Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program 2012 INTERNSHIPS
All qualified 2012 applicants must have experience in MS Word,
Excel, Internet research, digital photography, and excellent written and
verbal communication skills.
Boston National Historical Park, National Park Service
Assist Curator with Annual Inventory of Museum Collections
Charlestown, MASSACHUSETTS
The intern will work with the park's museum curator to complete the annual inventory of the park's museum collection. Tasks will include positively identifying museum objects and archives, checking object locations and accession paperwork and working with the curator to record findings on NPS collection inventory forms. This project will allow the intern to learn about the curator's role in a national historical park cultural resources management division by assisting the curator with a major annual work element. The intern will also make site visits throughout the park, meet park staff and staff from associated and neighboring institutions.
Cane River Creole National Historical Park, National Park Service
The Impact of the Red River Campaign of the Civil War on the Civilian, African American, and Creole Populations of the Cane River Region in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Natchitoches, LOUISIANA>
The intern will work with the park’s Resources Management and Interpretation Divisions to research and develop interpretive programming relating to the Civil War Red River Campaign, specifically detailing the events surrounding the campaign and the subsequent impact of this campaign on the diverse civilian population of the Cane River region. The intern will not only work closely with NPS personnel but also subject matter experts and individuals representing partner organizations including Northwestern State University of LA and the Creole Heritage Center. Project work will also involve travel to the park’s Oakland Plantation and Magnolia Plantation units and other Cane River National Heritage Area sites. Research will also be conducted at local institutions and archives facilities. The intern applicant should possess computer literacy skills necessary to digitize historic documents, develop intern-based media, and create visitor information adequate for public distribution. The potential intern should possess experience with regard to archival research and must maintain working knowledge of American military history, Louisiana heritage, and 19th century material culture.
A privately-owned vehicle is required for this internship.
Flagstaff Area National Monuments, Museum of Northern Arizona, National Park Service
Gain Museum Collections Experience at the Museum of Northern Arizona
Flagstaff, ARIZONA
The internship project will provide the intern with experience in the wide variety of museum collections management responsibilities required in the NPS. The internship will take place at the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA), which is an 84 year old, private non-profit, American Association of Museums accredited institution. The general collections responsibilities that the intern is expected to learn and participate in include, but are not limited to, object and archives accessioning, cataloging, labeling and re-housing; organizing and inventorying museum objects; updating object and archive locations in computer systems; monitoring museum conditions; and object mounting and storage techniques. The Flagstaff Area curator will provide the intern ample opportunity to make site visits to Sunset Crater Volcano, Walnut Canyon, and Wupatki National Monuments to see where the collections originate.
The intern should have an academic background in museum studies or anthropology.
Gateway National Recreation Area, National Park Service
Intern-Liaison between Gateway NRA and its neighboring Hindu Communities
Staten Island, NEW YORK
Only students and recent graduates from the Hindu community around Jamaica Bay are eligible for this internship. The Gateway NRA intern will work with the park’s Interpretation staff to continue a dialog between the park and Hindu community members that addresses common religious and ceremonial practices that negatively impact the ecological health of Jamaica Bay, particularly the North Channel Bridge site within the park. Through exposure to the NPS mission and participation in site resource management, as well as involvement with education, interpretation and community outreach, the intern will acquire first-hand knowledge of the work involved in protecting park resources. The intern will conduct field observation and research ways that humans, plants and animals intersect with and depend on waters of Jamaica Bay. In addition to inviting members of the Hindu community into the park to explore it, the intern will also engage in dialogue with members of the Hindu community to inform and educate about sustainability challenges in Jamaica Bay.
Intern applicants must be able to work outdoors in changing conditions and on uneven terrain. A valid driver’s license is required for this internship.
Glades Historical Society, Inc.
We Were Here: We the People of Belle Glade Culture Welcomed You in 1513
Belle Glade, FLORIDA
This internship project will involve assisting the Lawrence E. Will Museum: A Museum of the Glades in indentifying, analyzing, and describing its Belle Glade culture artifacts as part of the formal accessioning process. The intern would also assist the museum in helping to select the 5-10 artifacts that will be exhibited in a 2013 state-wide traveling exhibit to be prepared on the people of the Belle Glade Culture, a people who had lived in the Lake Okeechobee Basin for two centuries before the Spanish came to Florida in 1513. Finally, the intern would assist the exhibition contractors in the collection and prioritizing of information about the Belle Glade culture to be included in the exhibit materials. The intern will spend seven days off-site in dedicated introduction to a variety of real-life historic preservation/cultural resources activities taking place in South Florida. Off-site locations will include an on-going archeological excavation, the Florida Public Archeology Network activities and Biscayne and Everglades National Parks.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, National Park Service
Cultural Resources Monitoring and Maintenance Program at Glen Canyon NRA
Page, ARIZONA
The internship project will assist the Monitoring and Maintenance Program at Glen Canyon with conducting and documenting condition assessment evaluations of the park’s archeological and historic sites. The goal of the program is to ensure that these historic resources are observed and maintained in a condition sufficient to preserve their scientific, interpretive, or other indentified values. The intern’s main tasks will include field evaluation of cultural resources, data entry into the Archeological Sites Management Information Systems and the List of Classified structures databases and the organization and transmittal of photographs and written documentation. The intern will produce a final report summarizing the results of annual monitoring activities. Additional opportunities will be available to participate in ruins stabilization projects at historic and prehistoric archeological sites.
