Seeking a Paleontology Intern

Pioneer Trails Regional Museum in Bowman, ND is seeking a summer intern to work in the department of Paleontology. With preference to students specializing in biology, geology, or a related field, the positions are open to all students and recent graduates with a genuine interest and knowledge of paleontology, especially those aspiring to further their experience outside the classroom.

Our museum has a thirty-year history serving rural North Dakota as a hub for history, archeology, genealogy, and paleontology. This internship’s main responsibility will be to run tours of our field sites and lab throughout the summer season beginning in June and ending in August. The programs begin at 8:30 am and end around 4:30 pm. Half of the day is spent in field and half is spent in the lab. Participants are taken to active field sites for prospecting and collection in the morning. In the afternoon, the participants are taken into the lab and collections to learn what happens to the recovered fossils.

When not running field tours, interns will be involved in collections work, fossil preparation, education, and other projects as determined by the needs of our paleontology department and the interests of the intern.

Position Responsibilities:

• Lead Field Tours as part of museum programming
• Assists in providing creative, relevant, and engaging interpretive experiences for visitors of all ages and different backgrounds
• Assists in the public preparation laboratory in preparing specimens for exhibit and research
• Assists in outreach/special events
• Assists in display design and construction
• Assists the Paleontology Curator as needed

Minimum Qualifications:

• Enrollment in a college/university program in a subject appropriate to Paleontology (i.e. Biology, Geology, Anthropology, or other relevant major), or a recent graduate
• Knowledge of paleontology
• Valid driver’s license

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong verbal and science communication skills

Benefits:

• $15/hour for up to 440 hours (approximately 11 weeks full time with flexible start and end dates between May 20th and September 1^st. However, we have a critical need for someone who can be here from June 21-July 3 and July 12-24).
• Mileage if you need to use your own vehicle for field tours (generally, you’ll use our museum vehicle!)
• We cannot provide housing, but we’ll try to assist you with finding arrangements
• Specialized training offered: onsite safety training, education and interpretive program training, collections, prep, and field training.