COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS

As part of our mission to excite and inform people about the natural world through exploration and discovery, the Delaware Museum of Natural History is offering unpaid summer internships for college students:

College Internships

natural history n the study and description of organisms and natural objects, especially their origins, evolution, interrelationships and interactions with the environment.  Typically includes the sciences, such as botany, zoology, paleontology, or anthropology, dealing with the study of all objects in nature.

As part of its mission to “excite and inform people about the natural world through exploration and discovery” the Delaware Museum of Natural History announces an unpaid summer internship program for college and graduate students in its Collections and Research Division.  During this internship students will:

· Gain an understanding of the importance of the research collections at the Museum
· Gain training and hands-on experience working with collections objects in a variety of projects
· Further their knowledge of birds and/or mollusks
· Learn about career opportunities at natural history museums

Requirements: Applicants must have completed their first year of college or graduate school and should be interested in pursuing a career in a field related to natural history, biology, museums, or libraries/archives.  Relevant majors include: biology, organismal biology, zoology, botany, marine science, wildlife biology, museum studies, archives, library sciences, and art conservation. 

Dates: Interns must be available Monday – Friday between 9:30 and 4:30.  A minimum commitment of 20 hours per week for 6 weeks is required (total 120 hours minimum).  Internships will occur between the dates of June 13 and August 17.  Students may be able to arrange course credit for their internships.  Students wanting to meet specific internship requirements for their course of study should contact the Museum to see if their needs can be accommodated.

Internship Activities: Interns will assist collection staff with specimen preparation, data entry/cataloging, routine collection maintenance activities, special conservation projects, collections documentation, and public outreach and education. Opportunities are available in both the Mollusk and Bird collections of the Museum, as well as the library and archives.  Opportunities may also be available for students with previous training in the insect, mammal, and herpetology collections. 

Other: The Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit and hours spent interning can typically be used to meet volunteering requirements of schools.  A letter confirming the number of internship hours will be sent to schools upon request.  Students may also request a letter of recommendation for placement in their school file or for use in graduate school or job applications. 

To apply: CLICK HERE to download a PDF of the 2012 application. Applications may also be requested from Ms. Terri Reed, HR Manager, Delaware Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 3937, Wilmington, DE  19807-0937, treed@delmnh.org, or by calling 302-658-9111 x324.  Graduate students should contact Ms. Terri Reed for application instructions.  DMNH is committed to providing equal opportunity for all. 

Application deadline:  March 16, 2012

Watch a video about the intern experience, created by 2011 DMNH intern Jeremy Smith: