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Research
Training Program
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Highlights
from 2006
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Smithsonian
Institution
National Museum of Natural History
Research
Training Program
Photo
Gallery
2006
Planning
the Summer
RTP
Class of '06
Application Review & Selection
Gene
Hunt, Jun Wen and Ashleigh Smythe
reading, reviewing and scoring RTP '06
application documents.
The
RTP '06 selection process followed a multi-step
process involving a host of volunteer
reviewers including former RTP participants.
The process began with a pre-screening
of all application documents. Next a review
and scoring stage to identify finalists
was planned. Still without our on-line
electronic system, the application review
was conducted using paper documents and
staff on-site. This year very few completed
application documents had been received
two weeks prior to the traditional RTP
application deadline of February 1 so
the application deadline was extended
to February 15th and the RTP review panel
decided to eliminate the external review
and scoring phase, but instead the seven
member team personally reviewed and identified
finalists from their represented discipline.
The RTP '06 reviewers included:
Pre-screening:
Elisa Maldonado (RTP '00) & Lynn Copes
(RTP '04)
RTP
Selection Panel:
Anthropology: Lairie Burgess (and Lynn
Copes)
Botany: Jun Wen
Entomology: Ted Schultz
Invertebrate Zoology: Ashleigh Smythe
Mineral Sciences: Tim McCoy
Paleobiology: Gene Hunt
Vertebrate Zoology: Neal Woodman
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Application
Review & Selection
Once
an RTP applicant himself and now a panelist
on the selection committee deciding who
will join the RTP Class of '06, the review
process was particularly interesting,
and rewarding, to Gene Hunt, recently
hired research scientist in Paleobiology
and a former RTP participant about ten
years prior - 1995. Gene had applied at
least once before being offered a position
in the RTP. Inspiration to those students
not selected this year (try again!), and
inspiration to students in the RTP Class
of '06 - where will you be in 10 years?
Any aspiring NMNH scientists among the
group? Check back in 2016.
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Pre-visit
25
April 2006
Preview of the summer
to come:
RTP intern Erin Saupe (left) stopped by
the Museum Tuesday, 25 Apr 06 with her
professor Larry Davis during their vist
to DC as part of the Council on Undergraduate
Research "Posters on the Hill"
session.
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Opening
Registration
& Project Orientation
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30 May 2006
Registration
29
May 2006
Welcome
RTP Class of '06!
Let's begin your adventure.
Each
RTP session traditionally begins
on Memorial Day Monday with
students arriving to the Constitution
Avenue Lobby before the Museum
opens to the public. A brief
orientation to the building
is provided, a "get to
know each other " session,
and of course the necessary
filling in of multiple pages
of required paper forms (afterall,
Smithsonian is a Federal agency
and what's a Federal agency
without multiple copies of paper
forms . . . ).
This
year, as part of the "get
to know each other" session
students were asked to name
something not already included
in the RTP schedule of events
or other planned activities
but an aspect of the Museum
which they hoped to learn more
about, see, or do during their
summer with us. The list:
-
Tour
of the exhibits
- Discussion
with exhibit designers about
how ideas become exhibits
- Discussion
about jobs available at the
Smithsonian
- Discussion
about how NMNHadministratively
fits into the Smithsonian system
- Discussion
about how to develop partnerships
between the Smithsonian and
student's home university
- Discussion
focused on ethics, as related
to specimens on display
- Discussion
with individual scientists about
their research and how they
manage their research programs
- Discussion
about the Museum's visitor services
and opportunities for RTP students
to volunteer their time contributing
to sharing science with the
public (e.g. the cart program)
- Tour
of the ethnology collections
- Field
trip to the Smithsonian Environmental
Research Center (SERC)
- Workshop
on archaeology conservation
techniques
- Workshop
on bird skinning
- Discussion
with the Museum Director about
NMNH strategic goals, mission
and organization
- Discussion
about how to become a NMNH scientist
- Discussion
about collections management,
on a "Smithsonian"
scale
- Field
trip to learn and do insect
collecting techniques
- Discussion
focused on collecting ethics
- Workshop
on insect pinning
- Tour
of the collections and facilities
at the Museum Support Center
- Field
trip to demonstrate other techniques
such as small mammal trapping,
bird mist netting, etc.
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Registration
29
May 2006
All
smiles!
Was
the highlight of the day the
"Visiting Scientist"
badges, with their bright blue
lanyards, that magically open
the "research only"
doors, or the discoveries behind
those doors?
The
quiet Memorial Day Monday also
provided an opportunity for
students to explore the research
and collections areas, finding
their offices and key meeting
locations, without the distraction
of a full complement of staff.
A
special treat this year, former
RTP student, now graduate student
at Arizona State University
- Lynn Copes (RTP '04)- joined
the registration session offering
personal insight into what to
anticipate. Lynn also gave the
students a quick look at some
of the mammal specimens she's
studying as part of her visit,
as well as the vast mammal collections:
from primates to bats to rats.
On a dark and quiet weekend
there's nothing like finding
the cabinets and drawers of
the "largest rat"
specimens!
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See
More . . . Event Photo Gallery from
Registration 
RTP
Fun
Juan
Andres Martinez, Nick Rasmussen
and Jorge Alvarez
Before RTP photo. Check back
in 2 years for the "after'
shot.
With
127 million specimens, six
floors on the East Wing, six
floors in the West Wing, three
floors in the Main part of
the building, seven floors
in the East Court, plus and
attics and basements, there
is a summers worth of behind-the-scenes
areas for RTP to explore at
the Natural History Building.
But that's not all. RTP students
are provided 24/7 access to
the entire Museum, which means
the opportunity to see the
public exhibits before regular
guests arrive and in the evening
after the Museum closes to
the public. An opportunity
students take advantage of
from day one.
Here,
students explore the Paleo
exhibits. Standing in front
of the The Life in the Ancient
Sea reef exhibit, are we looking
at extinction? Certainly not!
Although this is one of the
exhibits that will be lost
when the new Ocean Hall is
constructed, the concepts
and some of the specimens
will reappear in the new hall.
Equally, Juan Andres, Nick
and Jorge plan to be part
of the Museum community for
a long time to come - and
plan reunions at the Museum
many times in the future,
including securing that valued
invitation to the Ocean Hall
opening party, September 2008!
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Group
Photo
30
May 2006
RTP
Class of '06
Front
row (left to right): Nick
Rasmussen, Matthew Oreska,
Katie Faust, Erin Saupe, Alisa
O'Connor, Sara Marsteller,
Juan Andres Martinez, Paige
Hamilton, Kim Vann
Back
row (left to right): Sylvia
Moses, Maya Strahl, Emily
Armguardt, Jayme Job, Megan
Ennis, Julia Brown, Sheena
Ketchum, Jorge Alvarez, Caleb
McMahan, Bryan Cockrell, and
Madison Barkley.
RTP
'06 Staff
Elisa Maldonado
& Mary Sangrey
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See
More . . . Event Photo Gallery from
the Group Photo
Smithsonian
Identification Credentials
30
May 2006
The
first of many adventures, RTP students
enter Smithsonian's Arts & Industries
Building headed to room 1488Aa to see
"Shirley" and obtain their Smithsonian
photo ID.
