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CCBER and its staff are some of the most enthusiastic and eager people that I have met on campus, and the staff went above and beyond to provide an internship experience that was useful and fun.
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The guidance from the staff at CCBER, combined with my previous experiences, has helped shape the future that I want to pursue as a museum curator, and without it I feel that my education would truly be lacking a key element.
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We have formed a new membership group to support and help expand our outreach and public service programs, including the Monday night seminar series, workshops, and special lectures. Your membership will help us continue these worthwhile programs and you will also receive discounts on CCBER books and T-shirts and invitations to special events. Please make a tax deductible donation of $35.00 to the Friends of CCBER by clicking here. |
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Intern Profile |
Jodi Brown |
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As an intern in the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) I have been able to expand upon my passion for museum work. I have been working in museums for the last four and a half years and when I discovered that this campus had research and teaching collections I quickly contacted CCBER to see how I might get involved. What I found was what I consider one of the gems on this campus. CCBER and its staff are some of the most enthusiastic and eager people that I have met on campus, and the staff went above and beyond to provide an internship experience that was useful and fun.
For over a year now I have worked mainly under the supervision and guidance of Vertebrate Collections Curator Mark Holmgren on cataloging and curating the bird collection. Mark has taught me not only new curation techniques but has also taken the time to take me out in the field to observe live birds. The act of combining both working with study skins and observing live birds has helped me to learn to identify birds both in the field and as I work. I have also found a new passion for birding.
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When I first began working in museums, I was told that I was pursuing an interest that was outdated. However, at CCBER I learned that museums and the collections that they house might provide an answer to questions about changes in the environment. Museum collections are an effective means of mapping species distributions by plotting what was collected when and where, and thus provide another means to understand changes in our environment.
Yet, it does not stop there. CCBER and its staff have also been incredible in encouraging and listening to suggestions that I have made in regards to ideas that I believe may be beneficial to CCBER and its collections. In particular, I have been allowed to pursue using the Specify software as a means to manage the vertebrate collections (see Jim Markham's article). That in itself has had a powerful impact on me and strengthened my desire to continue with museum work.
I have also had the opportunity to participate in the outreach program, Kids in Nature, that has allowed me to pursue my desire to make science accessible and fun. By working with 5th graders in this program, it finally gave me an outlet to use the knowledge I have gained while pursuing my education and apply it in a real setting. This was absolutely thrilling and fueled an existing passion for incorporating outreach programs into museums. CCBER has given me a powerful vision of what my ideal curatorial job would be like. It has allowed me to see that it is possible to combine and pursue the passions that I have for collection management, outreach programs and restoration. The guidance from the staff at CCBER, combined with my previous experiences, has helped shape the future that I want to pursue as a museum curator, and without it I feel that my education would truly be lacking a key element. |
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