Internship work involves outdoor activity, often over difficult backcountry terrain and overnight camping in the backcountry. Experience with outdoor skills and safety, Adobe Photoshop and illustrator is preferred.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, National Park Service
Deaccession Museum Artifacts at Hopewell Furnace NHS
Elverson, PENNSYLVANIA
The intern, under the direction of the Cultural Resource manager, will do work required to satisfy National Park Service procedures for deaccessioning approximately 200 historic museum furnishings which were formally exhibited in Tenant House 1 and the Office Store. Tasks will include photographing items not yet photographed and drafting a document advertising the artifacts to other National Park Service museum collections. The intern will create a PowerPoint presentation about the internship that focuses on the deaccession process in the NPS. Other intern responsibilities will include standard curatorial duties such as temperature and humidity monitoring, accessioning, assisting researchers, and museum inventory. The intern will be shown a wide gamut of Cultural Resource projects being worked on within the park. The intern will also be included in training courses and offsite meetings when possible.
A privately-owned vehicle is not required but recommended for this internship.
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, National Park Service
Assist with Archeological Inventory and Geophysical Data Collection
Stanton, NORTH DAKOTA
Only students and recent graduates from the Northern Plains Tribes or the Three Affiliated Tribes whose ancestors called the Knife River Villages’ home are eligible for this internship. The intern will work directly with Knife River management staff and archeologists from the National Park Service’s Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) to conduct an archeological inventory of newly acquired lands and data collections of significant archeological sites. Both of these projects will provide new information for planning Cultural Resources Management and interpretive materials at Knife River. The selected intern will receive training by professional archeologists in the latest techniques and learn about the home villages of their ancestors. The intern will be expected to perform basic and increasingly complex archeological research and inventory methods. Following fieldwork at the park, the intern will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to spend time at MWAC and learn about post-field archeological activities in a laboratory environment.
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, National Park Service
Preserving Civil Rights: A Public History Internship at Little Rock Central High School
Little Rock, ARKANSAS
The selected intern will assist with preserving existing oral histories relating to the American Civil Rights movements entitled, “My First Vote.” The intern will assist in creating a database of the oral history collection, creating backup copies, updating digital format where necessary and recording programs presented during their internship. Additionally, the intern will be immersed in the daily tasks of maintaining the Little Rock Central High School collections including cataloguing new accessions, preparing a temporary exhibit for the changing display case, and assisting with the annual museum inventory. The intern will also have the chance to visit other area National Park units and tour partner facilities such as the President William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and the University of Arkansas Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.
Interns must have good phone skills and interpersonal skills for scheduling and conducting interviews. A valid driver’s license is required for this internship.
Natchez National Historical Park, National Park Service
Reconstruction in Natchez, MS
Natchez, MISSISSIPPI
Only students and recent graduates located in the Natchez area are eligible for this internship. The product of this internship is a bibliography focusing on Reconstruction in the old Natchez District of Mississippi. Working with the park staff and Natchez’s various partners, the intern will conduct extensive research on Reconstruction in Natchez, with a particular emphasis on primary source material. Additionally, the intern will identify and draft biographical sketches of those people who played prominent roles in the region’s history from 1865-1880. In completing these tasks, the intern will develop a working knowledge of the resources pertaining to Reconstruction in the United States and the Old Natchez District. The intern will also become familiar with research methods and historiography. The internship will provide the participant with the opportunity to work closely with Natchez’s various partners, including the Historic Natchez Foundation and the Natchez Association for the Preservation of African American Culture.
National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
National Cemetery Administration Cultural Resources Internship
WASHINGTON,
DC
This internship will allow an intern to explore the interdisciplinary responsibilities of the History Program of the National Cemetery Administration. The intern working in the History Program would work on a variety of tasks to support the Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration. The intern’s research would encompass primary research at major repositories (i.e. National Archives), reputable on-line sources and actual textual records maintained in the History Office; organizing and accessing collections materials; developing and designing material and exhibits for the NCA website based on active historic preservation projects or collection content. The intern will have exposure to organizations and agencies working with the NCA by participating in meetings, trainings, and consultations. The intern will learn how cultural resources are integrated into the activities of an administration responsible for significant historic cemeteries and developing standards to meet federal cultural resource standards.
