Overview

This internship provides the opportunity to learn various components related to developing education and outreach materials for curators, staff, and the general public. As both a public garden and open-air museum, Smithsonian Gardens’ educational programming encompasses art, history, science, and culture.  Interns acquire hands-on experience, complete meaningful projects with lasting value to the Smithsonian, and get an inside view of the Smithsonian Institution.

This education and outreach internship fosters experience in horticultural programming and is structured to provide an intern with opportunities to gain hands-on experience in the areas of education, outreach, or research. The intern will have the opportunity to work on one or more of the following projects: to assist the with the development and management of educational content on existing garden themes for both virtual and on-site programs for children, families, and adults as well as learn to create educational curriculum and activities for new and existing content.

Duties

  • Work with SG’s education manager to develop educational content for on-site programs, outreach materials, and SG’s website
  • Develop and manage educational content for on-site programs and create interpretive panels
  • Develop educational content on existing garden themes or special concepts
  • Develop education and outreach materials for curators, staff, and the general public. Work with horticulture records and resources under the guidance of the Collections, Education, and Access staff to develop these materials
  • Create content for a variety of social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
  • Assist with developing training program materials for volunteers and interpreters

Interests

  • Working at a museum, cultural heritage institution, or public garden
  • Gardens, botany, food culture and history, horticulture, public history, or museum education
  • Learning new media technologies

Requirements

Applicants must be enrolled in a university horticulture or related program or recently graduated from one. Selection is based on both an evaluation of the applicant’s application and available positions.

Candidates must pay for their own travel, housing, and subsistence during the period of the internship. Limited number of stipends available.

Requirements for applying to the Smithsonian Gardens intern program:

  • Submit an online application.
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • College transcript(s)
  • Essay describing background, interest in field, and career goals.

Submission

Completed application, essay, academic records, and two letters of recommendation should be submitted online through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System.