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Smithsonian
Identification Credentials
30
May 2006
The
Arts and Industries Building was the original
home of Smithsonian's National Museum.
Designed in a High Victorian style by
the Washington architectural firm of Cluss
and Schulze, it opened in 1881 in time
for the inaugural ball of President James
A. Garfield. The building's exhibition
halls are currently closed in preparation
for renovation and restoration but RTP
students couldn't help but admire the
grand architecture, high ceilings and
beautifully crafted marble floors and
wooden doors.
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Smithsonian
Identification Credentials
30
May 2006
The
excitement of anticipation, students waited
in line to be photographed for their Smithsonian
photo ID!
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Smithsonian
Identification Credentials
30
May 2006
Eager
anticipation waned as realization set
in of just how long it takes to process
20 photo ID badges. But, standing in line,
for almost everything, is a Washington
reality.
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Smithsonian
Identification Credentials
30
May 2006
Erin
Saupe and Alisa O'Connor sporting big
smiles, and their new purple Smithsonian
ID badge with thin blue "Internship
Programs" lanyard.
Among
the many perks of a Smithsonian photo
ID badge (e.g. one free ticket to see
an IMAX film each week, 20% discount at
Smithsonian shops) is a free ride on the
carrousel - often the first thing interns
do after receiving their ID badge.
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Smithsonian
Identification Credentials
30
May 2006
More
RTP smiling faces about to take their
first (of many) carrousel ride:
Jorge Alvarez, Sylvia Moses, Katie Faust,
Kim Vann, Caleb McMaan, Maya Strahl, Nick
Rasmussen and Bryan Cockrell.
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RTP
Moments
Jayme
Job, Sheena Ketchum, and Paige Hamilton
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Opening
Reception
30
May 2006
An
opening reception was held in the ARC
for advisors and students meet each other,
discuss project topics, and coordinate
events. The '06 RTP opening reception
may not have been the grand and catered,
in-the-Director's-Office all-Museum extravagent
event that traditionally has opened previous
RTP sessions, but the '06 students and
advisors enjoyed the simple snacks and
relaxed atmosphere - a great way to start
our summer!
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See
More . . . Event Photo Gallery from the Opening
Reception
Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
Matthew
Oreska will spend the summer investigating
vertebrate microfossils from the Cloverly
Formation, including tiny mammal teeth.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
This
box contains a sampling of the fossil
specimens Matthew will be studying.
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Project
Orientation
Jayme
Job and Alisa O'Connor survey the pipestone
collection stored at the Museum Support
Center in Suitland, Maryland.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
Megan
Ennis will be spending the summer investigating
a tuff ring recently discovered on Mars,
but here she gets her first look at the
meteorite collection with her research
advisor, Tim McCoy, who provided a quick
introduction to meteorite types including
this, very heavy, specimen of an iron
meteorite.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
The
U.S. National Meteorite Collection is
one the largest and among the best museum-based
collections of meteorites in the world,
particularly strong in iron meteorites.
The collection includes over 40,000 meteorite
samples representing about 13,000 different
meteorites, including important named
specimens, as well as meteorites from
the Moon and Mars, including 7 of the
approximately 30 known Martian meteorites.
The collection has over 7,000 polished
thin sections and contains pieces of every
type of meteorite.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
With
it's black encrusted exterior Megan correctly
guessed that this was a meteorite but
had difficulty determining it's origin.
She was overwhelmed to learn that she
was actually holding a piece of Mars!
Of the approximately 24,000 meteorites
that have been discovered on Earth, only
34 have been identified as originating
from the planet Mars - on her first day
at the Museum Megan got to hold one!
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
Jorge
Alvarez will study Permian age mudstone
beds (called redbeds) looking for signs
of insect damage on plant fossils. Before
beginning his survey some fossils needed
to be organized into the drawers.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
Katie
Faust will work with Terry Chesser looking
at morphological and genetic variation
in six subspecies of bird, commonly called
the Long-winged Antwren, but known to
science as Myrmotherula
longipennis.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
Found
in the Amazon basin, morphological variation
in Katie's specimens (subspecies of Myrmotherula
longipennis) is odvious but will the
molecular data, specifically sequences
from the mitochondrial gene ND3, offer
evidence for clinal variation within a
single taxon or offer supported evidence
for separation of subspecies?
Check
back in nine weeks for the results.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
Tucked
away in the Natural History Building attic,
four floors above the Rotunda elephant,
Paige Hamilton (right) can be found working
with her advisors Erin Waxenbaum and Dave
Hunt learning how to look for and recognize
skeletal evidence of infection due to
tuberculosis on the ribs and spine of
individuals from the Terry Collection.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
Nested
away in Natural History's West Wing, on
the Second floor amid the half a million
specimens in the Museum's Amphibian and
Reptile collection, Caleb McMahan will
spend his RTP summer studying differentiation
in populations of the gecko Hemidactylus
from Myanmar.
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Project
Orientation
30
May 2006
Three
floors above Caleb, on the Fifth floor
Maya Strahl will work with data from specimens
in the Compositae family to plot information
about biogeography in the Guyana shield
region of South America.
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ARC
Angels?
31
May 2006
Lynn
Copes, Maya Strahl, Alisa O'Connor and
Jayme Job
When asked what do you hope for most this
summer they answered, that the m&m
basket always be full, of course. . .
and that there be no blue ones.
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Anthropology
Day
2
June 2006
Anthropology
Day
Lecture
2
June 2006
RTP
lectures do not "teach" students
about a particular topic but instead provide
a forum for Smithsonian scientists to
share their research investigations and
provide insight into interesting topics
within a specific discipline.
Anthropology
Day featured the work of Dennis Stanford
who has devoted his career to studying
early American prehistory. Currently a
very "hot" topic in anthropology
- who were the first people in the Americas?
The work of Dennis and his colleagues
may re-write the text books.
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See
More . . . Event Photo Gallery from the Athropology
Lecture
Anthropology
Day
Stone Tools Tour
2
June 2006
Dennis
Stanford introduced RTP students to the
stone tool collection.
Locked
away in cabinets in his laboratory on
the Third Floor in the main part of the
building, not far from the overlook to
the rotunda elephant can be found the
stone tool collection, totaling approximately
10,000 objects. The collection is the
finest of its kind in the world and includes
actual specimens as well as casts made
from an apoxy resin designed to exactly
mimic the original.
The
collection includes Paleoindian stone
tools (those roughly older than 10,000
years), mainly from North America, used
by ice age hunters. The tools include
drills, scrapers, gravers, projectile
points and atlatl from the Clovis and
Folsom Period. A common misconception,
the collection does not include any "arrowhead"
points - these date to only about 2,000
years old.
Amid
the most interesting and famous, the collection
includes a cast set of pre-Clovis tools
from the Meadowcroft (Pennsylvania) and
Cactus Hill (Virginia) sites.
Considered
among the most beautiful set in the collection
are those from the "Drake Cache"
from Colorado. Many of these points are
made of Alibates, an exotic chert found
in the region of the Texas panhandle.
