2012 Summer Internships at the University of Michigan
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
General Information
Summer internships at UM-MBGNA offer students the opportunity to develop professional skills and experience. Project planning and development, extended learning opportunities and a field trip are all part of the Summer Internship program. These are temporary, hourly paid positions (generally 40 hrs per wk) and run from the beginning of May through the end of August each summer. Many of the work schedules will typically include a rotation of weekends and holidays and include possible evening duty. Most positions require interns willing to work outside in summer conditions. Interns must be able to provide their own transportation to the work-sites (Nichols Arboretum and Matthaei Botanical Gardens).
To Apply
Listed below are general descriptions for expected internship openings. Please apply with a resume, cover letter and 2 references and specify which position(s) you are interested in to: Jan Stearns, UM MBGNA, 1800 N Dixboro Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. Or email your materials to jand@umich.edu. If applying for more than one position please rank your interest. Applicants are encouraged to visit our sites and to review our website mbgna.umich.edu for more information.
- Available internship positions:
If you would like to view other job opportunities at the University of Michigan or create an online profile to expedite applications for future opportunities at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, please visit the University of Michigan's Careers Website.
Exhibit Development/Interpretation (2 positions)
Description: As a living museum a key to our operation is providing informative, engaging and understandable interpretation of our collections, spaces and resources. This position will develop educationally based exhibits, displays and posters focused on our plant collections, natural areas, gardens and environmental mission. Under the supervision of the Education Manager, this position works as part of a team and will take a lead role on aspects of the development of these materials.
Educational value: Intern will develop materials that can be used in a professional portfolio of work. Job skills in team work, leadership, work flow and project management will be learned. Intern will learn development of educational interpretative media.
Required skills: Ability to quickly conduct research necessary to gain background knowledge; ability to produce clear and concise communications; experience working with InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator software. Desired skills: Knowledge in biology, natural or environmental science and education. This is an ideal position for a students interested in Informal Education, Museum Education, or Environmental Communications.
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Childrens Educational Programs (1 to 2 positions)
Description: Develop and provide activities for regular drop-in through the summer with both daytime and early evening hours, including weekends. Engage children in comprehensive gardening programs in helping to plant and maintain vegetable and herb beds. Develop a series of nature-based art and musical activities. Extend programs from the Gaffield Childrens Garden to include organized adventure hikes along the Sue Reichert Discovery Trail and Sam Graham Trees and Trail at the Botanical Gardens and excursions to Nichols Arboretum as well. Provide guided programs to school and camp groups. (1 to 2 positions)
Educational value: Youth education program assistant interns will gain experience working in professional, informal environmental education. Interns gain experience with independent project development; creating program from conception to completion and will deliver the program to a group of elementary age children. Interns will also gain valuable experience as part of the Education team, working on programs and educational materials that convey the mission and vision of MBGNA.
Required skills: Excellent organization skills and attention to detail. Must be able to work independently and as a team member. Must have an interest in plants, the environment and leading others in environmental education activities. Must have a demonstrated ability to work with children and peers. Be reliable, flexible, enthusiastic, outgoing, and able to remain calm and level-headed in stressful situations. Previous experience is essential.
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Graphic Designer: Marketing & Communications: (1 position)
Description: Immerse yourself in a summer internship learning about and engaging in nature at Matthaei Botanical
Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. Working in the marketing department at Matthaei-Nichols, the graphic design summer intern will help conceptualize and create compelling marketing materials that combine design, illustration, typography, and more. The graphic design summer intern will work directly with the marketing manager on designing and creating a wide variety of print as well as online marketing materials for the Matthaei-Nichols website and social media presence. These include but are not limited to web banners, posters, brochures, postcards, newsletters, ads, and other publications, as well as assisting with photography and illustrations for the above materials. Work will also include administrative and office duties directly related to marketing and public relations such as working with offsite printers, placing items in media calendars, helping with day-to-day office work in the marketing department, etc.
Educational value: Through a project-based workflow, the successful candidate will gain real-world knowledge of
the marketing and communications efforts that a University of Michigan unit uses regularly to raise and enhance its profile and to appeal to its constituentsstudents, faculty, staff, and the public. Specifically, the intern will learn how to incorporate art and message for effective communication; communicate with a large number of people across the organization and outside; and leave the position with a portfolio of projects used for events, programming, and communications at Matthaei-Nichols.
Required skills: Working knowledge of Adobe products such as Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, etc. Working
knowledge of Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc., is also helpful. Web knowledge such as HTML is also helpful.
