NHMU Internship: Vertebrate Zoology Undergraduate Curatorial

Estimated Duration of Internship: 2 Semesters

Number of hours the intern will work per week over a 16 week semester: 9 hours (3 academic credit hours)

Intern Position Description: The Vertebrate Zoology Collections at the Natural History Museum of Utah are made up of nearly 90,000 specimens comprised of 45,000 mammals, 21,000 birds, and 23,000 reptiles and amphibians from across the globe collected over the past 150 years. Employing a variety of techniques, these specimens are used by researchers, educators, and artists, with many being featured in exhibits. This collection is built through active collecting of specimens in the field and records are made publicly available online. The student intern will be contributing to the Vertebrate Zoology Collections by working through each step of the field-to-drawer process to gain a better understanding of how biological collections are built and maintained, and why they are important.

Learning Outcomes or Goals: 

The primary learning objective is for the student to explore careers in biology and museum science. By learning about field biology, wildlife, biodiversity, dissections & preservation, databasing, and communicating science, the student will gain a variety of practical skills that are applicable to many fields in biology and museum science more broadly. 

  • Field techniques: trapping and handling wildlife, basic GPS skills, understanding of habitat associations
  • Specimen prep: anatomy of vertebrates, different preservations types for different research purposes, taxonomy
  • Data: using databases to link together information, organizing and sorting through data
  • Science communication: helping with Behind the Scenes to communicate to the public the importance of collections

Appropriate majors: Biology; Anthropology; Museum Studies

Preference given to applicants with: 

  • Interest in biology and/or museum science
  • Completed or currently enrolled in courses related to biology and/or zoology 
  • Familiar with Microsoft Office Software, specifically Excel 
  • Experience working in a laboratory setting while practicing proper biosafety techniques 
  • Experience hiking and/or camping 
  • Effective organizational style
Apply here