Cache sites are suspected burials where
several Clovis artifacts have been found
in a group. The
Drake Cache includes thirteen clovis points
found in a cultivated field in northeastern
Colorado. They were first discovered by
Orvel Drake in 1978 and have become known
as the Drake Cache, consisting of spear
points and ivory fragments of finished
projectile points.
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See
More . . . Event Photo Gallery from the Stone
Tools Tour
Anthropology
Day
Mummy Vault Tour & What the Bones
Can Tell Demo
2
June 2006
RTP
photo of the summer?
At least the most remembered
and the most mentioned!
Skeletal
remains, either those from an archeological
site, recent discovery, or forensic case
can provide exceptional detail about the
person, how they lived, and often how
they died. Examination of the bones can
often reveal the persons sex, age, ethnicity,
even characteristic such as left handed
or right handed, and diseases and ailments.
Using
cast models, Dave Hunt demonstrates the
key difference in the pelvis of males
and females - the female is positioned
wider to allow a fetus to pass through
the birthing canal.
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See
More . . . Event Photo Gallery from the Mummy
Tour & Demo
RTP
Moments
2
June 2006
Bryan
Coeckrell, Matthew Oreska, and Erin Saupe
Second visit to the carrousel.
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RTP
Moments
2
June 2006
Bryan
Cockrell
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RTP
Moments
2
June 2006
Erin
Saupe
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Scientist
Cliffs Field Trip Day
3
June 2006
Scientist
Cliffs Field Trip Day
3
June 2006
Students
search the interface between sand and
surf hoping to be the one who finds the
largest shark tooth. Who did? Click
here to find out.
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. They
are considered the best marine Miocene
(Miocene Epoch, 25 million to 6.5 million
years ago) deposit in the world.
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See
More . . . Event Photo Gallery from the Field
Trip
RTP
Moments
4
June 2006
Sunday
morning, sequestered in the ARC, Emily
Armgardt takes her Organic Chemistry final.
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RTP
Fun
Sara
Marsteller, Elisa Maldonado, Sheena Ketchum,
and Paige Hamilton
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Paleobiology
Day
Springer Collection Tour
5
June 2006
He
never met a crinoid he didn't like . .
. former RTP participant (RTP Class of
'96) now NMNH postdoctoral fellow, Dr.
Forest Gahn shares his enthusiasm for
crinoids and great appreciation and admiration
for the scientific and historical value
of the Springer Collection, named for
lawyer and scientist Frank Springer.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Springer
Collection Tour
Paleobiology
Day
Paleobotany Tour
5
June 2006
Erin
Saupe, Kim Vann, Sheena Ketchum, Alisa
O'Connor, and Megan Ennis
survey paleobotany specimens
Beginning
with Devonian land plants and concluding
with fossilized seeds and nuts, the paleoBOTANY
collections are sometimes overlook amid
the their glitzy neighbors the dinosaurs
but guided by current Paleobiology Department
Chair, Scott Wing, RTP students soon realized
that the plants tell the real biological
history of our planet and the Paleobotany
collections hold some fascinating specimens!
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Paleobotany
Tour
Paleobiology
Day
Paleozoology Tour
5
June 2006
Sheena
Ketchum, Matthew Oreska, and Juan Andres
Martinez
stand in front of the skull of Triceratops
elatus Marsh, a Late Cretaceous dinosaur.
A
bit of nomenclature. This is the holotype
of the species, T. elatus, which
is no longer recognized as a separate
species. Although the specimen is now
correctly called Triceratops horridus,
it remains the holotype of Triceratops
elatus.
This
specimen was collected 23 October 1890
in Niobrara County, Wyoming by John Bell
Hatcher, an entomologist, specifically
a lepidopterist by training. The specimen
was shipped by railcar, box 8, to Yale
University for study by O.C. Marsh who
named and published the new specimens
as a new species of Triceratops.
When the Natural History building was
build this specimen, among others, was
transferred from Yale to their home at
the Smithsonian.
This
specimen shows some interesting characteristics
including strange growths and poc marks.
Research is currently underway to determine
if these could be signs of disease or
injury.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Paleozoology
Tour
RTP
Moments
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Mineral
Sciences Day
9
June 2006
Mineral
Sciences Day
Lecture
9
June 2006
The
featured Mineral Sciences Day lecture
was suppose to be presented by Dr. Tim
McCoy but Tim was called out of town on
a family emergency so Tim's post Doctoral
student, Mariek Schmidt, stepped in to
present the topic: "Roving Mars"
and how NMNH scientists are involved in
the Mars rover project.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Mineral
Sciences Lecture
Mineral
Sciences Day
Rocks & Ores Tour
9
June 2006
Madison
Barkley holding a specimen of eclogite
from Bulfontein, South Africa.
Eclogite
is a rare, course-grained, high grade
metamorphic rock that only forms under
high temperature and pressure conditions.
Eclogite is of special interest because
it forms at pressures greater than those
typical of the crust of the Earth and
it's an unusually dense rock thus playing
an important role in driving convection
within the solid Earth.
There
are 14 discrete collections within the
National Rock and Ore Collection. These
collections together number about 265,000
catalogued and computer inventoried specimens
with an additional 50,000 specimens awaiting
curation. Large and very well documented
collections of mantle xenoliths, ocean
basin lavas, ores and edifice and eruption
keyed volcanic rocks have worldwide coverage.
Additional highlights include historically
significant collections, especially of
the United States Geological Survey specimens,
island rocks, petrologic features, petrographic
and lithologic reference collections,
building stones, and impactites. Important
collections awaiting formal accession
include the Shoemaker impactites, Yoder
mililites, Boyd and Wilshire xenoliths,
Chao and Cameron ore deposits, and the
Bateman granites.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Rocks
& Ores Tour
Mineral
Sciences Day
Meteorites Tour
9
June 2006
Pallasite Meteorite
Getting
into the Department of Mineral Science
is an adventure in itself. Coded locks,
man trap rooms, cameras, call buttons.
No one "casually" visits the
Department. And then, once in the Department,
specialized rooms for key collections,
such as the meteorites, add another layer
of checks - but once in, it's amazing!
Imagine seeing, often being able to touch
or hold extraterrestrial samples from
points across the solar system, such as
this meteorite, known as CMS 04069 - a
Pallasite meteorite. It's the largest
meteorite in the U.S. National Meteorite
Collection with a mass of 44,700 grams.
It was found in the Culmulus Range in
Antarctica in 2004.
Meteorites
are meteors have fallen to Earth from
space. They are the remains of long-dead
planets and asteroids; many or most are
believed to originate in the asteroid
belt between Mars and Jupiter, and some
are actually pieces of the planet Mars.
Pallasites
are an extremely rare class, accounting
for only about 1% of all known meteorites.
Pallasites are packed with beautiful translucent
crystals of olivine (the semi-precious
gemstone peridot) suspended in a nickel-iron
matrix, and are thought to have formed
at the core/mantle boundry of an ancient
celestial body.