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Cultivating Community (2 positions)
Description: The Cultivating Community program provides hands]on education for UM student volunteers at our demonstration gardens, which practice small]scale organic growing methods including composting, ecological pest management, and space saving techniques. The program offers workshops for student volunteers about preparing and preserving local fresh foods, composting, container gardening, and other topics of interest. Internship positions coordinate the program, work with student volunteers to plant and maintain demonstration gardens for Cultivating Community, and recruit and coordinate student volunteers.
Educational value: Intern will develop leadership, communication, program management, work planning, volunteer recruitment and retention skills. Intern will develop deeper knowledge of small scale organic gardening. Interns will lead a small garden program for children; Interns will lead work days with peers.
Required skills: Experience with volunteer recruitment and supervision, ability to work with diverse groups, experience with and knowledge of community gardens, organic gardening, or composting, excellent communication skills (email included), reliability, and ability to work independently. Ability to work outdoors in various weather conditions is necessary.
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Horticulture Assistants (Up to 5 positions)
Description: Assist in the maintenance of gardens, and indoor greenhouses, and the conservatory of Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. Work will include caring for many types of plants in indoor and outdoor plant collections as well as general garden maintenance including mulching, weeding, watering, and planting. Indoor collections include orchids and bromeliads. Outdoor gardens have various foci including herbs, vegetables, annuals, and perennials, with an overall theme of using native plants throughout all garden areas. (Up to 5 positions).
Educational value: Student will learn plant identification skills for all types of plants, native as well as exotic. In addition, horticulture and garden management techniques will be learned. The students will gain supervisory and teamwork skills when working with volunteers and other staff members.
Requirements: Previous plant identification and record keeping skills are helpful. Self-motivation, dependability and a desire to work outdoors are essential.
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Natural Areas Stewardship Internship (5 positions total)
Description: Assist Natural Areas and Native Plants Specialists as part of a team with a variety of natural areas stewardship projects and tasks at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Nichols Arboretum, Horner Woods and Mud Lake Bog properties. These will include exotic invasive plant ID, monitoring and control methods, native plant ID, monitoring and propagation, prescribed burning, using brush cutters, chainsaws, herbicide sprayers, driving utility vehicles and tractors, etc. It will require collecting, organizing and presenting data related to this work.
Educational value: Learn concepts and gain field experience in natural areas stewardship, conservation of native species, ecological restoration and native plant propagation. This includes learning to ID Michigan natural communities and many native species and exotic plants. Learning control techniques for a variety of exotic invasive plants, experience with many hand tools, power tools, and power equipment necessary for this work.
Requirements: An understanding of basic ecology and of Michigan natural communities, native plants and experience with exotic invasive plants and their control is desired. Willingness to work outdoors, hike several miles in natural areas and work while exposed to variable weather conditions, insects, and other outdoor hazards is necessary. Ability to use a variety of hand tools, power tools and power equipment is preferred. A love of the outdoors is essential.
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Woody Plants Internship (2 positions)
Description: Assist in the care of woody plant collections at the Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. Work includes planting new material, mulching, watering, feeding and pruning of new and existing trees and shrubs as needed. Assist with plant removals and felling of larger trees as needed.
Educational value: Student will learn tree and shrub ID skills, methods for tree and shrub establishment and care and techniques for removal.
Requirements: Native and invasive plant ID skills helpful, experience in plant installation helpful, experience with pruning tools such as loppers and pole saw helpful, experience with power tools such as brush cutters and chain saws desirable.
Heathdale/Laurel Ridge Internship (1 position)
Description: Assist with and oversee care of Arboretums collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas. This work includes mulching and pruning as needed and monitoring for individual plant health, soil pH and pests. Additional work in this garden space includes, mulching and repairing trails as needed, removal of woody and herbaceous invasives, installing new plants, assisting with prescribed burns.
Educational value: Student will learn plant ID skills, techniques for tree and shrub care, garden and landscape maintenance and natural areas management.
Requirements: Native and invasive plant ID skills helpful, experience in basic plant care and garden/landscape maintenance desired, experience with invasive plant control techniques desired.
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Sam Graham Trees Internship (1 position)
Description: Assist with and oversee the care of trees, shrubs and included natural areas as part of an ongoing ecological restoration along the Sam Graham Trees Trail. Work includes planting new material, mulching, watering, feeding and pruning of new and existing trees and shrubs, removal/replacement of dead plants, installation and maintenance of protective caging, removal of plants and invasives as needed, mulching and repair of trails, assisting with prescribed burns.
