker, Catostomus hudsonius, collected by S.F. Baird at Lake George, New York, in 1850. The fish collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History today contains more than 500,000 lots (a lot being all the specimens of a particular species collected at a particular place at a particular time). Approximately 16,700 lots are type specimens, that is, those specimens that form the basis for species descriptions. With an estimated number of 8 million specimens, the Smithsonian collection is the largest of its kind in the world, both in terms of quantity and diversity of coverage. See many different specimens from the Division of Fishes collections including cleared and stained specimens, interesting species from the ocean depths, and the NMNH coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae - a rare and ancient fish known only from the fossil record until a living specimen was collected off the coast of South Africa in 1938. Noon
- 1:00 p.m.
: LUNCH
BREAK
Topic: The US National Amphibian and Reptile Collection
The Division of Amphibians and Reptiles is the smallest but one of the fastest growing of the four divisions in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology. The collections include about 525,000 catalogued alcoholic specimens, including over 230,000 salamanders, 125,000 frogs, 100,000 lizards, 45,000 snakes plus caecilians, crocodilians, amphisbaenians, turtles, and the tuatara. The collection also includes histological microscope slides; dry or skeletal specimens; "lots" of larval specimens; and cleared and stained specimens. * Saturday, 18 June 2005 * OPEN
* Sunday, 19 June 2005 * OPEN * * * Week 3 Notes * * *
* * * WEEK 4 * * * * Monday, 20 June 2005 *
* Tuesday, 21 June 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH Option: noon - 1:00 p.m. NMNH ALL SCIENTISTS LUNCH
Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC * Wednesday, 22 June 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - noon : RESEARCH
Topic: The Quest for a Bright Future: options and insights for graduate study and funding. Get the scoop from the experts. Join former RTP participant, and now graduate student, Elisa Maldonado, as well as other graduate students at NMNH for a personal and candid discussion about securing a graduate education, selecting the best school, what to look for in a graduate advisor, and how to find funding to support your graduate studies. Not quite ready for graduate school? The RTP is just one of many Research Experiences for Undergraduates sites located across the country. If you have other summers available before undergraduate graduation you may want to consider spending next summer at another REU site. Learn about the features at other sites and the goals and objectives of the REU program. Also, learn about other NSF programs for students. It's not too early to begin thinking about graduate school and submitting applications for graduate fellowships. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program offers three-year graduate research fellowships in science, mathematics, and engineering. Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, and behavioral social sciences, including the history of science and the philosophy of science, and to research-based Ph.D. degrees in science education. Web Links: http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/dge/programs/grf/ Web Sites to Other Fellowship Opportunities Federal NASA's Graduate Student Researchers Program National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Department of Energy/Oak Ridge Institute for Science & Education Graduate Programs National Research Service Awards Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Predoctoral Fellowships Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships Minority Academic Institutions (MAI) Fellowships Non-Federal Graduate Student Fellowships listed by the Graduate School of North Carolina State University Graduate Fellowship Initiative at the University of Florida National Academy of Sciences: A Career Planning Center for Beginning Scientists and Engineers Fellowship Opportunities for Students Underrepresented in Graduate Education at Indiana University-Bloomington Funding Opportunities at the Community of Science Science Wise is the largest and most updated database of research and education funding opportunities. Yahoo listing of financial aid organizations Home page of The Foundation Center: serving the information needs of grantseekers and grantmakers Foundations Online: A Directory of Charitable Grantmakers The Financial Aid Information Page: free, comprehensive, independent, and objective guide to student financial aid -- check out FastWEB. College Board's scholarship search Grantsnet: Funding Opportunities for Training in the Medical and Biological Sciences U.S. and International University Home Pages Directory (includes catalogs) International Education Financial Aid
* Thursday, 23 June 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
*
Friday, 24 June 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH * Saturday, 25 June 2005 * OPEN Option: 6:00 p.m. : FIELD TRIP
Topic: Insect Collecting Join
USDA entomologist John Brown and others for an evening on Plumbers Island
collecting insects, featuring the black light method.
