California Academy of Sciences
INTERNSHIP IN BIOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATION
2009

The California Academy of Sciences announces an internship in biological illustration. The internship is open to currently enrolled undergraduate students interested in developing illustration techniques related to biological specimens. The intern will work with one or more Academy scientists to develop illustrations that may be used in scientific publications. The internship is integrated with the activities of the Summer Systematics Institute (SSI), and the successful applicant will be encouraged to participate in all SSI activities, including lectures, seminars, presentations, and social activities.

The Academy is a comprehensive natural history museum supporting research and collection activities in the disciplines of Anthropology, Botany, Diatom Research, Entomology, Geology, Herpetology, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Zoology, Ornithology and Mammalogy.

Duration: Full-time (40 hour/week) for 8 weeks, beginning June 15 through August 7, 2009.

Eligibility: Any U.S. citizen or resident alien ("green card") who is an undergraduate student, and who will not have graduated before fall of 2009, is welcome to apply. An excellent academic record and participation in a wide range of campus activities are highly regarded, but not the sole criteria for the selection process.

Stipend: $3,500 for the internship period. In addition, some travel costs (up to $450) to San Francisco will be reimbursed and a $1,500 housing allowance is available. Funding may be subject to Federal and/or State income taxes.

To Apply: All application materials can be found on line at this web site.

1. Send a cover letter containing a statement of interest in working at the Academy, and some background information that tells us how you became interested in evolutionary biology and biological illustration.
2. Complete the Application Form at the link at the above left. Note that this Form serves for both SSI and Biological Illustration internships offered in the Academy's summer undergraduate program, so please be sure to indicate clearly the internship for which you are applying on the form and in your statement of interest.
3. Arrange for two letters of recommendation (at least one must be from a science professor) using the forms available at the link at the above left.
4. Arrange for official transcripts to be delivered to the Academy at the address indicated below.
5. Provide examples of your artwork. The samples of work should be in the form of original materials (no larger than 11x14 inches), high-qualify reproductions or prints (no larger than 11x14 inches), or slides. Please do not send images as electronic media (no attachments to emails, compact disks, or floppy disks). Your samples will be returned to you after the applications are reviewed. Large, portfolio-sized submissions are discouraged.

APPLICANTS FOR THIS INTERNSHIP NEED NOT PROVIDE AN ADVISOR SELECTION FORM

Send all application materials or direct inquiries to:

Summer Illustration Internship
c/o Dr. Rich Mooi
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118-4503
U.S.A.

Phone: 415-379-5270
email: rmooi@calacademy.org

Deadlines: Completed applications must be received on or before February 13, 2009.

Notification of status will be emailed to applicants as soon as possible after March 20, 2009. We cannot provide information about the likelihood of a successful application before that date. Applicants should note that because of the schedules of potential mentors reviewing applications, and the possible need to contact applicants on reversion lists, the notification date cannot be considered a deadline on our part. We hope that applicants can be patient as we make our final decisions.

This internship is made possible by a generous gift from the Robert T. Wallace Endowment for undergraduate research experiences.