Established with the aim of increasing the outreach of Florida Museum programs across the UF campus, this internship award program seeks to support undergraduate students by facilitating their work on museum-based internship projects.
Internships are to be focused on gaining experience in collections work, laboratory analysis,and/or fieldwork. Awards supporting up to 80 hours of work during one semester will be funded.
Eligibility:
Undergraduate students, including graduating seniors, enrolled at the University of Florida who can demonstrate how their involvement will expand the museum’s reach.
Application Deadline:
Apply by 11:59 PM ET on Friday, December 1, 2023
Awardee Agreement:
Successful Awardees will meet with their mentor and agree on project activities and work schedule soon after the start of classes. A progress report and summary, including project-related photos, will due near the end of the semester. Students will also be expected to give a lightning talk presentation about their internship experience.
Internship Tracks:
There are two tracks in applications—TRACK A: for students with no prior research or museum experience who will select from a list of available projects; and TRACK B: for students with previous or ongoing experience who will submit a proposed project plan of their own and who already have a project advisor in the museum. If you have been awarded this internship in a previous semester, then you are not eligible to reapply.
Once you have your information ready, click “Apply to track A”, or “Apply to track B”. We only accept applications submitted via UF qualtrics at the following links. PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL YOUR APPLICATION.
List of Projects for TRACK A (students with no experience in museum research) application:
Project mentor: Nicolas Gauthier Lab/Collection: AI for Bio/Cultural Diversity PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The AI in Bio/Cultural Diversity lab is looking for creative students who want to learn how to use supercomputers to study our species’ role in Earth’s past, present, and future. We make maps and models of how climate, environment, and society interact, focusing on topics like food production, biodiversity, pandemics, warfare, and cultural evolution. Current projects include research on past societies of the US Southwest, Mexico, Tibet, and Mediterranean, but regional focus is open to student interests. Skills needed: Creativity and an interest in archaeology, climatology, or biodiversity. No experience required. Skills to be gained: Students will gain experience working with maps and spatial data using applications like Google Earth and develop basic coding skills for analyzing and visualizing spatial data. Semester: Spring, Summer, Fall
Project mentor: Elise LeCompte Lab/Collection: Anthropology Collections PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The intern will continue the important work related to the Museum’s compliance with NAGPRA, including assisting the project mentors with collection management tasks associated with NAPGRA-eligible collections. This will include updating inventories, researching object records to confirm legal ownership and provenance, editing and adding object records to the collections database, rehousing objects to conform to tribal requests, and digitizing collections records, as well as other activities as needed. Skills needed: Attention to detail, ability to follow directions. Interest in working with archaeological and ethnographic collections desired, but not required. Skills to be gained: Knowledge of the legal and ethical principles and practices needed to care for indigenous and community collections. Professional museum collections management skills, including addressing issues such as decolonization and collaboration with indigenous communities. Semester: Spring
Project mentor: Zach Randall, Larry Page Lab/Collection: Digital Imaging & Ichthyology PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Creation of 3D photogrammetry models of fluid preserved freshwater fishes in the Digital Imaging Division working with the Ichthyology Collection – the second largest fish collection in the U.S. Photogrammetry uses digital 2D photographs to create 3D models with life-like external textures. Models generated will be utilized for data analysis including 3D morphometrics and made available online as a future resource for AI analyses and for outreach/education. Example of photogrammetry models can be viewed on our Florida Museum Sketchfab page. Skills needed: none Skills to be gained: Students will gain experience in photography, 3D model reconstruction, 2D and 3D imaging processing software, specimen curation, and data management including dissemination of 3D models to online resources. The students will also gain general knowledge in digitization methods of museum collections data and their application in systematics, environmental and natural history studies. Semester: Spring
Project mentor: Yash, Sondhi; Jane, Shin Lab/Collection: Kawahara Lab PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Light traps are a basic, but key method for surveying insect biodiversity in natural areas. The practice is simple, a very bright light shines on a white sheet and scientists monitor what insects arrive on the sheet at night. This method is ubiquitous in tropical ecology, but highly labor intensive for sampling many areas over long periods of time. We are building an automated light trap that uses computer vision to automatically photograph and identify moths, based on the prototype designed by Bjerge et al., in collaboration with Dinalab. We all add open-source motion capture scripts and data analysis tools from Sondhi et al. along with guides and images to recreate the setup. We will then use it to monitor nocturnal insect diversity to test habitat restoration efficacy. The goal of this internship will be to help test, troubleshoot and deploy the traps in different parts of Gainesville in Spring 2023 Skills needed: Knowledge of insect traps or setting up raspberrypi cameras Skills to be gained: Working with image processing, setting and assembling insect traps in the field Semester: Spring
Project mentor: Alberto Lopez-Torres, Elizabeth Clark, Elise Felt Lab/Collection: EPP Education Department PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This position is with the museum’s education team. It will focus on expanding programming for non-traditional audiences from diverse backgrounds and developing and delivering natural history-themed education programs for the museum’s Science Surprises program. Science Surprises is designed to provide unique in-person science programming for K-6 audiences. Students in this position will help deliver educational programs and will develop new themes and activities to complement existing Science Surprises outreach programs. Activities allow participants to explore the science of nature by engaging in hands-on project-based activities during 30-minute to one-hour outreach sessions. Students will have an opportunity to present their developed activities to the intended audience at outreach events and to assess if the activities accomplish the following learning outcomes: 1. Participants express a high level of interest in learning more about science. 2. Participants explore natural phenomena and how they occur by understanding the nature of science. 3. Participants become better observers and problem solvers while also learning to use creativity and communication skills Skills needed: Writing skills, experience interacting with elementary & middle school students. Skills to be gained: Students will gain written and oral science communication skills; will learn how to develop and deliver science education programs Semester: Spring (afternoon availability is required)
