Education/Anthropology Summer Internship at the National Museum of Natural History

Description: This internship has two major elements: 1) helping develop anthropology-based education offerings for middle and high school students for future use in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center; and 2) spreading the word about the new Smithsonian AnthroNotes Digital Repository. For the first project, the Intern will collaborate with NMNH Education Specialist Colleen Popson in the Office of Education and Outreach to help develop and test facilitated activities based on archaeological collections in the Q?rius Collections Zone. For the second part of the internship, the intern will collaborate with anthropology educator Ruth O. Selig, Research Collaborator in the Department of Anthropology, to research the internet for ways to help spread the word about the new AnthroNotes digital resource based on 33 years of the publication AnthroNotes but now available with individual articles and teaching activities digitized, downloadable, and searchable by topic. The intern will research the Internet, particularly sites related to the professional organizations of educators, anthropologists, and archaeologists to make sure that the Digital AnthroNotes is highlighted as a newly available resource for teachers and students. Where the resource is not mentioned, the intern will contact the organization’s staff in charge of its website to request that the new digital AnthroNotes resource be added to its offerings. The intern will send a prepared announcement with illustrations describing the new resource to editors and website managers urging them to include the announcement in their offerings.

Qualifications: Undergraduate level; interest and background in anthropology, education, communication, and/or digital skills. Experience researching on the Internet and familiarity with search engines highly desirable.

Learning Objectives: The intern will gain experience both in the design and testing of educational activities for use in the Q?rius education center and in using digital research tools to help spread the word to anthropologists, museum professionals, and educators about a new digital anthropology resource based on the Smithsonian publication AnthroNotes.

Timetable: 6-8 weeks during June-August, schedule flexible but a minimum of 20 hours/week.

Award Package: none.

Contact: Rebecca Bray, Office of Education and Outreach: BrayR@si.edu

Interested applicants should send an initial inquiry along with a resume (including phone and email) and a one-page essay explaining the applicant’s interest in the internship and the skills he/she brings to the experience. The essay should list two references with their contact information and an explanation as to how each knows the applicant.