Summer is here–and so are the interns
Smithsonian interns at the annual “Morning at the Museum” event at the National Museum of Natural History. (Photo by Donald E. Hurlbert)
As July rolls around, the nation’s capital teems with eager young people hoping to use internships to not only learn about life but to make contributions to the world around them. We here at the Smithsonian are enriched by our share of these enthusiastic young students. They remind me of my days as a cooperative education student surveying for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company when I attended Georgia Tech. Co-op education is like doing an intensive internship, alternating work and academics throughout college. I was motivated to take advantage of the co-op program to help my parents pay for my college education. They had already sacrificed so much to give me the opportunity that they had not had. However, as I spent hot summers and cold winters working on the line from Atlanta to Cincinnati, I found the opportunity more enriching than I could have imagined. My work took me to Appalachia and I met many people, often impoverished, who talked about their dreams of a better life for their children. These were people whose lives resembled those in the James Agee book, “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men,” with its deeply affecting photographs by Walker Evans. I realized that I wanted to make a lasting contribution in my life by creating opportunities for young people. Internships can provide benefits to students that one might expect, but they can also inspire them to go in completely unanticipated directions.
In 2012, our academic appointees—nearly 800 fellows, 1,200 interns, and approximately 800 research associates—represented at least 29 countries, 43 states, and 200 schools. Research associates maintain a scholarly affiliation with the Smithsonian, fellows do independent research under the auspices of advisors, and interns get guided learning experiences from mentors. Their experiences are varied, from fundraising to scholarship to scientific discovery, but they all share invaluable access to Smithsonian people, collections and expertise. Ultimately, though, the talented fellows, interns and research associates are as helpful to us as we are to them. They are ushering in a new era of the Smithsonian, expanding our capacity to better serve the American people.
Intern Jonathan Gonzalez examines specimens under the guidance of staff scientist Dr. Richard Cooke at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
One way that our academic appointments are making the Smithsonian better is by providing incredible diversity—of perspectives, of outlook, of background, of culture. Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Linus Pauling once said, “If you want to have good ideas you must have many ideas.” The diverse ideas of our fellows and interns help us reach out to broader audiences. They help us tell a fuller picture of the American story with our collections and exhibitions. And they help us understand the world through our research. Subir Bahadur Shakya, an undergraduate student from Southern Arkansas University by way of Nepal, is doing an internship this summer studying biodiversity. Two current interns at the National Museum of the American Indian Cultural Resources Center demonstrate the power of diversity and the breadth of research projects available to students. Brittani Orona helps assess items in the museum’s collection to assess their value to tribes and to determine whether they are sacred so they can be repatriated. Courtney Frantz is helping to organize data to get visitor feedback on the Inka Road Research Project for an exhibition set to open in 2015 at NMAI. As someone who was fortunate enough to set foot on the Inka Road in person, I look forward to seeing Courtney’s research come to life.
Internships and fellowships can be tailored to help students build skills so they can attain their career and life goals. In addition to the academic appointees, the leadership skills they learn also benefit us, as their careers often bring them back to the Smithsonian. Kris Helgen got his Smithsonian start as an intern and fellow, and is now the Curator of Mammals at the Natural History Museum. Ashley Naranjo was a Smithsonian intern before she came back to work for us in the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, where she helps lead the pan-Institutional digital badging initiative “Smithsonian Quests.” And recently, Emmett Duffy was appointed to become our new director of the Smithsonian’s Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network, a far-reaching project to study changing coastal marine biodiversity and coastal ecosystems over time. His Smithsonian time began as a post-doctoral fellow and now his leadership will help us blaze a new trail in important global research.
Interns at the National Museum of Natural History test their skill in a workshop on scientific illustration led by Alice Tangerini.
We are becoming a more savvy Institution thanks in part to the cutting-edge ideas that all of our educational appointees bring to the table. They are helping us use technology to make an impact. Our Wikipedian-In-Residence internship position allows us to use crowdsourcing to add to the body of knowledge in the world through the online encyclopedia. Graphic design internships give interns access to the latest software. Many of our internships include a social media component and require web skills, and we are recruiting video editors to help us increase our video production capabilities. As we become a more digital Smithsonian we will develop virtual internships in collaboration with our directors and staff that will complement traditional programs. While virtual internships will never replace the experience of being here, much like online exhibitions will never replace seeing the real thing, they will allow us to further expand the reach and scope of the Institution while cultivating more ambassadors for the Smithsonian.
Our fellows and research associates are some of the brightest minds in the world, true scholars in their fields who help increase our knowledge. They look for water on Mars, study volcanoes around the world, and examine whether human hands give humans an upper hand in cognitive ability. The Smithsonian and the nation are richer for their expertise. Our interns, meanwhile, are shooting stars and for them the sky is the limit. At a young age, they already identify pre-Columbian stone tools, investigate 19th century opium-smuggling ships, and examine the history of the Civil Rights Movement by interviewing those who participated in it. Again, they will be able to diffuse the knowledge they gain here, paying it forward and enriching us all in the process.
Director Eric Woodard and his staff at the Office of Fellowships and Internships have fully embraced technology with their colorful and creative website. A video on the site features several enthusiastic interns detailing their experiences. One National Zoo intern notes that her time here has allowed her to build a “great network of people.” I hope our interns and fellows retain those networks, not just with each other, but with their mentors and advisors. These connections enable more than honing skills for careers—they also enable lifelong friendships. Recently, I reunited with some of my former graduate students for a weekend in Glacier National Park, and I can tell you that playing even a small part in helping someone attain success and serve the public is one of the most gratifying feelings you can experience. On July 24th, our “Here to Career” event will pay tribute to our newest batch of interns and fellows. It is a small token of our appreciation for all of them. Whether their careers bring them back here or take them to places unknown, I feel confident that the academic appointees at the Smithsonian will leave here better prepared to address pressing global issues and make a difference.
Cora Johnston is a student at the University of Maryland and a Link Fellow with the Smithsonian Marine Station in Ft. Pierce, Fla. She pauses for a moment after a field day that began at midnight.
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Posted: 1 July 2013
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Categories:
Collaboration , Education, Access & Outreach , From the Secretary
