Education

Flora of Pennsylvania Internship

Description

The Flora of Pennsylvania Internship is a joint program with the Morris Arboretum and The Academy of Natural Sciences . The Flora of Pennsylvania Intern receives training and work experience in all aspects of managing collections in a major herbarium and an opportunity to contribute to a modern state flora through a research project on some aspect of the flora of Pennsylvania. The intern gains the hands-on experience to increase one's skills as a professional botanist. This position is supported by the Eli Kirk Price Endowment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Curate botanical collections at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, one of the world's largest and most important collections of plant specimens
• Participate in the Pennsylvania Flora Project at the Morris Arboretum
  Learn to follow proper safety practices
• Complete an independent study project under the direction of your supervisor
• Work at two weekend Arboretum events - Fall Festival and Plant Sale
• Work one afternoon in the Arboretum's Plant Clinic per week
• Participate in intern core curriculum sessions as scheduled
• Perform additional duties as requested

Qualifications/Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in botany or biology with course work in botany
• Be able and willing to work independently and as part of a team
• Self-motivation and reliability is expected

Work Environment

Time is divided between the Botany Departments at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The Morris Arboretum is located in the northwestern corner of Philadelphia. Facilities include botanical laboratories and greenhouses in an extensive outdoor living collection of trees and shrubs. The Academy of Natural Sciences, in Center City Philadelphia, houses the oldest natural history museum in the United States, including an herbarium of more than 1.5 million specimens of plants, fungi, and algae. The intern will work under the supervision of Drs. Lucinda McDade and James Macklin (Academy of Natural Sciences) and Drs. Timothy A. Block and Ann F. Rhoads (Morris Arboretum).

Past Project Topics

• Morphological and Anatomical Analysis of a Putative Hybrid of Potamogeton Found in Pennsylvania Floristic Inventory,
• Vegetation Mapping and Management Recommendations for an Area Adjacent to the Pine Swamp Natural Area, French Creek State Park, Pennsylvania
• Characterizing the Habitat of the Globally Rare Sedge Carex polymorpha (Cyperaceae) in Nescopeck State Park, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
• The Current Status of Ruella in Pennsylvania and Eastern North America: A Natural History, Allozyme, and Mophometric Study