National Science Resources Center Internship Program
Criteria for Internships
NSRC accepts interns who are high school students, undergraduates, or graduate students. Applicants must be at least 16 years of age. Interns over the age of 18 must successfully complete a Federal background check before their internship begins.
Registration Deadline
Interns – We accept intern applications for internships all year. For summer internships, please submit your application no later than Tuesday, March 15, 2010.
Internship Application and Selection Process
If you are interested in an internship position, please go to the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA) at https://solaa.si.edu. You will need to create an account at this site. After you have created an account, you can begin your application and select your first, second and third choice of program areas of your interest. Your application will be automatically submitted from the SOLAA site to NSRC for consideration.
Your application will be reviewed by NSRC staff. You will be notified of your status after your materials have been reviewed. Please submit your best work for a complete application!
There are seven program areas in NSRC:
Science Education Program Areas for Interns
1. Center for Building Awareness of Science Education
2. Center for Strategic Planning and Reform Initiatives
3. Center for Teacher Professional Development Initiatives
4. Development Division
5. Publications Division
6. Executive Office
7. Finance & Administration Division
Typical Assignments for Interns at NSRC:
Center for Building Awareness of Science Education
Interns in this Center can contribute to this work by creating their own research project or choosing from a variety of ongoing projects, depending on their interests. Past internship opportunities have included researching the science of high-school and adult learning, examining the education system of developing communities, and organizing conferences and seminars to help change the course of science education throughout the United States and the world.
Center for Strategic Planning and Reform Initiatives
During the summer, the Center for Strategic Planning and Reform organizes Strategic Planning Institutes (SPI), communicates with previous SPI attendees, promotes SPI events and works to find additional funding sources for their programs. Interns in this program will work on a variety of projects that include preparing event materials such as participant lists, agendas, nametags, and participant resource binders using Microsoft Word and Publisher. Also, drafting and sending letters and e-mail correspondence to event participants.
Center for Teacher Professional Development Initiatives
The Center for Teacher Professional Development holds a number of major teacher education events between June and late August. These include four Smithsonian Science Education Academies for Teachers (SSEAT). Each SSEAT lasts one week. Your work for these Academies may include helping with recruitment, preparation of printed and other materials, working with coordinators to ensure all materials are available and at the appropriate location, serving as a liaison with Smithsonian museum staff, providing logistical support, assisting the NSRC staff and consultants as they teach the curriculum and assisting with the evaluation. Work of these interns will allow travel to different locations around the Metropolitan DC area and beyond. Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply.
Development Division
NSRC’s Development Division has internships available for students with an interest in fundraising projects that help NSRC achieve its development goals to be a sustainable organization. Interns will assist with short and long-term projects, such as, researching donors, responding to inquiries and tracking contacts, developing marketing materials that promote planned giving opportunities to NSRC, writing letters and other correspondence and assisting with proposals to foundations and corporations.
Publications Division
Communications – Interns interested in information technology or Web issues may assist in the maintenance of the NSRC site and the development of new Web components. Assistance is also needed with digital asset management of photos and documents. Interns may also work on image and document scanning, cataloging, and metadata assignment in addition to other assignments.
Publications – Interns can assist the curriculum development and improvement process by writing, editing, performing photo research, and/or creating databases to track development and revision of our educational materials.
Executive Office
Students interested in business administration will appreciate working with the support staff of NSRC. This department supports the Executive Director with administrative projects geared toward achieving the success of the organization. Interns will assist with the National Advisory Board Meeting, National Coalition Meeting, and InterAcademy Panel Conference by writing letters, preparing materials, event planning and meeting planning support.
Finance & Administrative Division
The right hand of the Executive Office is the Finance & Administration Division. This division consists of two administrative functions – Human Resources and Finance. Interns will assist with tasks such as creating spreadsheets to track staff professional development and the internship program, formatting budges in Excel, organizing accountable property documentation, contract maintenance, and document archiving. Familiarity with Excel is a must for F&A Interns. Business Administration majors are encouraged to apply.
More about the NSRC.
Frequently Asked Questions about NSRC internships. For questions about NSRC internship opportunities, please contact Angela Pritchett, Internship Coordinator, at 202-633-2284 or PritchettA@si.edu.
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