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How to Apply
Students interested in placement through the general internship program are encouraged to contact the project sponsor directly using the contact information (phone and e-mail) provided to discuss details, availability, and potential placement.
Please note, there is no formal application review or notification schedule.
Only students selected for placement will be contacted.
Alternative Spring Break
PROJECT TITLE: Collections-Based Approach to Survey the Insects Associated With American Chestnut
DESCRIPTION: American chestnut was once a widespread tree in eastern U.S. forests but is now functionally extinct due to chestnut blight, a disease caused by a fungus introduced to the U.S. in ~1900. The insect fauna associated with American chestnut before and after the effects of chestnut blight is largely unknown. A literature review and geographically restricted field surveys were carried out in the 1970s to inventory moths feeding on American chestnut before and after chestnut blight. As a result seven moth species were considered possibly extinct due to American chestnut decline. Two of those species were subsequently collected. Comprehensive literature and field-based surveys have not been carried out for other insects associated with American chestnut. The Hopkins Notes and Records System, currently housed at the Smithsonian Institution NMNH, contains ~17,200 records of insects occurring on plants in U.S., including American chestnut. The records span from 1899 to 1942 and thus provide an opportunity to document the insects associated with American chestnut before and after chestnut blight. We seek the assistance of an Intern to evaluate the Hopkins Notes and Records System for records of insects associated with American chestnut, as well as search the literature for records of insects associated with native and exotic chestnut in the U.S.
QUALIFICATIONS: Interest in the biological sciences, particularly a student pursuing a major or minor in biology or a related field. Basic computer and data entry skills (e.g., Microsoft Office suite). Ability to search for published works using databases and library resources relevant to the biological sciences.
TIMETABLE: Other
AWARD PACKAGE: None
Project Contact Name: Robert Kula
Phone: 202-633-4559
E-mail: Robert.Kula@ars.usda.gov
Collections Management - Biological
PROJECT TITLE: Information Access, organizing the large reprint libraries of retired curators
DESCRIPTION: Over the many decades, individual curators maintained separate reprint libraries, Ostracod, Amphipod and Freshwater microcrustacean libraries. When these individuals retired or passed on the libraries were boxed up and stored. Recently they have been unboxed, but now they need to be organized alphabetically. These libraries are important for researchers and visitors around the world. Some of the literature goes back to the early -mid 1800’s. These libraries are in somewhat decent alphabetic order but over time, new literature was added to the library but just added to the boxes. Some of the reprints need to be scanned to pdf files and saved in the our Smithsonian digitized library. These are usually from very obscure or hard to find literature sources. First job will be to get a library into alphabetic order by author name and year. Second, If time allows, selected materials will be digitized and added to our online catalog, Volunteer and advisor will determine which of some of the older important pieces of literature should be scanned to pdf files. If interested there is also a physical curation project that can be worked on also to break up the boredom of just library work.
QUALIFICATIONS: Volunteers should be able to make decisions quickly and independently. A general understanding of collection policies and basic archival processing is a plus. However, familiarity with Adobe Photoshop and high resolution image scanning is a plus.
TIMETABLE: Other
AWARD PACKAGE: None
Project Contact Name: T. Chad Walter
Phone: 301-238-1764
E-mail: walterc@si.edu
PROJECT TITLE: Preparing a List of Plant Species
DESCRIPTION: The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) calls for the conservation assessment of all known plant species by the year 2020. Specimen data from the U.S. National Herbarium is being used to conduct preliminary conservation assessments on select plant families and regions. The student intern will help prepare a list of plant species from the Caribbean Islands by inventorying plant specimens collected throughout this region over the past 200 years. The data from this inventory will be used to assess which native plant species are likely threatened and which are not threatened.
QUALIFICATIONS: Independent worker. Pays attention to detail. ALL SUMMER POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED
TIMETABLE: Summer only
AWARD PACKAGE: None
Project Contact Name: Gary Krupnick
Phone: 202-633-0940
E-mail: krupnickg@si.edu
Research Assistance - Biological
PROJECT TITLE: Building an Interactive Digital Key for the Compositae
DESCRIPTION: In 2010 researchers from the Smithsonian and other institutions worldwide began building an interactive digital key for the largest plant family: the Compositae. The project, abbreviated VKC, attempts to provide an online tool to identify each of the 25,000+ species of the family, with photographs, maps and phylogenies.
We are currently working on the species from two geographic areas: North America and the Northern South America. Interns will help to populate the matrix of morphological characters by examining directly botanical specimens and text-mining taxonomic descriptions of species.
QUALIFICATIONS: Interns should have working knowledge of computers (especially Excel) and bases in botany/biology. A major in Biology, Agronomy or Forestry is highly desirable.
TIMETABLE: Indefinite
AWARD PACKAGE: None
Project Contact Name: Mauricio Diazgranados
Phone: 202-633-0951
E-mail: DiazgranadosM@si.edu
PROJECT TITLE: Curation of Freshwater Snail Collection
DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this project is to assist with re-organizing and upgrading the curatorial status of a large (ca. 5,000 samples or lots) alcohol-preserved collection of freshwater gastropods belonging to the family Hydrobiidae. This Smithsonian collection is actively used for curatorial research and is also frequently queried (electronically) by the conservation community. The interns will reorganize the entire collection, top off lots that are low in (ethanol) preservative, check each lot against electronic database (KEmu) records to identify missing material and other problems, and add "drop slips" to a subset of the lots to reflect recent changes of electronic records. This project will greatly improve both the accessibility and curatorial status of this important collection. Work will be done at both the Museum Supporting Center (MSC) and the Museum of Natural History.