Intern applicants should have an academic background in architecture or landscape history, historic preservation, collections management or a similar degree.
Navajo National Monument, National Park Service
Cultural Resource Management Experience at Navajo
Shonta,
ARIZONA
The internship project will consist of rerecording all or most of the sites in the administrative unit of Navajo National Monument and entering all the data into the ASMIS database. The recording of sites will consist of rerecording sites onto tabular forms and remapping if necessary, setting site boundaries and collecting site location information with GPS units and transferring the data into ArcGIS for use in ArcMap. The intern will then write a report on the condition of the sites recorded for management purposes. Additional work may include some stabilization work on an interpretive Hogan and sweat lodge. The intern will work side-by-side with the archeologist to get the tasks done and also receive training on the process of recording archeological sites and on GIS equipment.
Intern applicants should have some anthropology/archeology class work that focuses on the southwest.
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, National Park Service
Marion, Alabama Oral History Project
Tuskegee, ALABAMA
The intern will assist the Museum Specialist with recording oral histories that are pertinent to the history of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic trail. Intern tasks will include conducting preliminary research, organizing and setting up interviews, mailing letters to record interviews, and commuting back and forth to the interview site in Marion, Alabama. The intern will learn basic techniques of conservation regarding oral histories as well as archival guidelines for these types of media. Additionally, the intern will learn how to formulate central questions or issues, conduct background research, organize and present results of an interview and how to store materials in an archive.
A privately owned vehicle is required for this internship.
Interns should have some knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement.
Valley Forge National Historical Park, National Park Service
Cultural Resources Preservation Intern
King of Prussia, PENNSYLVANIA
The variety of activities performed during this internship will provide the intern with a well-rounded understanding of Valley Forge’s cultural resources. The activities will also provide the intern with an introduction to several cultural resources professions. Intern tasks will include processing, cataloguing and researching artifacts retrieved by archeological or architectural investigation or donated items that relate to the park’s history. Other intern tasks might include archeological field work and documenting historic buildings. The intern will also shadow the superintendent, division managers, and technical specialist and attend planning session for projects being undertaken within the park.
A personal vehicle is recommended for personal use but not required.
Intern applicants should have some skill in historical research and writing.
Yosemite National Park, National Park Service
Preserving Yosemite's Mosaic of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity through Research, Interpretation and Outreach
El Portal, CALIFORNIA
The CRDIP intern will expand and enhance the foundational work conducted by a 2010 CRDIP intern by providing a more fine-grained ethnohistorical analysis of Basque sociocultural experiences in and associated with Yosemite National Park. The intern will conduct research about the tangible remains left by Basque sheepherders in Yosemite, initiate outreach with contemporary Basque communities that may have links to park cultural resources, and develop a draft interpretation proposal that outlines possible approaches for communicating the little told stories of Basque experiences and relationships that gave rise to tangible cultural resources in the park. The intern will also consult with interpretation and cultural resources staff at the Inyo National Forest and Tahoe National Forest to learn about the materials and programs that have developed on Basque sheepherders. Finally, the intern will prepare a synthesis report detailing their project activities, findings, identified data gaps, and recommendations for future work and outreach efforts.
A personal vehicle is recommended for personal use but not required.
Intern applicants with an academic background in cultural anthropology, ethnic studies, and/or history are highly desired, although all qualified applicants with a sincere interest in the project will be considered. The intern should have experience conducting systematic library and/or archival research and at least a basic introduction to the field of cultural anthropology.
The
2012 student application deadline is Friday, March
2, 2012. All student
applications are processed through the Student
Conservation Association (SCA). Submit your scanned application materials by
email directly to the SCA Coordinator:
Justin
Chow, jchow@thesca.org, 703.524.2441
Students
must provide the following information:
·
A General Application Form.
Click the link for a WORD version. Please send this form as a separate document.
- A resume or a curriculum vita (1-2
pages) that includes:
educational information; previous and current experience; publications
or presentations; awards, scholarships, honors, etc.; and 2-3 personal
references.
- A cover letter that includes
a brief statement, 150 words or less, of why you want the internship
and why you are qualified. Please indicate 2-3 specific internships
that you would like to fill.
- A transcript. An unofficial
one is acceptable.
- A list of three references with contact information.
Review
the Frequently Asked Questions page
for students for more information.