Archeological
and geological evidence from various parts
of the world have led scientists to conclude
that Pallasite type meteorites were known
to prehistoric American Indians at the
time of the Hopewell era, 1,500 years
ago. The Hopewell Mound Builders found
the iron meteorites to be highly desirable
as religious symbols and excellent material
for making iron knives, ear ornaments,
chisels, buttons and beads. Although all
irons rust, meteoritic iron is mixed with
nickel, forming a steel alloy that is
extremely strong and rust-resistant.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Meteorites
Tour
Mineral
Sciences Day
Gems & Minerals Tour
9
June 2006
Contemplating
gifts for girlfriends?
Caleb McMahan, Matthew Oreska, Nick Rasmussen,
and Juan Andres Martinez listen to Mike
Wise (right) describe the gems and gem
quality minerals found in the "Blue
Room" of Mineral Sciences.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Gems &
Minerals Tour
RTP
Fun
Positioned
in Washington D.C., in addition to the
events of the Smithsonian and RTP curriculum,
students enjoy the chance to engage in
the diverse social, political and cultural
opportunities presented by the city including
sampling the variety of ethnic foods found
throughout the DC area. Here the group
tried Ethiopian cuisine.
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Field
Research
11
- 16 June 2006
Although
the RTP is an in-residence program
designed to provide maximum
exposure for students to the
Museum environment in general
and the US National collections
and facilities in particular,
a few days at a field site to
complement the research topic
often is included in RTP projects.
This week Megan Ennis (left)
joined her advisor Tim McCoy
(right) for a few days of field
work in New Mexico comparing
this tuff ring to ones recently
found on Mars.
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Botany
Day
12
June 2006
Botany
Day
Lecture
12
June 2006
Maya
Strahl and Ken Wurdack
Although
recently hired as a Research Scientist
in the Department of Botany, Ken is no
stranger to the Museum but has been part
of the NMNH "family" his entire
life. No, not, yet another RTP student
returned but the son of deceased (13 May
1998) Botany curator John Wurdack.
John was well known as a specialist in
the systematics of neotropical Melastomataceae,
preparing book-length treatments of the
family for the floras of Venezuela (1973),
Ecuador (1980), and the Guianas (1993).
He published more than 130 scientific
papers and an amazing 905 taxa of flowering
plants, including 19 genera and 701 species.
Ken
focuses his attention on the plant family,
Euphorbiaceae.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Botany
Lecture
Botany
Day
Herbarium Tour
12
June 2006
Juan
Andreas Martinez holds "Butt Nut"
Among the 4.7 million specimens in the
U.S. National Herbarium, typically the
most asked about is the Butt Nut - magically
inspiring the imagination.
Considered
the world's largest seed, weighing up
to 30 kgs, it's commonly called "Coco
de Mer" which is French for coconut
of the sea, but better known in the herbarium
by it's scientific name, Lodoicea maldivica
(J.F.Gmelin) Persoon - or - Lodoicea
callipyge Comm. and as a member of
the Arecaceae or Palmae (palm family).
These palms grow to a height of 25-34
meters and are native to the Seychelle
Islands off the coast of Africa. The species
name callipyge is from the Greek, meaning
''beautiful rump" because sailors
who first saw the double coconut floating
in the sea imagined that it resembled
a woman's buttocks.
A
bit of biology, the plants have separate
sexes with different male and female trees.
The fruit is reported to require 6-7 years
to mature and a further two years to germinate.
Although first considered to be a drift
seed, it's now known that the viable nut
is too heavy to float, and only rotted
nuts can be found on the sea surface;
this explains why the trees are limited
in range to just two islands in the Seychelles.
Until
the true source of nut was discovered
in 1768, it was believed by many to grow
on a mythical tree found at the bottom
of the sea, providing good stories and
fodder of inspiration for writers of fiction.
European
nobles in the sixteenth century would
often have the shells of these nuts cleaned
and decorated with valuable jewels as
collectibles for their private galleries.
Unfortunately, the coco de mer is now
a rare, but protected species.
While
most may call this palm Coco de Mer, RTP
groups have traditionally referenced this
as the "Butt Nut" and been more
intrigued by it's strange characteristics
than it's call to fame as the largest
seed.
|
See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Herbarium
Tour
Botany
Day
Histology Demo
12
June 2006
Included
in the histology demonstrations are opportunities
to use the rotary microtome and prepare
slides from the thin sections produced
- such as what Matthew Oreska is doing.
Embedded in paraffin, the first sections
of Commelina "ribbons"
appear having been sliced off in micron
thin sections by a razor blade knife.
Matthew then cuts them to size and mounts
them on a slide labeled with a diamond
pen.
Scientists
employ a variety of tools to help distinguish
species including morphological, molecular,
and even ecological characteristics. Critical
observations and measurements of easily
visible characters can often separate
one species from another but sometimes
additional preparation is necessary to
observe micro-characters.
Histology,
or microscopic anatomy, is the study of
small characters, often thin sectioned,
and generally observed with the aid of
some type of microscope. Many of the biological
sciences use histological techniques to
study things like animal tissues, and
in botany especially plant leaves and
flowers.
Smithsonian's
Department of Botany maintains a histology
lab as a resource for botanists, as well
as other Museum scientists, to aid in
their anatomical studies.
Why
is it important to distinguish one species
from another?
 Although
organisms may look alike to the casual
observer distinct species often not only
contain distinguishing visible features
but sometimes also have unique chemical
attributes and closely related species
often share similar attributes, while
other do not.
A
good example of how this can become important,
drawn from the investigations of the Botany
histology lab and a story with public
impact is the story of the Yew and the
anticancer drug taxol - an interesting
botanical mystery solved in Smithsonian
labs through plant taxonomy, understanding
nomenclatural relatedness, and histology.
It was long known that Native tribes in
western North America used the bark from
the Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia
Nutt) for its healing powers. In 1963,
from laboratory chemical studies researchers
at the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
demonstrated that a bark extract of Pacific
yew showed activity against certain cancer-cell
tissue cultures, and in 1966 the active
principle, taxol was isolated. But further
investigations in the 1980's were yeilding
mixed results.
Enter
NMNH plant anatomist, and systemetist,
Richard Eyde.
 Smithsonian
has maintained a long-established partnership
with the NCI program, serving as the repository
of voucher specimens for NCI investigations.
NCI chemists dropped off a sample of wood
from the specimens they had been recently
testing. Histological examination of the
wood showed that although looking like
the same plant to the chemist, the specimens
they were testing, and those not yeilding
the same results as the previous study
were not the Pacific Yew, Taxus brevifolia
but instead were Cephalotaxus manii.
Taxonomic clarification using histological
techniques helped clarify the confusion,
allowing chemists to focus their studies
on the right plant: Taxus brevifolia.
By
1988 taxol was proving to be an
effective chemotherapy for ovarian and
other cancers, including breast cancer.
However, to obtain enough bark to produce
one dose of taxol required the harvest
of three trees. Complicating the situation
is the biology of the Pacific Yew, which
is an extremely slow growing conifer that
prefers habitats not conducive to mass
cultivation; the banks of mountain streams
and in deep gorges and ravines.
