Cultural Resources Diversity Internship
Program
Summer
2010 Internships
- City
of Washington, Georgia
Battle of Kettle Creek Artifact Interpretation and the role
Revolutionary War hero, Austin Dabney
Wilkes County, GA
The internship project is
the initial organization and presentation of artifacts of the Battle of
Kettle Creek and the development of an Austin Dabney display at the City of
Washington Historical Museum. African-Americans played a pivotal role in
the American Revolution yet their importance is underemphasized. Austin
Dabney is a well-recognized hero, being highlighted in “ALMOST
INVISIBLE: Black Patriots of the
American Revolution” by Kate Salley Palmer. The internship will expose the
intern to museum curation experiences, historic artifact preservation
techniques, heritage tourism marketing experiences, and exposure to the
Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American
Revolution membership. The internship compliments the “13th Colony Trail”
heritage tourism project being developed in cooperation with the Georgia
Department of Economic Development.
NOTE: An intern has already been chosen for this
project.
- Delaware
Water Gap National Recreation Area, NPS
Cultural Resources and Interpretation Project
Bushkill, PA
The Delaware Water Gap NRA cultural
resources and interpretation project will acquaint an intern with a range
of cultural resource tasks (museum curation and cataloging, historic sites
maintenance, archeological survey and excavation, and cultural landscape
survey), as well as giving them experience with operations of a front-line
visitors center. Archeology: The intern will shovel-test proposed
development areas or other areas under the direction of the park’s
archeologist or cultural resource manager.
Ethnography: The intern will
help to develop a draft Action Plan for park use when ground-disturbing
activities encounter human remains. Historic Structures/Cultural Landscapes: Interns will perform at least two weeks
of historic structures maintenance or cultural landscape maintenance under
the direction of the cultural resource manager and maintenance staff.
Museum Management: The intern will
accession park collections and perform at least two weeks of object or
archives cataloging and collections care (moving, cleaning, labeling). Cultural Resource Interpretation: The intern will perform interpretation of
cultural resources at either the park’s Kittatinny Point or Dingmans
Visitor Centers, or as a roving interpreter at cultural sites. A
privately-owned vehicle is recommended for personal, off-duty
transportation while at the park and to-and-from the Bushkill, PA, duty
station.
The successful candidate
will have:
- Basic computer skills (word processing,
spreadsheets, data entry)
- Basic computational and writing skills
- Basic manual dexterity and physical
conditioning
- General introductory courses in history,
archaeology, historic architecture, or museum management
- Gila
Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NPS
Managing and Interpreting Cultural Resources in Arizona
Silver City, NM
Over the course of this
internship, the selected student will work with affiliated American Indian
tribes, professional museum curators, conservators, archeologists, fire
management officers, and exhibit designers.
The intern will participate in the rehabilitation of the Gila
Visitor Center’s museum by: writing exhibit text, selecting artifacts for
display, locating Mimbres pottery for long term loan, and collaborating
with the designers from Arizona State Museum. The intern will work with
regional and park staff to coordinate with affiliated tribes to review
items in storage at the Western Archeological Conservation Center and
develop a list of items to be returned to the tribes in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Finally, the intern will aid with the
deaccessioning of all artifacts repatriated during the 2009
repatriation/reburial and 2010 ceremonial return NAGPRA projects, accession
and catalog undocumented museum donations, and create complete accession
folders to remedy annual accessions inventory problems. A
personal vehicle is required for
this internship. Mileage will be
reimbursed.
