This post concludes our series in celebration of National Volunteer Month. Here, we provide an overview of the many types of volunteers in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology (IZ) and suggest a few great ways that you can volunteer your own time! As you think about the opportunities presented below, please remember that this is not an exhaustive list. Various outreach opportunities also come up throughout the year, and volunteers are always needed!
Hire a “Behind-the-Scenes” volunteer!
The Smithsonian Office of Visitor Services provides support for recruiting and hiring volunteers. In particular, the “Behind-the-Scenes” volunteer program requires volunteers to commit 6 hours per week (typically in 1 volunteer session) for at least 3 consecutive months. To hire a volunteer through this program, you must first consult with Visitor Services staff (such as Noel Burton) to develop a job posting for the specific volunteer position that you have in mind. Noel and the Volunteer Management Staff screen the applicants for you, in a process that includes a one-on-one interview with their staff, a federal background check, and an hour-long general training session. For examples of the types of volunteer positions that are commonly, or could be, utilized in IZ, read the following.
Photography. IZ research zoologist Jerry Harasewych staffs quite a few volunteer photographers, who use their skills to photograph specimens for a variety of curators and projects, including a project in which primary type specimens are photographed in a variety of views, composed into a plate using Adobe Photoshop, and posted on EMu for public sharing (example below).
When Jerry hires a new volunteer, he brings in a professional photographer to help with appropriate photographic training. Similarly, research zoologist Karen Osborn relies on volunteer Bill Von Holle to help her capture images of specimens for documentation purposes and publication.
Bill (pictured to the right) is a retired federal employee with a background in nuclear safety and a Ph.D. in chemistry. He enjoys his position because it keeps him close to science and allows him to continue building his skills as a photographer. IZ photography volunteers come from a variety of professional backgrounds and with varying degrees of exposure to professional photography. Regardless, they are all enthusiastic and significantly benefit from the high degree of professional experience and development that this type of volunteer position can offer them. If you're looking to improve your photographic records of specimens, a photography volunteer may be right for you!
Illustration. You’ve already met Rachel, Kate, and Kristina, who are three fantastic illustration volunteers whose backgrounds and professional interests vary widely. While two of these volunteers are currently in school and hope to carry their skills forward into future careers, the third volunteers in IZ simply because she loves it. In particular, these volunteers are supporting Kristian Fauchald’s effort to compile a massive monograph on polychaetes, so most of their work utilizes Adobe Illustrator. However, illustration volunteers can also help prepare publication-worthy images from photographs, design graphics and illustrations for publications or professional society presentations, or help design and illustrate posters and other visual publication forms.
Science writing. Science writing is a very popular career field today, which means not only are there a lot of local writers who enjoy writing about science but also that many writers are looking for interesting and unique opportunities to gain professional experience. In fact, this is precisely why I applied in January to the volunteer science writing position advertised for IZ. Additionally, I thought the position would offer an exciting behind-the-scenes perspective on Smithsonian research, which it undoubtedly has. Science writers can do more than cover your research highlights and personal stories in “No Bones,” they can also help you develop content for your research group’s website, for education and outreach programming, or for other blogs and venues, such as Ocean Portal. In short, if you’ve got a story to tell, science writers can help you tell it!
Archival work and collections management. Volunteer tasks include cataloguing, labeling, sorting, storing, entering information into EMu, etc. You’ve already met two very dedicated, long-term collections management volunteers, Mary and Tom.
Last summer, four George Washington University anthropology students interned in IZ, working under museum specialist Tim Coffer to change out storage containers for thousands of specimens; after returning to their undergraduate studies, three of the four actually changed their majors to museum studies! Additionally, high school student Liana Kramer (to the right) interned in IZ as part of her high school’s special volunteer opportunity for graduating seniors, and Tim Coffer has recently hired several more volunteers, most of whom are current undergraduate students, to help with collections relocation. Such volunteer positions were professionally significant to these high school and college students as internships, helping to provide hands-on opportunities for putting classroom knowledge to practice.
Translation. The DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia Metro Area) is a great region for getting in touch with individuals who speak foreign languages. Translation volunteers can help with translation in both directions, from a foreign language to English and vice versa. Whether you’d like help translating the captions on old monographs into English or are looking to reach out by publishing work, such as blog stories, in a foreign language, translation volunteers can help! For example, we’re all aware of the large Spanish-speaking audience within the United States, and even the local area. But you probably didn’t know that NASA reaches out directly to this community by producing materials and social media content in Spanish. Similarly, last fall during Hispanic heritage month, NSF ran a social media campaign dedicated to Spanish-speakers that was very well received by Hispanic-Americans throughout the country.
Be a volunteer!
Committing a few hours of your own time to education and outreach efforts within NMNH can be a great way to participate in broader impacts activities, communicating about your own research, or developing educational programming, while benefitting the overall mission of IZ. The following opportunities are worth considering, particularly for those of you who enjoy interacting with children and/or communicating with the general public.
Q?rius. If you like communicating in person or wish to contribute to educational content design, Q?rius might be the venue for you. Recently, IZ research collaborator Chris Mah presented as part of Q?rius's "The Expert is In" series, using state-of-the-art microscope viewing equipment to visualize familiar invertebrates, such as sea stars, at increased magnifications. Chris explained to his audience how sea stars used their pedicellariae structures to capture moving food, which is an unfamiliar aspect of starfish biology (i.e., the public tends to think starfish are passive predators).
Other opportunities for you to interact directly with the public include “Science in Action,” which entails live research demonstrations, or mentoring a high school student via the YES! program.
Additionally, research zoologist Chris Meyer contributed extensively to exhibit development, working collaboratively with Q?rius’s education staff to build computer-based educational experiences. However, there are many more opportunities available, as Trish Mace presented in a previous IZ department meeting. Please contact her for details or stop by Q?rius to check out the action. It is a win-win situation for IZ and Education.
Ocean Portal. While “No Bones” and Ocean Portal both contribute invertebrate zoology-related content via social media and online avenues, the latter is significantly more focused on making content accessible to the general public. Ocean Portal accepts many types of content, including blog posts, feature articles, encyclopedia-type content, and visual compilations. If you’re interested in contributing content to this website, contact Nancy Knowlton. As Nancy reported previously, the overview on jellyfish that “No Bones” blog coordinator Allen Collins contributed has received nearly 50,000 views since October!
by Liz Boatman
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