* Sunday, 26 June 2005 * OPEN * * * Week 4 Notes * * *
* * * WEEK 5 * * * * Monday, 27 June 2005 * -
- - Entomology - - - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. : LECTURE - host: Intern
Topic: The Evolution of Agriculture in Ants Roughly 50 million years ago in South America, a lone species of ant abandoned its primitive hunter-gatherer ways and, in a unique event in ant evolution, adopted an agrarian lifestyle. Entering into a partnership with a parasol mushroom, these agricultural pioneers learned to weed, manure and propagate their fungal crops, ensuring a reliable source of food. From this innovative ancestral stock arose the ant group Attini, of which there are now about 210 species. The Attini include the well-known leaf-cutting ants, in which the association (or "symbiosis") between ants and fungi has become enormously successful. Colonies of some Atta species may contain eight million ants, with the collective biomass of an adult cow. The leaf-cutters have been known since earliest times - they are mentioned, for instance, in the Popul Vuh, the creation myth of the Central American Mayan civilization (300 - 900 AD). But the reason for cutting leaves was long misunderstood, and biologists have vastly underestimated the true extent of this non-human agricultural symbiotic association. Join Ted as he discusses the evolution of agriculture in ants, the discovery of a third member in this ant-fungus partnership, and his ongoing research.
Topic: The Ant Colony Join Ted on a tour of his research laboratory featuring living colonies of fungus growing ants.
Topic: The US National Entomological Collections
Insects are the dominant group of animals on the earth today. They have been around since the Devonian (350 millions years) and comprise about 80% of all animal life, including about 1 million described species. Scientists estimate that as many as 10-30 million species may still be undiscovered and undescribed! The National Entomological Collections are comprised of about 29 million specimens (although this number is a major SWAG) including all orders of insects (with three body segments, three pairs of legs, and a pair of antennae) and arachnids (with two body segments, four pairs of legs, and no antennae or wings). The collection is the largest in the Western Hemisphere and among the top 4-5 in the world. More than 200 researchers, students, and postdocs from around the world visit the collection each year. The majority of the collection is in a modern facility featuring mechanical compactors and new steel cabinets - very state-of-the-art. Our tour will emphasize Coleoptera (beetles), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), and Arachnida (spiders). For those entomophobes among you, don't worry...everything is dead!
* Tuesday, 28 June 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Location: National Mall
Option 2: noon - 1:00 p.m. NMNH ALL SCIENTISTS LUNCH
Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC *
Wednesday, 29 June 2005 * noon - 1:00 p.m. : LUNCH DISCUSSION - host: Mary Sangrey
Topic: Communicating research results through publication. Scientific paper, monograph, book or popular article - how do you determine the best means to communicate research results? Are all scientific journals the same? How important is publishing in a "peer reviewed" journal. What determines "co-authorship" compared to "acknowledgment." Do the "rules" change as you progress from undergraduate to graduate student to post doc to career tenure? NMNH researchers from different science disciplines, and with differing views, will discuss their experiences on where, when, and how to publish research results. Each panelist will present a short (5 minutes) review of their area of specialty. The panel, as a group, will then address common questions through a 15 minute question/answer discussion. The session will conclude with panelists dividing into specific work groups for individual questions and discussions. * Thursday, 30 June 2005 *
noon - 1:00 p.m. NMNH ALL INTERN LUNCH
Speaker: TBA Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC * Friday, 1 July 2005 * -
- - Invertebrate Zoology - - - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. : LECTURE - host: Intern
Topic: Life in the Great Ocean Depths We have thoroughly explored less than 50 of the approximately 200,000 square miles of deep sea on this planet. Every dive to the deep seabed in research submersibles reveals exciting new animals and new geological features; we need to conduct more exploratory research, especially in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. We know that the deep sea is an important component of the great engine that drives the Earth's climate, but we understand little of the mechanisms involved. We also know that the deep sea is populated by a rich diversity of bizarre animals, some of them of value as food. Orange roughy, sea bass, squid are being fished almost to the point of extinction because we don't understand enough about their biology to form the basis for a sustainable fishery. The mineral resources of the deep sea are also poorly known. Come learn about Dave's discoveries exploring the deep sea, including mermaids (?), sea serpents (?) and other monsters (?) - - - well, maybe. 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. : COLLECTION TOUR - host: Staff
The collections are divided into four main groups: Crustacea, Echinoderms and Lower Invertebrates, Mollusks, and Worms. The Crustacean collection spans across 6.5 miles of shelving and counts as the world's largest by number of specimens. The collection is comprised of 551,565 lots of specimens and about 24,000 lots of type-specimens. Of the 5,252+ currently known genera of Crustacea, the collection includes representatives of over 4,800 of them. The crayfish collection is especially noteworthy, considered one of the most extensive in the world. The Echinoderms and
Lower Invertebrates collection includes sponges, corals, octocorals, echinoids,
and holothuroids. Among the important older collections held here are
the freshwater sponges gathered by N. Gist Gee, corals collected by the
US Exploring Expedition, and Echinoderms and Coelenterates obtained by
vessels of the US Fish Commission. Type-specimen lots count: Echinoderms
3,860; Coelenterates 4,208; Porifera/Protozoa 2,808; and Tunicates 430. The Mollusk collection holds more than 300,000 lots of specimens collected from localities all over the world. Of particular note, the collection includes more than 13,000 type-specimens lots; gastropods and bivalves of North America; Indo-Pacific marine fauna; worldwide Cephalopoda; and Antarctic Ocean fauna. The Worm collection includes more than 8,700 type specimens. On this tour you can meet "Grandma Moses" a 8" long leech from Guyana, deep sea isopods, hydrothermal vent creatures plus learn the real answer to who really controls the climate of the globe.