The successful candidate
will have:
- Familiarity with MS Office applications
- An interest in NAGPRA legislation
- Basic understanding of archeological
technique
- Basic understanding of museum collections
management
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- George
Washington Memorial Parkway, NPS
Cultural Resources Intern
McLean, VA (greater
Washington, DC area)
This internship will
provide the selectee with a wide range of experiences within Cultural
Resources Program Management. The
intern would assist with the continued organization, management,
cataloging, and filing of research materials to assure that all GWMP
library resource files and materials are accounted for (2 Weeks). The
intern will assist with managing the Fort Hunt Oral History Project, which
seeks to record the secret history of a highly classified WWII intelligence
installation located within Fort Hunt Park, a unit of GWMP. There will be opportunities for the
intern to conduct research at archival centers such as the National
Archives and Records Administration, as well as to participate in
interviews with these veterans. (3 Weeks) The intern will learn about the
role of archeology in the Section 106 compliance process, as well as to
learn introductory archeological skills and concepts. A number of ongoing
projects require archeological fieldwork, and an archeologist will be
working at GWMP throughout the summer. (2weeks) The intern will also participate in GWMP
museum cataloguing on paper and in the Automated National Cataloging System
(ANCS+) database. These include
archeological materials, items donated from veterans of the Fort Hunt Oral
History Projects, and text and other ephemeral materials acquired from
online auctions. The intern will
process (wash, sort) artifacts, as well as to conduct the initial cataloging.
(3weeks) A privately owned vehicle or
other arrangements by the intern would be necessary to reach the offices of
the Cultural Resource Program but a Government vehicle is available for
work throughout the park, visits to research repositories, or other
official activities.
The successful candidate will:
·
Have the ability to conduct historical research
·
Be able to engage in occasional physical
activities associated with field work
·
Have a knowledge of computers and MS Office
applications
·
Have a valid driver’s license
- National
Historical Landmarks Program, NPS
St. Augustine National
Historic Landmark Boundary Revision and Updated Documentation
(Archeology)
St. Augustine,
Florida/Introductory orientation in Washington, DC
When the St. Augustine
Town Plan Historic District was designated as a National Historic Landmark
(NHL) by the Secretary of the Interior in 1970, no complete survey of the
resources within the implied boundary was conducted and no determination
was made of which resources contributed to the historic district and which
did not. The intern will review
preliminary material collected by Southeast Regional Office (SERO), compile
information from archeological reports prepared for the first to current
excavations performed in St. Augustine, and conduct additional primary and
secondary research in local archives.
Under the guidance of NHL staff from both SERO and the Washington
office (WASO), the intern will write a rough draft for an updated NHL
nomination for the St. Augustine Town Plan Historic District to add
Archeology as an area of significance and determine a definitive boundary
based on the identified archeological resources. A graduate student in archeology or
related field is preferred.
The successful candidate will:
·
Have the ability to conduct historical research
and produce written reports
·
Be able to use the citation method American Antiquity.
·
Be comfortable reading archeological reports
·
Have basic mapping skills
- The
National Public Housing Museum
Make Your Mark/Oral Histories Intern
Chicago, IL
The intern would assist the museum
in developing and implementing a citizen participation program called “Our
Stories,” which is designed to collect the oral histories of current and
former public housing residents in accordance with the NPHM’s recently
rewarded National Endowment for the Humanities Oral Histories planning
grant. The intern will schedule and
conduct interviews with Chicago Housing Authority leaders, Chicago city
government leaders, recognized local nonprofit and architectural leaders as
well as museum board members and advisory council members. The intern will transcribe interview
notes and catalogue the results in the Museum archives and database. The intern’s interviews and transcripts
will be made available to the public through the Museum’s database. The
intern must own a personal laptop for use in the field. A personal vehicle
is recommended but not required.
The successful candidate will:
·
Have a pleasant attitude and strong capacity for
following directions
·
Be able to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines
·
Have a knowledge of computers and MS Office
applications
·
Be flexible in an environment with limited
resources
·
Creative problem solver
·
Strong desire to work in the public sector
- National
Trust for Historic Preservation, Southern Office
Rosenwald School Survey Database
Charleston, SC
Since 2002, the National
Trust for Historic Preservation has administered the Rosenwald Schools
Initiative, a focused effort to raise awareness and provide resources to
groups and individuals working to preserve the remaining Rosenwald
schools. The schools were the
product of collaboration between Booker T. Washington, principal of
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, and philanthropist Julius
Rosenwald to educate African Americans across the South and Southwest in an
era of strict school segregation.
Today many of the schools are gone but an interest in their history
and preservation continues to grow.
