Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County – Internship in Invertebrate Paleontology

The Department of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Country is offering part-time (6 hrs/week) internships in Invertebrate Paleontology beginning in Summer 2017 at the Museum’s off-site collection facility in Carson, CA Interns will work directly with marine fossils from the collections to meet the goals of two ongoing NSF grants: Documenting Fossil Marine Invertebrate Communities of the Eastern Pacific and Curating the Cretaceous Sea of California

This invertebrate fossil collection is the largest paleontological collection of its kind in Southern California and ranks among the biggest in the nation at over 7 million fossils. Most of the collection’s fossils are mollusks from the last 100 million years of California’s geologic history. The NSF grants will digitize (catalog and photograph) these fossils to make them accessible to researchers and for education. Interns will report to the Invertebrate Paleontology collections managers.

Training:

• Learn how to identify fossil marine invertebrates; mostly snails, clams, urchins and crabs.
• Learn how to use databases, perform data entry, and maintain high standards of data quality.
• Learn methods for georeferencing, locality description, and basic GIS data management.
• Learn how to handle and organize natural history collections.
• Participate in webinars on digitization and biodiversity data.

Qualifications:

• Interest in biology, geology, paleontology, natural history, and/or museums
• Reliability
• Attention to detail
• Eagerness to learn
• Transportation to and from the Carson, CA facility

Outcomes:

• A successful internship can seek to earn academic credit within their degree program
• Mentorship by museum professionals and staff scientists
• Unique experience working in one of the largest Invertebrate Paleontology collections in the United States

How to Apply:

Applicants should email a cover letter describing their interest and suitability for this internship, and the name and contact information for one potential reference to the Invertebrate Paleontology Assistant Collections Manager Katy Estes-Smargiassi (kestes@nhm.org). Application deadline for Summer (2017) is May 5th.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. No phone calls or faxes, please.