Biocultural Collection Intern

Description

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden inspires people to value plants, garden design and the natural world by cultivating plant collections of the Allegheny Plateau and temperate regions, creating display gardens, conducting educational programs, and conserving the environment. The core of our mission as a botanic garden is to help foster a connection between people and plants.

RESPONSIBILITIES

As part of the Garden’s growing team, we seek a Biocultural Collection Intern to assist the Horticulture & Conservation Department with creating geospatial and graphic content to enrich and expand the management and interpretation of the native Western Allegheny Plateau (WAP) biocultural collection. The intern will conduct field inventories of accessioned WAP plantings, locating and photographing plants and uploading the data into IrisBG, the relational database that stores the permanent plant records. The enhanced information will enable and inform meaningful interdepartmental storytelling via Esri StoryMaps, social media posts, in-person programs, interpretive panels, and exhibits. The Biocultural Collections Intern will develop or improve skills for a career in cartography, natural resource management, anthropology, collection curation, and public horticulture.

A successful candidate is someone familiar with best practices for creating geospatial data layers, mapping products, and digital graphic content.

The Biocultural Project is co-led by the Plant Recorder and the Director of Horticulture & Conservation.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Conduct field work to gather geospatial data for the biocultural collection
• Link geospatial datasets to the Garden’s permanent plant records
• Obtain and link digital images of plants to the Garden’s permanent plant records
• Produce accurate maps and visually stunning imagery to enhance the utility and visual documentation of the Garden’s plant records 
• Perform additional biocultural research and projects as requested

Requirements

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduate of or currently enrolled in a four-year degree program for geospatial/geographic technology, geography, or natural resource management; will consider equivalent combination of training, skills, and experience.
• Knowledge and/or experience in the following areas is preferred: cartography, geospatial data sets, Esri/ArcGIS products including FieldMaps and StoryMaps, digital photography, and collections software
• Demonstrated attention to detail, accuracy, and graphic design principles
• Creative problem-solving skills
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks
• Strength in oral and written communications and the ability to follow instructions
• An enthusiastic commitment to the mission and purpose of the Garden
• Valid driver’s license 

WORK CONDITIONS

• Outdoor work utilizing handheld GIS units in various weather conditions and habitats
• Exposure to stinging/biting insects and poisonous plants
• Indoor seated computer work
• Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 am -3:30 pm