Educational value: Student will learn tree and shrub ID skills, techniques for: tree and shrub establishment and care, landscape restoration and invasive plant control.
Requirements: Native and invasive plant ID skills helpful, experience in plant installation and/or ecological restoration helpful, experience with power tools such as brush cutters and chainsaws desired.
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Trails Specialist Internship (1 position)
Description: Assist Woody Plants and Trails Manager with monitoring, maintenance and installation of trails at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Nichols Arboretum, Horner Woods and Mud Lake Bog properties. Lead the team in a variety of projects and tasks including building and/or installing surface material, steps, rails, waterbars, grade dips, etc. to appropriate specifications. Clear exotic invasive plant species, native plant species, and fallen trees and branches. Work with Natural Areas Stewardship interns to ID exotic invasive plants and use appropriate methods to control them. Assist with native plant ID and monitoring, prescribed burning, using brush cutters, chainsaws, herbicide sprayers, driving utility vehicles and tractors, etc. It will require collecting, organizing and presenting data related to this work.
Educational value: Learn concepts and gain field experience in trail system maintenance and building. Gain experience with many hand tools, power tools, materials and power equipment necessary for this work. Also learn about natural areas stewardship and ecological restoration which includes ID of Michigan natural communities and many native and exotic plants, and control techniques for invasive plants. Work as a leader and/or member of a team.
Requirements: Willingness to work outdoors, performing physically demanding labor while exposed to variable weather conditions, insects, and other outdoor hazards is necessary. Ability to use a variety of hand tools, power tools and power equipment is preferred. Ability work alone or as part of a team or in a leadership role is necessary. An understanding of basic ecology and of Michigan natural communities, native plants and experience with exotic invasive plants and their control is preferred. A love of the outdoors is essential.
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Natural Areas GIS Internship (1 position)
Description: Assist Natural Areas Manager using GPS and ArcGIS software to capture, organize, store and present spatial data on various natural areas parameters of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Nichols Arboretum, Horner Woods and Mud Lake Bog properties. Project areas will include prescribed burn history, invasive plant populations and control strategies, important native species populations, trails, and other projects as necessary.
Educational value: Develop skills and build experience working with ArcGIS and GPS in a natural areas stewardship context. Learn about and assist with other natural areas stewardship activities as part of a team. Learn native plant communities, native and exotic plant ID and control techniques for exotic plants. Learn about prescribed burning and other important tools and concepts in natural areas stewardship.
Requirements: Proficient with Windows based computer systems and basic software. Familiarity and experience with ArcGIS software (introductory coursework is sufficient) and GPS devices (non-work personal experience is fine). A basic understanding of ecology and of Michigan native plants is desired. Experience with exotic invasive plants and their control very helpful. Ability to work outdoors, hiking several miles in natural areas exposed to weather, insects, and other outdoor hazards necessary. A love of the outdoors is essential.
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Research Assistant/Records (1 position)
Description: Assist the curator for Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum by performing data entry and site work to review and update the plants record databases, related spreadsheets, plant inventories, invoices, etc. Much of the work is correlating, consolidating, and updating record systems.
Educational value: Gain familiarity with issues and practices in museum curation, database entry, and some familiarity with plants.
Requirements: Attention to detail and accuracy are essential. Basic familiarity with Excel needed and willingness to learn/work with Access. Ability to use effectively on-line and printed reference materials expected after custom training.
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Facilities Assistant (1 position)
Description: Responsible for the turf maintenance at both, Nichols Arboretum and Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Duties will also include minor maintenance on turf equipment, assisting with the installation and care of special projects, and providing support for facility sponsored events.
Educational value: This position will help develop the skills necessary for turf care and basic grounds maintenance. It will demonstrate the importance of equipment maintenance and coordination of scheduling.
Requirements: Must be dependable, willing to work outdoors in various weather conditions, and have a valid drivers license. Prior experience with turf mowing equipment is desirable.
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Visitor Services (2 positions)
Description: This position involves staffing our Front Desk, creating sales in our Garden Store and helping with events at the Botanical Gardens and Arboretum.
Educational value: Students will develop interpersonal skills and gain experience in the performance of customer service to a diverse cross-section of public visitors and users of an educationally valuable public attraction.
Requirements: Ability to handle multiple tasks (and people) at one time, as well as communicate clearly and effectively. Excellent customer service skills and event or retail experience preferred. If you have a positive attitude, great customer service skills and a flexible schedule please contact us. This job will include weekends, and some evening hours.
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The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