An
understanding of species can also help
identify those closely related. Not only
did Eyde review the vouchers as well as
the unknown to confirm the identity of
the species, he also offered suggestions
for closely related taxa. It was then
discovered that
the closely related European yew, Taxus
baccata produced taxol in its leaves.
Not only was the European yew easily cultivated,
its leaves could be harvested sustainably.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery from the Histology
Demo
Botany
Day
Scientific Illustration Workshop
12
June 2006
Bryan
Cockrell practices using a Crowquill pen
and tracing film to "ink" a
scientific illunstration.
Although
beautiful works of art by almost any standard,
scientific illustrations are first and
foremost meant to accurately represent
the specimen being portrayed and are generally
required for publication of any new species.
In some cases, generally when the biological
material is destroyed or otherwise lost
to science, the scientific illustration
can even serve as the type of the taxon!
What's
a Type?
First
lets talk nomenclature - the formal naming
of organisms, from a scientific point
of view. Note that nomenclature is the
body of rules prescribing which name applies
to a particular taxon. Taxonomy, on the
other hand, determines what constitutes
a particular grouping (taxon).
In
nomenclature there are four basic:
1.
Effectiveness: the name must be effectively
published.
2. Validity: minimally required information
must accompany the effectively published
name. Often this includes a scientific
illustration but in some cases a photograph
is used.
3. Legitimacy: the publication of the
name may not be flawed, as in two names
for one type or one name for two types.
4. Correctness: the name must be the right
name from all those applicable to the
taxon.
The application of names is controlled
by TYPES and priority of publication determines
which name to apply. Throughout the RTP
events the term type is regularly used.
Here are type terms commonly used along
with a definition for each:
-
Holotype:
The one specimen (or illustration) used
or designated by an author as the nomenclatural
type - that specimen that serves as
the definition of the species.
-
Isotype:
Any duplicate specimen of the holotype
(either part of a single gathering or
a portion of the same individual e.g.
another branch from the same bush)
-
Paratype:
Any specimen or specimens sited in protologue
other than the holotype and isotype(s).
-
Syntype:
Any one or several specimens cited in
the protologue when no holotype is clearly
designated.
-
Lectotype:
A specimen (or illustration) selected
from original material when no clear
holotype has been indicated, or when
the holotype is missing.
-
Neotype:
A specimen designated to serve as the
nomenclatural type if the original material
is missing or destroyed.
-
Epitype:
A specimen (or illustration) selected
to serve as interpretive type when the
type material can't be critically identified
for purposes of precise application
of the name.
-
Allotype:
A designated specimen of the opposite
sex to the holotype.
-
Cotype:
This is a term previously used for either
a syntype or paratype, but the term
"cotype" is not recognized
by the Code and should not be used.
-
Hapantotype:
one or more preparations consisting
of directly related individuals representing
distinct stages in the life cycle, which
together form the name-bearing type
of an extant species.
-
Topotype:
A specimen originating from the type
locality.
Information
complements of Dan Nicolson (botanical nomenclature
expert) and with contributions from the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
|
See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery: Scientific Illustration
Workshop
Botany
Day
Plant Pressing & Mounting Discussion
12
June 2006
How
do you press a watermelon?
Sylvia
Moses, Jorge Alvarez, and Sara Marsteller
discover:
"So that's how you press a watermelon!"
The
U.S. National Herbarium holds about 4.7
million specimens. Most herbarium specimens
were first selected and collected by scientists
then pressed and preserved, brought back
to the Museum, and finally mounted on
11" x 17" sheets of acid-free
paper.
 Typically,
scientists collect plant specimens in
plastic bags or simplified field presses
and then carefully prepare each specimen
while still fresh and pliable. Samples
are systematically folded into individual
sheets of newspaper to fit the 11"
x 17" format ensuring that upper
and lower surfaces of leaves will be visible
and when ever possible the natural habit
of the plant is maintained. Large fleshy
parts, such as the fruit of a watermelon,
may be thin-sectioned or sectioned open
to reveal the interior as well as facilitate
drying. The newspapers are sandwiched
in-between absorbent "blotter"
papers and these then layered with corrugated
cardboard or aluminum to provide a firm
surface for "pressing" as well
as help channel air through the pile during
the during process. The press is then
bookended with a grate of wooden strips
and straps used to tighten and press flat
the contents.
 Large,
hard, bulky specimens; such as pinecones,
cacti, and bamboo culms may be dried whole
and stored as "bulky" specimens,
often complementing their 11" x 17"
pressed leafy companion.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery: Plant Pressing
& Mounting Discussion
Entomology Day
16
June 2006
Entomology
Day
Lecture
16
June 2006
Entomology
Day featured an inspiring talk by Sean
Brady on the different ant groups and
their social behaviors. But what facinated
RTP students the most was the bulldog
ant. Traditionally considered one of the
most primitave species of ants based on
it's habits and features, DNA analysis
uncovered that although primative, this
is not the most ancient group. These ants
are currently found almost exclusively
in Australia, of 70 species only 1 can
be found elsewhere. Captivating, these
ants have forward facing eyes and hunt
by sight, often looking directly at their
prey, including unsuspecting entomologists
studying them!
|
Entomology
Day
Ant Colony Tour
16
June 2006
Julia
Brown
studying a colony of fungus growng ants.
Although
most, not all the specimens in the Museum
are dead. In a small laboratory of the
East Court building's Fifth Floor active
colonies of several different species
of fungus growing ants are flourishing
in makeshift containers. Equivalence to
Botany's research greenhouse that maintains
live plants for on-going research observation
and study, these ant colonies are maintained
as part of the active research investigations
of Smithsonian Entomologist, Ted Schultz,
and his colleagues.
Ants
are generally highly social insects living
in colonies consisting sometimes of millions
of individuals. The fungus growing ants,
also called leaf-cutter ants, have about
200 species including those in the genus
Atta. Because they're commonly
seen carrying leaf material and other
debris it's often mistakenly believed
that they are gathering their food. Actually
the ants eat a specific fungus, generally
unique to the species, and sometimes event
the colony. The leaves and debris they
gather are, in fact, food for the fungus
colony the ants cultivate in their nest.
|
Entomology
Day
Entomology Collection Tour
16
June 2006
"Spectacular!"
Jayme Job, Jorge Alvarez and Maya Strahl
with specimens of Morpho menelaus,
commonly called the "morpho"
butterfly.
Scientists
estimate that there may be as many as
30 million different species of insects
worldwide, only about one-third of these
(10 million) have been discovered and
described. The U.S. National Entomological
Collections contain, approximately 32
million specimens representing about half
a million different species. A one afternoon
tour of the collections can't even begin
to reveal the grand diversity of this
amazing group but thanks to specially
prepared OH MY cases important, interesting
and unique taxa are easily available for
groups to see.
