Internships & Outreach
Internship Program
The heart of the Zoological Collections is our undergraduate internship program. This program offers experiential learning credits for students (sophomores or older) who want to spend a semester developing knowledge and skills in specimen management, preservation, and curation. We call this group of intrepid students the ZooCrew. Interns participate in all aspects of daily activities in the collections. They collect oral histories and tag specimens, they register and image specimens, they prepare and check specimens in/out for the classes who use them, they transport and freeze specimens whenever pests are found…and so much more. ZooCrew interns have opportunities to travel to other museums and collections for training, education, networking, fellowship and fun. ZooCrew interns also participate in outreach events for SEBS and the broader Rutgers community.
Interns have opportunities to (left) do focused research on the history of specimens, (center) learn how to capture and upload digital images of specimens to contribute to online data-sharing platforms, (right) participate in behind-the-scenes tours of museums like AMNH.
Rutgers Day
On Rutgers Day, the ZooCrew partners with the staff and interns from the Chrysler Herbarium. They set up displays and activities for people of all ages and interests. The ZooCrew focuses on engaging young people in the wonders of species biodiversity locally and globally, and helps all visitors explore plant and animal taxonomy. Through our specimen exhibits, visitors can learn about various preservation methods, explore fine-scale details in morphology of common species, and learn about the critical role preserved specimens occupy within conservation and evolution research.
Interns host table with specimens aimed to teach visitors about various preservation techniques and the role of collections in research on conservation and evolution.
Rutgers Student Engagement
The ZooCrew also participates in SEBS Open House events held in the Fall, Winter, and Spring for prospective, current, accepted students. Interns host a table with preserved specimens and displays. ZooCrew interns are some of the best ambassadors for SEBS, the major, and the experiential learning courses because collectively, they have a wealth of diverse and unique experiences to share. Their information sessions highlight:
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- 1) The Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources major
- 2) The Biodiversity Collections Certificate Program
- 3) The lab-based course offerings in organismal ecology which use specimens
- 4) Study abroad options which provide field-based experiences in ecology, taxonomy and organismal biology
