Science Lab Scholars

Newfields a Place for Nature & The Arts•Indianapolis, IN

14h•Onsite

About The Position

The Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields seeks candidates for a full-time, onsite summer internship in the Conservation Science Lab. The internship supports early career learning in cultural heritage chemistry through routine laboratory analyses and participation on projects involving Arts-based scientific research and/or technical studies of collection objects. The Conservation Science Lab Internship is a 10-week summer position intended to provide a supportive learning environment for undergraduate or graduate students with an interest in cultural heritage chemistry. The Intern will be embedded in the daily work of a busy conservation science facility that serves a diverse clientele of internal and external museum professionals including curators, conservators, designers, and educators.

Requirements

General familiarity with chemistry, the scientific method, scientific ethics, lab record keeping, standard laboratory techniques like weighing and pipetting, and analytical instrumentation.
Commitment to academic rigor though report writing, publications, data curation, and presentations.
Good oral and written communication skills.
In progress toward an undergraduate (BS or BA) or graduate (MS or PhD) degree in chemistry, biochemistry, physics, geology, or another scientific discipline.
Intern must be either a resident or citizen of the United States.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

Assist with routine scientific service work and participate in ongoing research projects as needed.
Help in the maintenance of the lab facility, including custodial and maintenance duties, chemical inventory management, spectral library generation, and data curation.
Prepare analytical reports to share with museum staff and record lab findings and activities.
Engage with the public through outreach opportunities and present complicated scientific information to diverse audiences including non-scientists and the public.
Investigate artworks using state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation.
Connect to the collections by gaining a deeper understanding of the history of art through collaborations with curators and conservators.
Use online and library research skills to support analytical tasks and present findings within the wider field of artists’ materials.
Prepare mock-ups and simulacrums using the laboratory’s extensive collection of reference materials.
Become experienced in proper art handling techniques in order to work directly with collection objects and to take samples from artworks for analysis.
Demonstrate appropriate laboratory technique and safety practices.
Ensure a neat and safe work area that protects artwork in the lab.
Maintain an accurate and thorough laboratory notebook.