SMITHSONIAN OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH AND STUDY 2017 Office of Fellowships and Internships Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC The Smithsonian Opportunities for Research and Study Guide Can be Found Online at http://www.smithsonianofi.com/sors-introduction/ Version 2.2 (June 13, 2017) Copyright © 2017 by Smithsonian Institution Table of Contents How to Use This Book ........................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Archives of American Art (AAA) ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH) ...................................................................................................................... 8 Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (CHNDM) ........................................................................................................... 13 Freer Gallery of Art/Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (FSGA) ......................................................................................................... 18 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (HMSG).............................................................................................................. 25 Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) ......................................................................................................................................... 28 National Air and Space Museum (NASM) ................................................................................................................................. 32 National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) ................................................................... 41 National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) ................................................................................................................................ 44 National Museum of American History (NMAH) .................................................................................................................... 47 National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) ............................................................................................................... 65 National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) ....................................................................................................................... 72 National Portrait Gallery (NPG) ..................................................................................................................................................... 149 National Postal Museum (NPM) ................................................................................................................................................... 153 National Zoological Park (NZP) .................................................................................................................................................... 156 Office of Fellowships and Internships (OFI) ............................................................................................................................ 172 Office of International Relations (OIR) ...................................................................................................................................... 174 Office of the Provost (Provost) ..................................................................................................................................................... 176 Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) ......................................................................................................................... 178 Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) ...................................................................................................................... 183 Smithsonian Center For Learning and Digital Access (SCLDA) ...................................................................................... 213 Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) ......................................................................................................... 215 Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) ...................................................................................................................................... 223 Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL) ....................................................................................................................................... 228 Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) .......................................................................................... 237 Smithsonian Latino Center (SLC).................................................................................................................................................. 242 Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) ...................................................................................................................... 246 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) ..................................................................................................................... 248 The Smithsonian Associates (Associates) ................................................................................................................................. 262 How to Use This Book Are you interested in doing independent research or study related to Smithsonian collections, facilities, or experts? Are you interested in having a learning experience guided by a Smithsonian mentor with specific expertise? Are you interested in maintaining a scholarly affiliation with the Smithsonian on a subject that is a particular area of your expertise? If so, this could be the book for you. For over fifty years, in various iterations, the Smithsonian Opportunities for Study and Research (SORS) guide has been a resource for connecting prospective fellows, interns, and research associates with the Smithsonian. If you are applying to an existing Smithsonian program (fellowship, internship, etc), you can use this book to identify a potential advisor/mentor and reach out to them to discuss whether they might be in a position to host you. Alternatively, if there isn’t an existing program in the area of your interest, but you would like to explore the possibility of doing an internship or fellowship with a particular SI expert on your own – this book can be used for that too. If you approach a would-be Smithsonian advisor or mentor with a question or proposal, be specific as possible, and do some research ahead of time to verify that the person you are approaching is doing work in a field that matches your idea or question. Smithsonian research and program staff often have many competing commitments. If you reach out and don’t hear back, it may that the person you reach out to just isn’t in a position to host you. On the other hand, broadening access is a priority for the Smithsonian; if the person you contact can offer a response, they will. SMITHSONIAN OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH AND STUDY 2017 | 1 I honor you for your commitment to increasing your knowledge and diffusing it to others. Thank you for your interest in the Smithsonian! Eric Woodard Director of Fellowships and Internships Smithsonian Institution August 2016 SMITHSONIAN OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH AND STUDY 2017 | 2 Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) Lori Yarrish, Acting Director The mission of the Anacostia Community Museum is focused on the examination of contemporary urban issues and community life, and on community-focused approaches to research, documentation, and educational and cultural programming. The geographic scope of museum work incorporates the Washington, D.C. Metro area as well as urban communities in other parts of the United States. Core to the work of the museum is the belief that active citizen participation in the recovery and preservation of community historical assets, in cultural and arts activities, and in community advocacy are important and powerful instruments in creating and maintaining a sense of community and civic ownership. The permanent collection supports the museum’s investigation of contemporary community life, and of issues and themes that shape and resonate within urban communities. An important goal of museum collections is the development of strategies to engage public audiences with the artifacts and other materials in the museum’s collections. Smithsonian interns and fellows assist the museum in bringing scholarship and formal research-to- research programs. In addition to the range of scholarship within the humanities and social sciences, the museum is also interested in students and researchers in the fields of social and human geography, community studies, cultural studies, and urban ecology. The museum has a strong focus on community- based documentation and research efforts—including oral history interviewing, community survey and mapping projects, and community-based collecting. Museum research centers on four main areas of inquiry: URBAN ARTS: the wide range of creative activities that take