Morpho
butterflies belong to the group called
the Nymphalids, or brush-foot butterflies,
include about 5,000 different species,
and vary greatly in size and color but
most have upper surfaces of the wing brightly
colored while the underside of the wings
have camouflage coloring. These Morpho
butterflies live in South America and
while males are almost entirely metallic/iridescent
blue on the upper surface, females also
display the glowing blue but have more
brown along the wing edges.
|
Entomology
Day
16
June 2006
It's
wasn't just the vastness of the entomology
collections that captured the RTP student's
attention. The compactor storage system
equally found favor, fascination, and
a little fun!
Museums
in general, and the NMNH in particular,
are running out of space to store specimens.
One solution is to use "compactors"
to maximize space from the same floor
footprint, often doubling the amount of
storage available. In a compactor system
cabinets are placed on movable tracks.
Manual or electronic controls open the
aisle of cabinets to access. Safeguards
are in place to detect if something, or
someone, is in the aisle before closing.
|
Entomology
Day
16
June 2006
Fun
with compactors I
Juan Andres and Caleb McMahan,
protecting safe passage through the open
aisle for the rest of the group. . . just
in case that safeguard system doesn't
work as everybody claims.
|
Entomology
Day
16
June 2006
Fun
with compactors II
Alisa O'Connor and Caleb McMahan
Demonstrating the movable system?
|
RTP
Fun
Date
Fun
with compactors III
|
Entomology
Day
16
June 2006
Kim
Vann
RTP end to a busy week.
|
RTP
Fun
Visiting
other locations, other museum
specimens?
Uruguayan citizen adopts American
ways, $2 please.
"Ahh
Juan Andres, you always give
us a smile! I asked for a picture
from your weekend visit to New
York and the American Museum
of Natural History to study
additional specimens . . . not
exactly what I had in mind,
but certainly a "specimen"
worthy of further study!"
- Mary
|
RTP
Research Moments
Jayme
Job uses non-destructive analysis
equipment to test if the Museum's
pipestones are made of catlinite
or mimic materials.
|
Exhibits
Discussion & Tour
20
June 2006
How
do ideas become Smithsonian
exhibits?
 Interns
from throughout NMNH joined
Jill Johnson, from the Ocean
Hall core team, for an afternoon
discussion on creating a major
exhibit, and specifically the
Museum's new Ocean Hall. After
the discussion students toured
the exhibits design and production
area, including meeting Paul
Rhymer, taxidermist who prepared
many of the spectacular specimens
found in the Mammals Hall including
the orangutan - Eric Saupe shown
here holding a cast form used
to create it's face.
|
See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery: Exhibits
Discussion & Tour
Research
Week
Now
four weeks into his study on
the flying squirrels, Hylopetes
from Southeast Asia, Nick Rasmussen
believes he can visually separate
specimens into separate taxon.
Next Nick will be taking critical
measurments of landmark points
and with the aid of anaylsis
software hopefully resolve the
taxonomic status of these squirrels.
|
Research
Week
While
the first signatures of early
life on Earth can be debated,
the Gunflint chert from the
northern Lake Superior region
is one almost universally accepted.
This Pre-cambrian chert, with
its well-preserved microfossils,
presents a great opportunity
to document chemical biosignatures
to aid astrobiologists in their
search to locate and identify
ancient or extraterrestrial
life.
Four
weeks into her research, Sylvia
reports that she has found microfossils
and ready to do the chemical
analysis.
|
Research
Week
Photo by: Mark Godfrey/TNC
|
Where's
Kim Vann? That's her with her
advisor John Brown out looking
for moths and other insects
in the Potomac Gorge.
In
a 30 hour scientific race to
find and identify organisms
in a particular area, Kim joined
some 135 other scientists this
weekend for the annual "BioBlitz"
of the Potomac River Gorge from
Great Falls to Key Bridge.
See
more at:
The
Nature Conservancy BioBlitz
Page
Puttin’
on the Blitz
|
RTP
Fun
Caleb
McMahan, Maya Strahl, Jayme
Job, and Sylvia Moses
Is
this Tropicana morning?
|
Museum
Closed!
26
June 2006
What
a week! Rain in
the DC area over
the weekend, lots
of rain, totaling
over 10 inches caused
flooding and the
flooding power outages
in the Constitution
Avenue area including
at the Natural History
Building (NHB).
Sometime after 9:00
p.m. on Sunday Natural
History lost power.
Crews worked through
the night to keep
water out and protect
the items stored
in the basements
but without power
the building was
closed to all staff
and guests Monday.
Without power the
servers hosting
the web sites remained
down. Sufficient
power was restored
to NHB in time to
welcome everybody
back Thursday morning
(29 Jun 06). RTP
IZ day, scheduled
for Monday, 26 Jun
06 was postponed
as was our graduate
school discussions
(Wednesday, 28 Jun
06) but thanks to
emergency protocols
(e-mail groups and
phone chains) interns
were kept informed
of the status and
alternate events
planned, including
a "field trip"
to tour the collections
and facilities at
the Museum Support
Center (MSC).
|
Museum
Closed!
26
June 2006
Natural
History work crews
were able to keep
flooding to a minimum,
with only a couple
inches managing
to invade the East
and West Basements.
Other nearby buildings
weren't so lucky,
reporting over 4
feet of standing
water in some areas.
|
Museum
Closed!
26
June 2006
Without
power crews work
by hand using mops
and buckets to keep
water moving out
of the building.
|
Museum
Support Center Day
28
June 2006
Archaeology
& Ethnology
Collections Tour
28
June 2006
Katie
Faust, Juan Andreas
Martinez, Nick Rasmussen
and Matthew Oreska
admire the vast
assortment of "weapons"
found in the anthropology
collections stored
at the Museum Support
Center (MSC).
|
Other
Collections Tour
28
June 2006
Moved
recently from the
exhibits the giant
squid awaits it's
move abck to the
Mall.
|
See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery:
MSC Anthropology & Others
Tour
Osteo
Prep Lab Tour
28
June 2006
Located
in the back lot
of the Museum Support
Center in Suitland
Maryland resides
some of the Natural
History Museum's
most efficient workers,
the Dermestid beetles.
Most skeletal preparations
use dermestid beetles
(Dermestes maculatus)
to remove flesh
and connective material
from the skeleton,
a technique first
developed at the
University of Kansas
at the turn of the
century. Rough cleaned
specimens are placed
in containers with
beetles and the
bugs go to work,
carefully eating
away the flesh,
leaving behind a
perfectly cleaned
skeleton. The specimen
shown here is the
complete skeleton
of a Harbor Porpoise.
|
See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery:
Osteo Prep Lab Tour
Marine
Mammals Collections
Tour
28
June 2006
A
tour of "Building
26"
The
Smithsonian collection
of marine mammals
is the largest in
the world, consisting
of more than 6,500
specimens of cetaceans,
3,100 specimens
of pinnipeds and
380 specimens of
sirenians. Most
of these are represented
by osteological
material although
the collection also
includes fluid and
frozen specimens.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery:
Marine Mammals Tour
Botany
Research Greenhouse
Collections Tour
28
June 2006
Maya
Strahl and Juan
Adreas Martinez
admire the leaves
of a member of the
Zingiberales.
