Intern by the Skin of Your Teeth

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is currently accepting applications for the 2015 summer session.

PROJECT TITLE: Skin & Bones: Studying Visitors Interactions with Technology

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Skin & Bones: Studying Visitors Interactions with Technology at NMNH project uses a mobile app designed for visitors to use in NMNH’s Bone Hall to learn about the animals represented by 13 skeletons on display. The app uses augmented reality technology to make surprising things happen in 3D superimposed onto the skeletons, and it also includes videos and games. See the OFI video about Skin & Bones for more information here or watching it below…

We are doing a study to understand how museum visitors use Skin & Bones, how augmented reality influences their experience and their preferences for the content. The goal is to find out how this kind of tool and technology contributes to the visitor engagement in museum exhibits.

SKIN & BONES: Studying Visitors Interactions with Technology Internship components:

The National Museum of Natural History internship will expose the student to an in-depth visitor study that looks at how people interact with technology in a museum exhibition. This is an area of research that many museum professionals are interested in and hence the student will acquire knowledge for later application in fields of museum studies and social sciences studies. Students interested in museum exhibits, technology, visual science communication and human behavior will particularly benefit from participating.

Learning Objectives:

1. The intern will learn skills in interacting with visitors of the Museum.

2. The intern will gain experience in collecting data through observation and survey application.

3. The intern will become proficient in processing data for statistical analysis.

Selection Criteria: The National Museum of Natural History Intern should have excellent research and writing skills, familiarity with mobile technology, and a basic knowledge of human interaction with technology.

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested applicants must send a cover letter and resume to Diana Marques at MarquesD@si.edu. The deadline is Wednesday June 3, 2015.

The internship will be part-time, 3 hours a day, for 3 to 5 days (may include weekends), from now until mid-August.

For further questions please contact Diana Marques at MarquesD@si.edu.