To assist in the difficult task of locating the schools, assessing
their conditions, and allocating resources for their preservation and
reuse, the intern will: 1) canvass all State Historic Preservation Offices
and search files at the Southern Office, and 2) compile a database on all
Rosenwald school survey information in the 14 states with schools
remaining. Additionally, the intern
will update the Rosenwald Initiative website with links to new materials
and resources available online, as well as blog on
PreservationNation.org. The intern
will visit and interview staff at other Charleston preservation
institutions including: Drayton Hall, a National Trust Historic Site;
Historic Charleston Foundation; American College of the Building Arts; The
Preservation Society of Charleston; and the Avery Research Center for
African American History and Culture.
The successful candidate
will:
·
Be interested
in the history and preservation of schools, sites of segregation, 20th
century African American history and/or historical resources.
·
Have
proficiency in Microsoft Access and Excel
·
Have
excellent writing and communication skills
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- Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
Conservation-related Farm Bill
projects in Eastern Washington State
Spokane,
WA
The
intern will work on 2-6 small cultural resource management (CRM) inventory
or assessment projects, including preparation of the report, under the
technical supervision of an Area Cultural Resources Specialist (ACRS). The intern will meet a NRCS conservation
planner requesting NEPA/NHPA compliance assistance, participate in
consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and
federally recognized American Indian Tribes, review historic maps and
predict the types of resources that may be present, conduct field inventory
through shovel-testing and interviews with knowledgeable landowners, and
prepare site documentation. The intern will gain demonstrable vitae credits
as a second author on the final CRM report.
The intern will also informally visit with tribal professional
cultural resource staff, tour offices, and perhaps visit a
tribally-operated curatorial facility that meets federal standards. The intern will get the chance to work
with rural ranchers, farmers, forest owners, Tribes, and enrolled Tribal
members who have voluntarily applied to participate in Farm Bill conservation
program, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. A graduate student in archeology or
related field is preferred but not required.
The successful intern must:
·
Have a strong interest in Native American
heritage and tribal consultation
·
Have basic computer skills, experience with GIS
a plus
- Be physically able to complete short hikes to
archeological sites
- Ozark
National Scenic Riverways, NPS
Experiencing the Cultural Resources of The Southeastern
Ozark Highland
Van Buren, MO
The intern will conduct
archeological research with Dr. Rolfe Mandel, a paleo-archeologist from the
University of Kansas, on early Paleo-Indian sites dating to as far back as
12,000 years ago in the Big Spring area of the park. The intern will participate in the restoration
of an historic Civilian Conservation Corps structure at Big Spring which
served as a camp store in 1934-1937.
Work will involve the filling of nail and screw holes in wooden
structural elements, the reconstruction of missing architectural fabric,
and the careful tuck pointing of stone walls. The intern will help restore
historic Ozark tools for use in craft demonstrations at cultural events in
ONSR. The intern will work with a
professional conservator and learn the methods of metal and wood cleaning
and preservation as well as tool sharpening and maintenance. They will work side by side with skilled
craftspeople in the restoration of period handmade Ozark furniture such as
split wood chairs, spinning wheels, and other such objects. The intern will also learn how to clean
historic specimens and preserve them for the future. They will be instructed in the use of
electrolysis for the removal of rust and rust preventative techniques as
well as the treatment of wooden tools and tool parts. Finally, the intern
will prepare Ozark material culture artifacts for placement in curation
cabinets and will also prepare and file original photographs, slides,
documents, and oral history transcripts for the park archives. Archive responsibilities include: scanning
original historic photographs and placing the digitized images in the
archives, cleaning cultural specimens ranging from prehistoric artifacts to
objects of the Great Depression when the Civilian Conservation Corps was
instrumental in developing state parks.
The successful intern
will:
- Have basic word processing and data entry
skills
- Possess a valid driver’s license
10.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Documenting the History of Mexican
Americans in the Santa Monica Mountains
Thousand Oaks, CA
The interpretation on the history of Mexican
Americans is greatly needed by the park to tell the diverse stories of
former residents of the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding
communities. The intern will research,
compile information, and analyze the history of Mexican Americans living in
California’s Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding communities following
the Mexican American War. The intern
will conduct primary and secondary research at local archives and historical
societies to investigate land ownership, land forfeiture, citizenship,
homesteading, perspectives, social activities, and land use. The intern will create web pages using
the National Park Service’s content management software on his/her research
findings and present those findings to coworkers and the management
team. In addition, the intern will
job shadow cultural resource employees at a nearby National Park and attend
local meetings of Cultural Resources organizations such as the Southwest Oral
History Association, the Calabasas Historical Society, and the Ventura
Archeological Society. Proficiency in
reading Spanish-language documents and a privately-owned vehicle is
required for the project.
