Introduction
Keynote Remarks:
      Diane Frankel

Fine Arts & Science
Art & Conservation
American History &
      Preservation
Library Sciences &
      Preservation
Archaeology,
      American History &
      Conservation Practice
Museum Practices &
      Conservation

Internships

Internships are traditional vehicles for young people to learn about a future career, receive on-the-job training, and earn academic credit. While internships designed for college students interested in the art or business worlds are increasingly common, similar programs that match high school students with scientists and conservators are rare indeed.

A successful collaboration occurred when Emily Osinoff and Mara Green, both students at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland, completed internships at the Carnegie Institute of Washington in the District of Columbia. Although they worked at different time periods­­Emily put in 90 hours per semester during the school year while Mara held a summer internship­­the students complemented each other's efforts in conducting the research and testing. Their joint project was to isolate amino acids to determine the age of ostrich egg shells found at an archaeological site at White Painting Shelter in Botswana. The samples had been taken from different levels of a narrow, deep dig that was more like a "telephone booth" in the ground. They quickly learned a hard truth of archaeological research: if debris became mixed in with the shell samples, their findings would be inconclusive. Consequently, Emily and Mara soon learned to follow strict scientific methods in executing their testing and documenting their research.

As in any rewarding internship, both the sponsoring institution and the students benefited. The Carnegie Institute had research completed that otherwise would have consumed staff time. In turn, the students earned academic credit while they gained a new perspective on future career possibilities of combining their interest in science with the practice of archaeology. Contact the guidance counselor or internship coordinator of your local high school, community college, or university to discuss the possibilities of arranging an internship program with your institution.