Herbarium Curation - Filing Plant Specimens

DESCRIPTION: In this project interns will learn about different plant taxa by filing mounted plant specimens into the U.S. National Herbarium collections. Precise organization is critical to the effective management of the herbarium’s five million plant specimens that have been collected from localities around the world, representing more than 200 years. Herbarium specimens are generally mounted on 11×17 sheets of archival paper and filed according to a specific classification.

QUALIFICATIONS: The intern must be able to handle delicate specimens carefully, should have an appreciation of filing specimens properly, and should be interested in plant classification. The intern’s knowledge of geography will improve by using references.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Interns will learn about different plant taxa as well as specimen curation techniques.

TIMETABLE: Indefinite

AWARD PACKAGE: None

Project Contact Name: Rusty Russell

E-mail: russellr@si.edu