The successful intern must:
·
Be Proficient
in reading Spanish-language documents
·
Have strong
English-language writing skills
·
Possess a
valid driver’s license
·
Be Proficient in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel
and PowerPoint.
- Shenandoah
National Park, NPS
Introduction to Cultural Resource Management
Luray,
VA
The intern will work with
the Cultural Resource Program Manager and the staff Museum Specialist on a
wide variety of cultural resource projects.
With the park’s archeology cooperator, the intern will perform an
archeological survey and write condition assessments on historic structures
located in the park in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA). Second, the
intern will participate in cultural landscape restoration at Rapidan Camp,
a National Historic Landmark, including working with and adding information
to the cultural resource base map in GIS.
Also, the intern will work in the museum collection division by
assisting with preservation cleaning, environmental monitoring of
temperature and humidity, ultraviolet and visible light reading, conducting
integrated pest management, and re-housing museum objects in archival
containers. The intern will catalog
history museum objects including numbering, cataloging and working with the
NPS museum collections software. One
project will include inventory of oral history interviews and their media
types in preparation for migration to permanent storage and creating
transcripts. Finally, the intern
will assist researchers by pulling objects and answering research queries
at the park museum archives.
The successful intern must:
·
Have basic computer skills
·
Be physically able to complete short hikes to
park archeological sites.
- Yosemite
National Park
Documenting Ethnic and
Cultural Diversity in Yosemite National Park through Ethnohistorical
Research
El Portal, CA
Many conventional
historical accounts of Yosemite National Park contain compelling clues
about a long history of ethnic and cultural diversity in the park marked by
important multicultural exchanges and interactions. The intern will conduct ethnohistorical
research to fill the gaps about the presence and contributions of diverse
peoples and cultures with ties to Yosemite National Park, such as Asian
immigrants, Basque sheepherders, African Americans, American Indians, and
miners drawn from many ethnic groups and nationalities. The intern will
conduct primary and secondary research in the extensive collections housed
at the Yosemite National Park archive, research library, and museum. The intern will also carry out research
at other local repositories. The
intern and the park’s Cultural Anthropologist will make field trips to
sites identified as important in Yosemite’s history of ethnic and cultural
diversity. The intern will review,
analyze, and integrate information from oral traditions, photographs, maps,
archeological findings, folklore, paintings, ecological data, published and
unpublished manuscripts, and the travel accounts, personal diaries, and
memoirs of early visitors and settlers in and around Yosemite National
Park. The intern will compile his or
her research findings in an inventory database and also prepare a synthesis
report detailing their project activities, findings, identified data gaps,
and recommendations for future research.
The successful intern
will:
- Possess a valid driver’s license.
- Be able to conduct systematic library and/or
archival research
- Have a basic introduction to/interest in the
field of cultural anthropology
- Be proficient with the Microsoft Office 2007
suite of software
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13. Minidoka
National Historic Site/Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
Cataloging Archives related to Japanese American Internment
Hagerman, Idaho
Minidoka National
Historic Site is significant because it represents an important component
of World War II and American history and is a compelling venue for engaging
in dialogue concerning the violation of civil and constitutional rights and
the meaning of democracy. Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument contains
world-class paleontological resources, and provides for continuing
education and research, including scientific analyses that allow
comparisons with modern ecosystems and the study of environmental changes
and biodiversity, including climate change. The intern will organize and
arrange archives relating to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during
WWII in southern Idaho and pertinent management documents relating to both
Minidoka National Historic Site and Hagerman Fossil Beds National
Monument. In addition, the intern
will visit and perform curatorial tasks in the museum collections of the
City of Rocks National Reserve and Craters of the Moon National Monument
& Preserve in Southern Idaho.