Topic: The US National Mammal Collection
The Division of Mammals holds some of the most important collections of mammals in the world, including skins, skulls, skeletons, and fluid-preserved specimens. With roughly 580,000 voucher specimens and 3,500 primary types, it is by far the world's largest, nearly twice the size of the next largest mammal collection. The taxonomic and geographic scope of the collection spans the globe, with especially strong representation from North America, Central America, northern South America, Africa, and southeast Asia. The
collection includes many historically important specimens. The oldest
originated from the activities of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, dating
from 1838-1842, and the personal collection of Spencer Fullerton Baird
(the second Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution), also from the 1840s.
In addition, the Smithsonian African Expedition acquired many specimens
from east Africa (1909-1911), some of which were collected by former President
Theodore Roosevelt. * Saturday, 2 July 2005 * OPEN
* Sunday, 3 July 2005 * OPEN *
* * Week 5 Notes * * * * * * WEEK 6 * * * * Monday, 4 July 2005 *
* Tuesday, 5 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC
* Wednesday, 6 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Topic: Getting Started: preparing power point presentations and lessons in Photoshop Learn how to prepare a power point presentation and then how to easily transform your slides into a poster format. During the session you'll also learn answers to some of the common questions including: Is it possible to get a second copy of my poster? What is the deadline for posting the file on the shared drive for printing the poster? Will I get a proof of the poster before it's printed? What size should/will the poster be? When will I get my printed poster so I can post it in the rotunda. Can I keep my poster? Can my advisor keep the poster? If I can't make it to the session today, will you answer these questions anyway for me? (hint, I would attend the session to find out the answer to this one!)
For more examples of presentation posters from last year, visit the RTP '04 Virtual Poster Session.
* Thursday, 7 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH Option: noon - 1:00 p.m. NMNH ALL INTERN LUNCH
Speaker: TBA Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC * Friday, 8 July 2005 * -
- - Anthropology - - - 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. : LECTURE - host: Intern
Topic: The First People in the Americas Clovis are thought to be the first people into the New World, (North America) via Siberia. But when you look at the archeology of Siberia, which we have now had ample opportunity to do in the last few years, there really is not much in Siberia that is a direct Clovis predecessor. Consequently, Dr. Stanford's evidence points toward Clovis as a New World invention and developed from a population of people that were already in North America. But if Clovis develop in Southeast North America, who did Clovis develop from? When did that happen? And where did those people come from? Was it Siberia or was it someplace else?
Meeting
Location: Academic Resources Center
- ARC Tour Guide: Dennis Stanford Topic: The Stone Tools Collection Join Dennis on a tour of his research laboratory featuring many of the stone tools and clovis points discussed during the lecture.
* Saturday, 9 July 2005 * OPEN
* Sunday, 10 July 2005 * OPEN * * * Week 6 Notes * * *
* * * WEEK 7 * * * * Monday, 11 July 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH * Tuesday, 12 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC
* Wednesday, 13 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH * Thursday, 14 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH Option: noon - 1:00 p.m. : NMNH ALL INTERN LUNCH
Speaker: TBA Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC
* Friday, 15 July 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Location: National Air & Space Museum * Saturday, 16 July 2005 * OPEN * Sunday, 17 July 2005 * OPEN
*
* * Week 7 Notes * * * Although it may seem that you're just getting into your research, NOW is the time to be:
* * * WEEK 8 * * * * Monday, 18 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
* Tuesday, 19 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC
* Wednesday, 20 July 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH * Thursday, 21 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Speaker: TBA Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC
* Friday, 22 July 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH * Saturday, 23 July 2005 *
* Sunday, 24 July 2005 * OPEN * * * Week 8 Notes * * *
* * * WEEK 9 * * * * Monday, 25 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH * Tuesday, 26 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC * Wednesday, 27 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
*
Thursday, 28 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH Option: noon - 1:00 p.m. NMNH ALL INTERN LUNCH
Speaker: TBA Location:
Academic Resources Center - ARC * Friday, 29 July 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
* Saturday, 30 July 2005 * Open
* Sunday, 31 July 2005 * Open
* * * Week 9 Notes * * * Week
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Week 7 * * * WEEK 10 * * * * Monday, 1 August 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : RESEARCH
* Tuesday, 2 August 2005 * 9:00 a.m. - noon : RESEARCH Location:
Academic Resources Center Moderator: Mary Sangrey Director, Research Training Program (phone: 202-633-4548). Topic: The Year 2006 Program - "your" ideas Here is an opportunity to share ideas and experiences with RTP staff concerning the design and content of the '05 RTP. Topics to be addressed include: activities and events that were particularly outstanding; projects and advisors that were particularly successful; and suggestions and comments for curriculum improvements, status of the financial award, and the selection process. Oh, and did we mention lunch is on us - - - PIZZA!