QUALIFICATIONS: Some experience with Microsoft Excel, invertebrate zoology, and museum collections is desireable.
TIMETABLE: Indefinite
AWARD PACKAGE: None
Project Contact Name: Robert Hershler
Phone: 202-633-1747
E-mail: hershlerr@si.edu
PROJECT TITLE: Geo-referencing historical plant photographs and collections of José Cuatrecasas
DESCRIPTION: One of the greatest botanists of the Neotropics, Don José Cuatrecasas Arumí (1903-1996), collected thousand of plants (ca. 25,000) and anthropological specimens in Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador between 1932 and 1979. He compiled an astounding photographic archive with more than 20,000 images, accompanied by detailed descriptions of the vegetation and studies of the indigenous people. He published approximately 262 papers; he is the author (or co-author) of two subtribes, 41 genera and about 3,308 new species, subspecies or varieties of plants.
The Smithsonian Institution holds the most important collection of specimens and photographs of Cuatrecasas, including most of his journals, field books and notebooks. Since 2005 we have transcribed into Spanish and translated into English his first two journals, and with the collaboration of students and volunteers we have scanned more than 5000 of his photographs.
Our current goal is to geo-reference Cuatrecasas plant photographs and collections, to make this information available online for research and for the general public.
The intern will be carrying out the following activities:
1. Scan photographs in different formats (including black and white large negatives).
2. Edit and clean digital images in Photoshop and/or Aperture.
3. Geo-reference photographs based on the information of Cuatrecasas journals of expeditions, using electronic gazetteers, physical maps and online maps (Google Earth, Google Maps, Aperture, etc.).
4. Populate metadata of photographs (keywords, photograph series and number, etc.).
5. Link photographs with plant specimens in the US National Herbarium.
6. Continue building the database of photographs.
QUALIFICATIONS: Special qualifications are not required. However, it would be desirable if the intern gets familiar with the following computing packages and online resources before coming to the Smithsonian: Excel, Access, Aperture (Mac), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Bridge, Google Earth, Google Maps, HTML code and KML code.
TIMETABLE: Indefinite
AWARD PACKAGE: None
Project Contact Name: Mauricio Diazgranados
Phone: 202-633-0950/0951
E-mail: DiazgranadosM@si.edu
PROJECT TITLE: Kishenehn fossil insect identification project
DESCRIPTION: The goal of this project is to increase our understanding of the diversity of the insect fauna that lived along the banks of Lake Kishenehn, in northwestern Montana, 46 million years ago through the identification of fossil insects to the family level. Each intern will select a single major order of insects, such as Diptera (flies) or Coleoptera (beetles), and segregate the specimens into basic morphotypes and then attempt to identify the morphotypes to the family level. Interns will become familiar with and utilize both dichotomous and matrix-based keys. The Museum’s recent collection of Eocene fossil insects from the Kishenehn Formation is unique for the fine detail of the preserved insects and the preservation of unusually small insects that are not found in most other collections. See, for example, a recent publication on fossil fairy wasps at http://www.pensoft.net/journal_home_page.php?journal_id=1&page=article&SESID=6ccfe58324c19d42787376ad91adb39e&type=show&article_id=1717. The Kishenehn collection also contains better-preserved mosquitoes than any other collection in the world, and includes two new species that have recently been described (http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2012/f/zt03530p034.pdf). The collection currently consists of 5,245 pieces of shale containing 15,655 fossil insects, collected during the last 4 summers. Nearly 6,000 photographs of fossil insects with associated data have been entered into a searchable relatable database that will be accessed by the intern.
QUALIFICATIONS: Completion of a basic course in biology is required; completion of a course in entomology or invertebrate paleobiology is strongly recommended.
TIMETABLE: Other
AWARD PACKAGE:
Project Contact Name: Dale Greenwalt, Conrad Labandeira
Phone: Greenwalt: 202-633-1382; Labandeira: 202-633-1336
E-mail: GreenwaltD@si.edu; labandec@si.edu
Security and Safety
PROJECT TITLE: Material Safety Data Sheet Validation
DESCRIPTION: The intern will cross reference current chemical inventory lists at the Natural History Musuem to ensure the correct Material Safety Data Sheets are on file. Project will require the use of MS Excel and MS Word and Office.
QUALIFICATIONS: Good organizational skills and proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office applications.
TIMETABLE: Indefinite
AWARD PACKAGE: None
Project Contact Name: James R. Smith Jr.
Phone: 202-633-0068
E-mail: smithjr@si.edu
Other Links
Didn't find what you're looking for? Other individuals may be interested in hosting an intern, but are not actively recruiting for students to work on a particular project. To review our listings of people within our community, reference the following NMNH Science Department links.
The NMNH science departments maintain their own web pages, including complete community lists. To view the departments lists, visit their web sites. Here are the links:
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