Maintained
for research and
study, plants from
all over the world
are cared for in
the Department of
Botany's large modern
greenhouse complex
that covers over
7,000 sq. ft. of
growing area houses.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery:
Greenhouse Tour
Zoology
Lecture
30
June 2006
For
more than 15 years
Roy McDiarmid has
been telling RTP
groups about his
adventures in the
tepui region of
Venezuela.
|
See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery
from the Zoology Lecture
RTP
Fun
Date
Jorge
Alvarez Matthew
Oreska, and Juan
Andres Martinez
Male bonding patterns?
Comments
Roy McDiarmid during
his lecture: "It's
good to finally
see a couple guys
in the audience!
Some years the RTP
has been almost
all women. What's
with that! Where
are the male biologists
these days?"
Indeed, of the 489
students who have
participated in
the RTP to-date,
58% have been women
and in some years
the men have been
out numbered 10:1.
"It's quality,
not quantity"
wispered a voice
in the background.
|
Birds
Collections
Tour
30
June 2006
Julia
Brown holds "Martha"
(the one on the
right) the last
known passenger
pigeon (Ectopistes
migratorius),
order Columbiformes.
There
are currently about
309 different species
of pigeons and doves,
but outside museums,
no longer can you
find the a passenger
pigeon. Estimates
are that the passenger
pigeon once constituted
25 to 40 per cent
of the total bird
population of the
United States. It
is estimated that
there were 3 -5
billion passenger
pigeons when Europeans
discovered America.
This
is the taxidermy
mount (skin only)
of "Martha"
- the last known
passenger pigeon,
named after Martha
Washington. She
died at the Cincinnati
Zoological Garden
1 September 1914
at the age of 29.
Upon her death she
was packed in ice
and loaded onto
a railcar headed
to Smithsonian's
National Museum
of Natural History
where a taxadermy
mount was prepared
for exhibt and her
internal parts preserved
as part of the fluid
collection.
The
Division of Birds
houses and maintains
the third largest
bird collection
in the world with
over 600,000 specimens
and has representatives
of about 80% of
the approximately
9,600 known species
in the world's avifauna.
While the majority
of these specimens
consists of study
skins, skeletal
and anatomical (alcohol
preserved) collections
are also included
as well as egg and
nest collections
and frozen tissue
samples.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery:
Birds Collection Tour
Mammals
Collections
Tour
30
June 2006
The
"OH MY"
collection, often
made up of specimens
lacking adequate
scientific data
to significantly
contribute to research
investigations,
affords students
a rare opportunity
to touch the mammal
skins, including
some of the softest
- the fur seal.
With
roughly 590,000
voucher specimens,
the Division of
Mammals maintains,
by far, the world's
largest - nearly
twice the size of
the next 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. The
collection includes
3,150 primary type
specimens and many
historically important
specimens. There
are also everal
special subsets,
among these are
mammalian brains
(857 specimens),
male genitalia (1,700
specimens), fluid-preserved
hearts (373), cleared-and-stained
specimens (400)
as well as karyotype
slides (2,000),
hair slides and
baculae. Frozen
tissue samples of
vouchered specimens
number about with
4,000 with an additional
3,000 samples without
vouchers.
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See
More , , , Event Photo Gallery:
Mammals Collection Tour
RTP
Fun
Lynn
Copes (RTP '04) and Michelle
Knapp (RTP '02)
How
many former RTP students
are currently at the Museum?
A question commonly asked,
but not easily answered;
5, 10, sometimes more?
We're a great place to visit,
and come back to! Some former
RTP students are now employees
of the Museum, some contractors,
and many others hold a variety
of academic appointments.
In addition, students regularly
return for a visit, both
professionally to study
the collections and just
dropping by when in town.
In addition to Lynn and
Michelle, Arden Ashley (RTP
'04), Leo Versieux (RTP
'02), and Melaine Mann (RTP
' 00) stopped by in the
past couple weeks.
|
Smithsonian
Picnic
Thursday,
6 July 2006
Jayme
Job and Erin Saupe enjoy
food from the Fifth Annual
Smithsonian Picnic on the
National Mall, as part of
the 40th Annual SI Folklife
Festival (June 30-July 4
and July 7-11, 2006).
Picnic
Menu: Latino cuisine, including
Peruvian charcoal chicken;
New Orleans-style fried
fish, chicken, and red beans
and rice; a great spread
from Alberta, Canada, offering
bison steak and buckwheat
bread; and Native American
cuisine, including Indian
tacos, three sister soup,
and wild rice salad.
Picnic
Music: Provided by staff
and others with Smithsonian
roots — many acts professional,
some just extraordinarily
talented.
Cloudy
and crowded conditions brought
many RTP students into the
ARC to enjoy their lunch,
rather than at the tables
on the Mall.
|
Zoology
Day
- II
7
July 2006
IMAX
Film - Galapagos
Friday,
7 July 2006
Kim
Vann, Katie Faust, and Emily
Armgardt, wearing the 3D
IMAX glasses, joined over
100 other interns from across
the Smithsonian for a special
showing of the 3D IMAX film,
Galapagos. The Galapagos
film stars NMNH Ichthyologist,
Carole Baldwin and her adventures
into the deep ocean waters
off the coast of the Galapagos
Islands.
 Following
the showing Carol joined
the group to answer questions
and tell students more about
the movie and the filming.
Shot over two seasons, 1998
and 1999, Carole described
the challenges the team
faced, from El nino effects
to IMAX technology to tragedies.
The
ocean extends down to a
depth of 36,000 feet, covers
70% of the Earth and makes
up over 95% of the Earth's
habitable space yet 5% of
the ocean has been explored
and few have ventured into
the great depths. Currently
we know more about, and
are devoting more research
effort and funds toward
space investigation than
to understanding life in
our own ocean.
When
asked if the experience
was "Hollywood"
or "Scientific"
Carole had a difficult time
answering. "A lot of
both" seems to characterize
the adventure. Although
many of the scenes were
staged for the camera real
specimens were collected
for research and study.
So far 17 new species were
found (and currently published)
during the 17 days of filming
- that's one each day -
but not all specimens collected
have been fully studied
so there could even be more.
Carole's
advise to young scientists
about joining such "Hollywood"
adventures: she notes that
the cost of field work can
be very expensive. Charting
a good research vessel and
crew can be tens of thousands
of dollars each day. Funding
for such expeditions can
be very difficult to come
by. Scientists today have
to look for creative means
to get into the locations
where the work needs to
be done, so consider options
carefully but why not cooperate
with filming projects if
in exchange you get to use
the deep submersible to
explore the deep ocean floor
and collection samples for
your research.
|
Fishes
Collections
Tour
Friday,
7 July 2006
Tour
guide Carole Baldwin offers
students the chance to see
up close, even touch, the
unique features of the coelacanth,
Latimeria chalumnae.
The
Fish Collection is the largest
collection in the world,
totaling more than 4 million
specimens in approximately
540,000 lots including whole
specimens preserved in alcohol,
dry fish skeletons, and
specially prepared articulated
skeletons stained for cartilage
and bone and stored in glycerine.
The collection includes
more than 75% (20,000) of
the known 26,800 recognized
speices of fish and features
over 8,000 primary types.