* Wednesday, 3 August 2005 * 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m. : PROJECT CLEARANCE
* Thursday, 4 August 2005 * 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. : STAFF POSTER SESSION - host: Mary Sangrey Location: NMNH Third Floor Rotunda Sponsor: Topic: Research Poster Presentations
Location:
Director's Office Speakers: Dr. Cristián Samper, Director, National Museum of Natural History Topic: Closing Reception A formal gathering of residents from the NMNH community plus members from funding organizations.
* Friday, 5 August 2005 * 7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. : PROGRAM CLEARANCE Schedule a 15 minute exit meeting to turn in necessary information and close your appointment.
* Saturday, 6 August 2005 * 10:00 a.m. Mandatory apartment check-out * * * Week 10 Notes * * *
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Week 7 PENDING DATE:
Topic: Searching for Human Origins in the Field Join Rick Potts in an exploration of life at his field site, Olorgesailie, in southwestern Kenya. With slides and stories, Dr. Potts will explain his research into paleoenvironments and hominin evolution through the Human Origins Program, which he started in 1985. The Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian is dedicated to understanding the biological and cultural foundations of human life. The two key objectives follow the fundamental goals of the Smithsonian Institution: to advance scientific knowledge through continuing, cutting-edge research, and to create the opportunity for public access to this knowledge. His talk will include insights from last field season, when the first hominin fossils were discovered at the sight. The frontal and left temporal bone represent the smallest adult Homo erectus yet found, and fills an important temporal gap in the African fossil record. |
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A
full day of tours at the Museum Support Center (MSC) will be featured
in Week 1.
10:00
a.m. - 6:00 p.m. : Apartment check-in
Location:
Director's Office
Pizza
for lunch is being provided for everyone attending!
The
Calvert Cliffs region is also home to two Federally threatened species
of tiger beetle; Cicindela dorsalis dorsalis (Northeastern Beach
Tiger Beetle) and Cicindela puritana (
The
National Rock and Ore Collections are divided into subcollections, and
the specimens within each are indexed and retrievable by lithology, locality,
museum catalog number, metal/commodity, or volcano name when appropriate,
and many are retrievable by original field number and donor name. Many
are mentioned specifically in publications, have thin sections available,
and/or include a chemical analysis in the database. Because the collection
is always expanding, the subcollection number estimates are subject to
change. The subcollections include: Locality, Volcanological Reference,
Ore, Seafloor Rocks, Ultramafic Xenoliths, Petrographic Reference, Lithologic
Reference, Petrologic Features, Island Rocks, Building Stones, Fulgurites,
Impactites, Drill Cores.
The
U.S. National Meteorite Collection is one of the largest and one of the
best museum-based collections of meteorites in the world. James Smithson,
who donated the funds for the founding of the Smithsonian Institution,
was a chemist and mineralogist by training and his original collection
included meteorites. Regrettably, these samples were lost in an early
fire. 
From
looking at the artifactual evidence we now have from North America and
from Northeast Asia as well as the physical remains, it's very clear that
we are looking at multiple migrations through a very long time period
- of many different peoples of many different ethnic origins that came
in at different times. Some of these people probably survived, some of
them may have gone back home and some of them probably did not survive.
By studying recently discovered skeletal remains particularly the DNA
and the morphological differences and similarities, we'll be able to figure
out how many groups there were and from where they came. 
Option:
3:00
- 4:00 p.m.
SMITHSONIAN ALL INTERN SOCIAL