The intern will also participate in park staff meetings and shadow
staff from other divisions in order to better understand overall park
operations and management. A
privately-owned vehicle is required to drive between museum facilities in
Hagerman, ID and the Minidoka National Historic Site.
The
successful candidate will:
·
Major in history, archeology, museum studies
and/or museum education, or related field.
·
Be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite,
including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
·
Have strong organizational abilities
14.
Dinosaur
National Monument, NPS
Interpretation Internship
Jensen,
UT
This
project is one component of a larger Minority Population Conservation
Internship Pilot Program that Dinosaur National Monument is establishing
this year. The intern will work as a park interpreter to provide
information to visitors through formal talks and informal contacts about
the archeological, pioneer history, and paleontological resources of the
park. Second, the intern will
research information, write text, and update the Park’s webpages on
science/nature and history/culture. The intern will also shadow other Park
staff on a variety of other cultural resource activities, including:
invasive plant species mitigation, peregrine falcon monitoring, and
paleontological excavation, surveying and recording. A
personal vehicle is NOT required for the internship but may be useful.
The
successful candidate will:
·
Be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite,
including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
·
Have a strong ability to communicate orally and
in writing
15. Frederick
Douglass Memorial Home and Fort Circle Parks, National Capital Parks-East
NACE Curatorial Project
Washington, DC area
The intern will assist
the parks with creating an organized photographic database so that photos
can be easily found and retrieved for use in publications, programs and on
the website. Intern will also help
with creation of a research archive/database for the Fort Circle Parks
(multi-site project). The intern
will also assist the on-site curator with cataloging and research on
objects in the collection, assist with routine cleaning and care of objects
on display at Frederick Douglass NHS, assist with work on the collections
housed at the off-site Museum Resource Center, which houses hundreds of
thousands of artifacts from parks throughout the National Capital Region
and the Department of the Interior.
The intern will participate in inventories, and may work with the
curator to create a small exhibit for the Frederick Douglass Home visitor
center display case. Because the
sites have a nice balance of cultural and natural resources, the intern
should be prepared to work in natural settings as well as within historic
structures. Additionally, the intern
will work with other curators in the region, tour of the National Archives
for Black Women’s History at the Mary McLeod Bethune National Historic Site,
shadow other curators in the National Capital Region to see how their
collections and responsibilities differ from the curatorial staff at
National Capital Parks-East.
The
successful candidate will:
·
Be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite,
including Access, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
·
Be literate in Microsoft Office scanning and
imaging software
·
Major in history, museum studies and/or museum
education, or related field.
- Have a strong organizational skills
16. Indiana
Dunes National Lakeshore, NPS (YIP#11818)
Restoring the 1900 Swedish American Cultural Landscape at
Chellberg Farm
Porter, Indiana
The intern will implement recommendations
to restore Chellberg Farm, one of the most popular cultural sites within
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Working
with the lakeshores Resource Stewardship Program Manager and Historical
Architect, the intern will facilitate restoration of the farm’s “Front
Yard” by developing and implement a 5-year vegetable garden management
plan, and developing an action plan to restore the one-acre orchard. The plan will include locating sources for
the plants, materials, and equipment and recruiting staff & volunteers. The intern will also have an opportunity
to participate in archeology digs within the park; observe the restoration
of a log building at Bailly Homestead, a National Historic Landmark site;
and assist with the installation of the exhibit “10,000 Years in the Making
– The Material Culture of Indiana Dunes” in partnership with the
Westchester Historical Museum. The
intern will need to operate government owned vehicles; a driver’s license
that is in good standing is required.
The successful candidate
will:
·
Have an interest in landscape architecture, horticulture,
botany, environmental planning, and related fields
·
Be able to use a variety of basic landscape
tools.
·
Be able to perform physical labor in an outdoor
setting
·
Be able to work independently and take
initiative
·
Have strong organizational abilities
·
Be literate in Microsoft Office Suite, including
Word and PowerPoint
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HOW TO APPLY!
The 2010 student application deadline was Monday, March
1, 2010. All student
applications were 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.
- 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.
- At least one letter of reference from a professor or previous supervisor/employer.
Review the Frequently Asked Questions page
for students for more information.
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