Volunteer Opportunities
The following are some current volunteer opportunities in museum exhibits, administrative support, and scientific research assistance. Even if you don't see a suitable opportunity here, the Academy may still have a situation that matches your interests and talents. Use the volunteer application form to inquire about other volunteer possibilities.
Museum Exhibits
If you enjoy interacting with the public, especially children, volunteering in one of our exhibits may be the perfect thing. Opportunities range from informal guides to animal caretaker.
Science Live Station
Volunteers at the Science Live Station, a high traffic area located in front of the Auditorium, provide the public with informal and engaging demonstrations on natural history and Academy research through the use of museum specimens, educational props and fun activities. Subjects may include dinosaurs, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians, our changing exhibit, and much, much more!
Butterflies!
Volunteers serve as informal guides in this hot and humid tropical garden housing live butterflies from various parts of the world. You'll help visitors learn about and enjoy the colorful butterflies flying about them.
Changing Exhibits Hall:
Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics
May 24 to September 28, 2008
Volunteers now being recruited for "Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics"
Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) was a friar, naturalist, agriculturalist, and botanist who undertook revolutionary experiments that have shaped our modern understanding of genes, crossbreeding, and heredity. This traveling exhibit from the Field Museum in Chicago uses a compelling combination of rare artifacts and interactive's to tell the story of Mendel's life and research in the 1800s, chart the rise of classical genetics in the 1900s, and highlight research conducted by the scientific heirs of Mendel's work to study evolution, systematics, and biodiversity.
Volunteers with an interest in the history of science and genetics will find this particularly interesting. As an informal guide to this exhibit you will help visitors with the interactive elements of the exhibit and help them learn about Mendel and the importance of his pioneering work. Minimum Age: 15.
Dinosaur Hall
Volunteers share their enthusiasm and knowledge with visitors in Dinosaur Hall, and help children turn into junior paleontologists in "The Big Dig." Volunteers also train to prepare fossils in our Paleo Prep lab.
Internships are also available for college students interested in Museum Education and Paleontology.
Live Animal Center
The center maintains a collection of some 100 animals as a vital part of the Academy's education program. These animals are mainly non-releasable wildlife or exotic pets, and include raptors, parrots, skunks, rabbits, turtles, snakes, lizards (ad more). Volunteers work behind-the-scenes to help care for the animals. You'll be cleaning, cleaning and cleaning, but you'll also learn about some very interesting residents of the Academy.
Internships for college students pursuing a career with animals are also available.
Outside-In
This children's nature museum, was created in 1979 to provide hands-on activities for museum visitors. The Exhibit combines live animals, artifacts and activities that invite exploration and the involvement of the senses of touch, sight, hearing and smell. As a volunteer you are trained to facilitate learning experiences and encourage exploration by the museum's youngest visitors.
Internships are also available for college students interested in Museum Education.
Administration and Clerical Support
Volunteers fill a critical need supporting behind-the-scenes Academy offices (Membership, Marketing/Public Relations, Development, and Facilities and Groups Sales) with filing, photocopying, mailings, or more complex office tasks. Volunteers are also needed to work on an on-call basis for large mailings.
Internships for college students can be considered in these offices.
Scientific Research Assistance
Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution
Volunteers have an exceptional opportunity to work behind the scenes assisting scientists in caring for the vast research collections of the Academy. The departments where volunteers have been active include: Botany, Entomology, Ichthyology, Malacology, Ornithology, and Paleontology. These collections include of 17 million specimens from around the world, including thousands of types, the specimens used as standards to describe the entire species. Depending upon your skills and interests, you can assist in a variety of tasks critical to the effective use of the collections —everything from cleaning and labeling, to cataloging, sorting, and inventory. Volunteers can also work in VIREO, helping to sort, file and duplicate a unique collection of 110,000 photographs of birds.
Patrick Center for Environmental Research
Research scientists in the Patrick Center for Environmental Research examine aquatic ecosystems and their plant and animal populations, as well as water pollution, toxicology, and the human and chemical impact on water systems. Volunteers with some college level training in biology and strong laboratory skills assist in lab work.
Entomological News Assistant
A volunteer is needed to help the Editor produce a global index of Entomological News. Published since 1890, this is one of the oldest entomological journals in the world. Tasks involve data entry of key words in a program so the data can be analyzed for bibliographic trends. Knowledge of Microsoft Access a plus. For information, contact Jorge A. Santiago-Blay at