Spring 2024 Internship at the American Museum of Natural History – Museum Studies

Job Title: Internship

Location: New York, NY

Note: This paid internship is specifically available for NYU Museum Studies students, and a biology background is NOT required, just an interest in collections work. Please contact Rosanna directly with questions.

American Museum of Natural History
Invertebrate Zoology Department
Malacology collection

Spring semester 2024 – 200 hours – $20 per hour, $4000 per semester – onsite work
Ideal schedule: 10-15 hours per week
Applications must be submitted via email to: lrincon-rodriguez@amnh.org by November 30th , 2023

Applications must include: resume and a written essay (max. 2 pages) or a digital piece about your motivation/expectations to pursue this internship.

*Digital piece can be a pamphlet, publication in any preferred social media, a diagram, a board using padlet.com, magazine cover, YouTube short video (3 minutes max.) etc.

The AMNH Malacology collection is a global collection of mollusks established in 1874, with particular emphasis on North America and the Eastern Pacific. Mollusks are an animal group consisting of slugs, snails, squids, octopuses, scallops, cockles, whelks, and limpets within 8 classes, Polyplacophora, Monoplacophora, Gastropoda, Cephalopoda, Bivalvia, and Scaphopoda. Most mollusks are marine, but
these animals also occupy freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Currently the Malacology collection at AMNH contains approximately 500,000 lots with representatives of 406 families.

The Malacology Collection has an interdisciplinary team, which currently includes Dr. Jessica Goodheart, Assistant Curator of Malacology, and Laura Rincón Rodriguez, Museum Specialist for Malacology. Our diversity in expertise, cultural backgrounds, languages, and personal experiences are integral aspects of our team. We see biological collections as dynamic and active hubs that can better serve the needs of
their audiences and the mission of the AMNH. We eagerly anticipate continued collaboration with the scientific and natural history collections communities, graduate students and the public to ensure that the collections remain available and preserved for generations to come.

As part of our care of the Malacology collections, we have projects that we would like an intern to assist on, though the specific project chosen will depend on the interest of the intern. This is our priority list, in order of priority:
– Compile the history of the Mollusca collection.
– Organize, process, and re-integrate pending loans listed in the Mollusca collection.
– Identify and track the possible sources of undocumented specimens or other sources that can help to connect to their documentation.
– Develop a methodology to improve fluid level monitoring in vials and small jars as 20ml, 40 ml, 1 ¼ oz. Paragon.

We are looking for an intern who is proactive in proposing ideas or alternatives methodologies to apply in collection management, is an effective communicator, and is open to exchanging knowledge and experiences. We want to learn from you, your internship experience, and we hope you can learn from us. We aim to make this internship a portal for your curiosity and creativity, a path to better understand
collections, and to inspire you in your next steps as a Museum Studies professional. What we love about collections is that they can adapt to the current practices and needs of the staff who are ready to implement and advance the collection. You do not need a background in natural sciences. We are seeking someone with basic knowledge of collections management who is willing to learn how this applies in the real world of natural history collections.