Project mentor: Andrea Torvinen, Neil Wallis Lab/Collection: Florida Archaeology Collection PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Students will assist with the curation and documentation of archaeological collections from across North Florida. Tasks will include the organization and re-housing of artifact assemblages (e.g., ceramic, faunal, lithic), collecting and recording basic qualitative and quantitative data, and taking photographs using a digital camera and/or microscope. Skills needed: No collections experience is necessary, but the respectful handling of artifacts as objects of cultural patrimony is required. Attention to detail and an ability to work independently are preferred. Skills to be gained: Hands-on experience in how to catalog and curate archaeological collections, as well as how to record data and photograph artifacts. Semester: Spring
Project mentor: Alan Franck, Lucas Majure Lab/Collection: Herbarium (Botany) PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Digitizing the plant diversity of the world – To understand plant diversity and target conservation needs, the herbarium is digitizing its collection of about a half-million specimens. Priorities include the orchid family, the cactus family, historic Florida specimens from the 1800s, and the Caribbean flora. We have a very unique collection from these families and areas, some of which needs meticulous curatorial work. Students are encouraged to focus on a particular plant group or geographic area of interest. Skills needed: Interest in plant diversity would be desirable. Skills to be gained: curation and digitization of plant specimens, including databasing, photography, mounting, and filing, as well as various interesting tidbits about plant species that we work with. Semester: Spring, Summer, Fall
Project mentor: David Blackburn, Kaitlin Allen, Walter Tapondjou Lab/Collection: Herpetology PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The intern will work on a project on the evolutionary history of Central African frogs under the supervision of two postdoctoral researchers. Duties will include but are not limited to performing DNA extraction and quantification, processing CT scans, measuring specimens, cataloging morphological traits, and analyzing resulting data. Skills needed: This is an entry level position and we do expect to train students in the skills needed Skills to be gained: DNA lab techniques, CT scan post-processing, data analysis, presenting data for scientific audiences through writing and poster presentations Semester: Spring,Summer,Fall
Project mentor: Larry Page Lab/Collection: Ichthyology PROJECT DESCRIPTION: As natural history collections are digitized, they provide readily available information important for understanding distributions and life histories of organisms. However, information is much more readily available for North America and Europe than for less studied areas. Recent collections of fishes from Southeast Asia at the Florida Museum provide an excellent opportunity to rapidly provide a large amount of important information regarding patterns in morphologic, biogeographic and ecological diversity from an understudied part of the planet. Data generated will include morphological measurements and images and will be made immediately available online to provide a new resource for AI and other analyses related to climate change, endangered species, and other environmental and educational uses. Skills needed: none Skills to be gained: Students will gain knowledge in methods employed in the generation and digitization of museum collections data and uses of the data in environmental and natural history studies. Semester: Spring
Project mentor: Catherine Smith, Neill Wallis Lab/Collection: NAGPRA/Florida Archaeology PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This internship involves assisting the Repatriation Office with ongoing NAGPRA compliance efforts. For the Spring, you would be assisting the NAGPRA Coordinator in summarizing cultural belongings held from the Panhandle/Northwest Florida in the Florida Archaeology Collections. This work involves providing descriptions and itemized inventories of archaeological material from the Panhandle/Northwest Florida. These inventories and descriptions will aid in providing summaries of holdings to descendant nations. Skills needed: organization, archaeological identification (can learn as you go), discretion, willing to follow traditionally respectful handling Skills to be gained: experience identifying and describing archaeological material/indigenous cultural belongings, experience in repatriation efforts Semester: Spring,Summer,Fall
Project mentor: Steven R. Manchester Lab/Collection: Paleobotany PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Photographing and describing 40 to 60-million year old fossil leaves. Skills needed: background or interest in botany. Skills to be gained: photography, methods of identification of fossil leaves and inference of past climate. Semester: Spring
Project mentor: Rob Guralnick, Erin Grady Lab/Collection: Guralnick PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Learn about phenology – the timing of biological events like when flowers bloom during the year – and how we can use community science and artificial intelligence to begin gathering phenology data across the globe. You will work with a small team of folks developing data and tools needed to grow our knowledge of phenology and how phenology is changing in the face of global changes happening. Skills needed: some experience managing data in spreadsheets Skills to be gained: using Google Sheets, R, and other data science skills Semester: Spring, Summer
Project mentor: Bruce MacFadden, Rachel Narducci, Aaron Woodruff Lab/Collection: Vertebrate Paleontology PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Students will learn how to clean, sort, identify and prepare for cataloging vertebrate fossils from active research localities, including Nebraska, Florida, and North Carolina. Skills needed: Organized, detail oriented. Skills to be gained: The professional process of fossil curation. Semester: Spring, Fall
Intern Testimonials
“An invaluable opportunity to familiarize yourself with careers in scientific fields that often go unnoticed, gain research experience with a supportive mentor, and overall a great way to gain new experiences you might not receive anywhere else”
“My internship experience was a valuable one. I was able to gain hands on experience in artifact preservation and the techniques and measures taken to maintain cultural artifact collections. I had fun too and was able to meet new friends and mentors that will go beyond this experience.”
“This internship gave me a chance to gain a better understanding about the processes to acquire new items for collection and the work done to care for a collection”
The Florida Museum Undergraduate Internship Program (FMUIP) Committee organizes the internship program.
The Florida Museum Undergraduate Internship Program Committee:
Adania Flemming (Grad student member)
Shyla Davidson (iDigBio)
Amy Hester (EPP)
Steve Manchester (NH chair)
Gil Nelson (iDigBio)
Larry Page (NH member)
Mariela Pajuelo (NH member)
Juliette Rubin (member)
Alberto Lopez Torres (EPP)