Smithsonian ichthyologist
have described over 380
new species of fish.
The
collection also includes
smaller collections of frozen
tissues, otoliths, x-rays,
and cleared and stained
specimens. The majority
of the collection has been
initially fixed in 10% formaldehyde
and transferred to 70% ethyl
alcohol for long term storage.
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Fishes Collection Tour
Amphibians
& Reptiles Collections
Tour
Friday,
7 July 2006
Madison
Barkley holds one of the
500,000 specimens in the
Amphibian and Reptile collection.
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See
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Herps Collection Tour
Clearning
& Staining Workshop
Friday,
7 July 2006
Cleared
& stained soft shell
turtle.
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Clear & Stain Workshop
Looking
at Live Fish Workshop
Friday,
7 July 2006
Stan
Weitzman discusses his research,
that includes tanks of live
fishes, with the students.
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Looking at Live Fish
Looking
at Larval Fish Workshop
Friday,
7 July 2006
Ichthyologist
Dave Johnson shares insights
into his research on larval
fishes, and his path toward
becoming a museum scientist.
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Looking at Larval Fish
RTP
Moments
Friday,
7 July 2006
Emily
Armgardt (right) received
a surprise visit from her
chemistry professor, P.J.
Alaimo (Seattle University).
Guests
galore! The 4th of July
week brought many family,
friends, and colleagues
to the DC area to visit
students.
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RTP
Moments
A
kid in a candy store? Maybe.
Madison Barkley sorting
through the Topaz collection.
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RTP
Moments
They've
been called "science
geeks" and the RTP
"Nerd Camp" but
RTP students also engage
in"non-science"
activities. Here Julia Brown,
Sheena Ketchum, Jayme Job,
Sara Marsteller, and Paige
Hamilton, among others,
are spotted at a Washington
National baseball game.
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RTP
Moments
"Me
and my pipestones"
Alisa O'Connor with the
pipestone collection.
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RTP
Moments
The
Natural History Museum is
just one of many Muesums
on the Mall for students
to easily visit. For example,
Jayme Job took a quick break
and toured the U.S. Botanic
Garden - just a couple doors
down.
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RTP
Research Moments
Erin
Saupe looks at her foram
samples using the Scanning
Electron Microscope.
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RTP
Moments
Following
the Zoology tour of the
mammal collection Juan Andres
Martinez studies, up close,
the dentition of the Northern
Short-tailed Shrew.
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RTP
Moments
Alisa
O'Connor holding a catlinite
pipestone
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Preparing,
Presenting and Producing
Posters
for Professional Meetings
Wednesday,
12 July 2006
Text
and background color; font
and font size; word counts;
image dpi; text blocks;
acknowledgements; references
cited; use of sponsors logo
. . . so many things to
consider, so many choices!
How do you bring it all
together to produce a poster
that focuses on the research
presented instead of distracting
from it? RTP students joined
a panel of experts from
the Smithsonian's imaging
services office and the
Office of Exhibits to discuss
the technical and design
aspects of preparing research
posters. Using posters from
previous RTP years common
mistakes were highlighted
and suggestions for the
RTP '06 presentations presented.
Panel
of experts
Lynn Copes, Lola Lancaster,
Don Hurlbert, and Sarah
Grusen
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Cullman
Rare Book Libaray
Tour
Monday,
17 July 2006
Interns
and Fellows were amazed
to see the rare books
contained in Smithsonian's
Cullman Library including
the chance to venture
into the "vault"
where, among other
treasures, they saw
the published version
of Darwins journal
including his notes
on his visit to the
Galapagos.
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Rare Book Collection Tour
Research,
Research,
and more
Research
Where
is everybody?
Where are
the photos?
Caleb and
Nick are
at the Ichs
& Herps
meetings
then Nick
and Juan
Andreas
traveled
to the American
Museum to
measure
more specimens.
Julia's
in Wyoming
with Scott
Wing doing
paleobotany
field research.
Everybody
else? Tucked
away in
the offices,
laboratories
and collection
measuring,
counting,
and plotting.
It's time
to really
focus on
research
. . . but
maybe with
a little
well placed
playful
humor mixed
in.
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Preparing
Posters
Katie
Faust, Erin Saupe,
and Caleb McMahan
still smiling but
certainly showing
the effects of long
nights, sometimes
"over night"
at the Museum, finalizing
the details for their
research posters.
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The
view from
Mary's desk.
Can you
guess where
the m&m
basket is?
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Anthropology
Seminars
2
August 2006
Sheena
Ketchum,
Paige Hamilton,
Sara Marsteller,
Alisa O'Connor
and Jayme
Job - all
smiles having
just complete
their oral
presentations
in the Rose
Room
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Projects
completed,
posters
hung, all
that remains
is to empty
the m&
m basket.
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Research
Poster Session
3
August 2006
The
RTP '06
Poster session
was held
in Natural
History's
Third Floor
Rotunda.
Hanging
and spacing
of posters
is not as
easy as
it would
seem, but
RTP students
figured
it out -
one Katie
poster length
plus one
Caleb space
in-between
provided
the perfect
display.
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Photo Gallery: Poster
Session
Closing
Reception
3
August 2006
The
RTP '06
Closing
Reception
was held
in the NMNH
Office of
the Director
with refreshments
featuring
make-your-own
ice-cream
sundae spread
and strawberry
lemon-aide
plus ice
tea.
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Photo Gallery: Closing
Reception
Geology
Seminars
3
August 2006
Megan
Ennis, Bryan
Cockrell,
Madison
Barkley,
Sylvia Moses
and Ana
COllins.
Following
the Closing
reception
the Departments
of Mineral
Sciences
and Paleobiology
combine
to host
oral presentations.
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Exit
4
August 2006
Lots
of forms
to turn
in, signatures
to get,
folder status
to confirm,
plus separation
anxiety
from turning
in their
Smithsonian
photo ID
. . . it's
rough on
interns
exiting
from their
RTP appointment.
It's even
more difficult
to say good
bye, but
friendships
made and
colleague
bonds formed,
individuals
will meet
up with
each other
again and
there is
no doubt
that many
faces from
the RTP
Class of
'06 will
again be
seen amid
the Museum
halls. Until
then, the
ARC, and
the m&m
basket,
await.
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Located
on the Ground Floor of the Museum's
Main part of the building and
just down the corredor headed
West from the Constitution Avenue
Lobby, the Academic Resources
Center (ARC) provides a great
gathering place for students
to congregate. One longtime
tradition of the RTP, and remembered
attraction of the ARC, has been
to have baskets of m&m on
hand for snacking and each year
there seems to be a special
edition available. The featured
m&m version of the '06 summer:
"Pirates of the Caribbean"
including white chocolate pieces.
However,
hands down and no question,
the favorite flavor of the summer
was peanutbutter m&m's .
. . couldn't keep enough of
them amid the mix!
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Complements
to our contributing photographers this summer
including: Madison Barkley, Megan Ennis, Katie
Faust, Jayme Job, Juan Andres Martinez, Sara Marsteller,
and Caleb McMahan. Also to all those who contributed
photo captions!
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