Overall this internship was a very positive experience. My supervisor was gracious. I was able to do the work, but it also provided an opportunity for me to learn, and I had free access to many Smithsonian lectures, exhibits, IMAX movies, and symposiums. I would recommend the Smithsonian to other students as a place to complete an internship.
My supervisor, Dan Cole, was very experienced in working with geographic information systems. I believe he has a PhD in geography, but it was his years of experience that was invaluable. He shared with me and other employees his recent summer experience mapping petroglyph sites in Mongolia. Dan told me that in Mongolia, “my job was to conduct field mapping of physical archaeological features and petroglyphs; and to follow that up with spatial analyses of the sites in relation to other sites and sacred peaks.” He also taught me and other Smithsonian staff two different 2-day GIS classes. He spent time speaking with me about organizations that could have potential job opportunities. He was attentive when I had questions and he gave me free rein to take time away from the task at hand so that I could attend lectures and events offered to Smithsonian employees during the work day. This last, the freedom to attend other lectures and events, was very important. One of the best things about the Smithsonian is the opportunity to learn about many things and to make new connections. One learns about their area of interest, but they also learn about new areas and can ponder new connections in which their area of interest might have applications.
I was given a task that I was capable of grasping, but one which also provided me a learning opportunity. I was tasked with correcting mistakes in latitude and longitude for points which represented invertebrate samples taken on research vessels from oceans around the world. I worked with a map of points, an information-filled database, an atlas, the Board of Geographic Names on the internet, and Google Earth. I was dealing with points representing samples taken world-wide and thus I received a good lesson in geography. I had to determine if a point was actually at the place described in the database, or was perhaps being shown on the other side of the world. To determine this I had to look at the selected information in the database and then look at geographic reference materials to discover where the described place actually is. Once I determined where the point was meant to be I had to physically relocate it on the GIS map and then I had to edit the database to reflect the correct latitude and longitude. Through this exercise, I became more familiar with the geography of the world and more familiar with bearings throughout the world. For example, I now know that zero degrees longitude (the prime meridian) runs through England and France, and zero degrees latitude (the equator) runs through the top of Brazil and Indonesia. I wasn’t unfamiliar before, but I was a bit fuzzy on my detailed understanding. There was a repetitive nature to the task I was assigned to do and this may be true for much of the internship jobs throughout the Smithsonian. In my case, this was fortunate because it made clear lessons in geography and in increasing my understanding of bearings world-wide. Some may not like the repetitive nature of the work. However, to someone who is interested in science or the arts the Smithsonian is a wonderful place to work as an intern. Interns have free access to many other Smithsonian lectures and events and are often given freedom to attend these at any time throughout the day. One begins to see the larger picture that their work fits into and discovers new applications for their area of interest. Interns have the opportunity to make new connections, intellectually, socially, and professionally.
I attended many other Smithsonian happenings during my internship. While I was there I attended a lecture about an old research vessel, the Albatross; attended a talk about earthquakes in our area following the earthquake that struck the east coast in the summer; attended a free screening of a Mark Daniels movie about the disappearing bees; attended a movie, lecture and discussion at the Air and Space museum about astronomy; attended a presentation given by a Smithsonian geologist about his research trip to Siberia in Russia in search of qausi-crystals; Viewed three Imax films at the Museum of Natural History for free; listened to a presentation by my supervisor about his summer experience mapping petroglyphs in Mongolia; attended a presentation about the Field Book Project and another about reorganizing and cataloguing a dinosaur-related collection in the Natural History Museum in London; and attended two 2-day training sessions on using the ESRI GIS software, ArcGIS, given by my supervisor, and offered to all Smithsonian staff. I also had the opportunity to visit and tour the Museum Support Center in Suitland, MD. which houses collections that are used for research and for exhibits.
In sum, I would recommend the Smithsonian to other students looking for an internship if they are people who are interested in science and/or the arts. The exposure to the scientific and/or the artistic world is invaluable and it provides the opportunity to increase one’s professional network and make new intellectual connections. Students work in a specific area of interest, but also have many opportunities to see how their work relates to other scientific arenas and to discover new schools of knowledge and thought. A Smithsonian internship is a learning experience. For students who love to be in an educational environment it is a worthwhile experience.
11-6-2011
The last recent bit of time at the Smithsonian was a combination of continued work on the same map and opportunities to attend Smithsonian events. In addition to my GIS map editing, I attended a movie and meeting about pollinators, and the current colony collapse disorder, that is the mysterious death of bees in great numbers. Additionally, I attended a Smithsonian staff meeting, an IMAX film about water through the perspective of the Grand Canyon, and an orientation meeting. The orientation meeting was really set up for new interns, but they just started offering the meetings and so my group, with many old hands, served as guinea pigs.
The movie we saw on Colony Collapse Disorder was by Mark Daniels and I believe it is new to the United States. It was very comprehensive looking at the multiple reasons given for the death of so many bees. From mites to mono-culture (huge farms dedicated to one crop that import and then exhaust bees) to pesticides to over breeding many reasons are cited as leading to the problem. However, examination of the dead bees has not pinpointed one illness, but multiple illnesses leading researchers to think that something is causing the bees to be in a weakened state. There is much speculation that this weakening factor is either caused or exacerbated by pesticides in use today. In the movie they even discussed the possibility of a future without bees. I certainly hope it doesn’t come to that. While man-made attempts at pollination have their merits, it would be hard to replace bees. I can’t imagine a world without bees. Our many crops depend on them and their wonderful pollinating ability.
The IMAX film was about a “Grand Canyon Adventure.” It followed a group of people as they went white water rafting and kayaking down the Grand Canyon. The movie was beautiful. The scenery alone was reason to watch it. However, the theme of the movie was water and its importance; the need for water conservation and the need for an ecologically minded approach to the care of our rivers. I have never been to the Grand Canyon and I would love to go, a desire which was sharpened by watching this movie. The movie was in 3D, so now I have been to two 3D movies in my lifetime, both of them IMAX films.
The Smithsonian staff meeting came complete with a band, a sky lit venue, and a game for meeting participants. It called the Smithsonian “seriously amazing” and emphasized the importance of every staff member and the need to be receptive to new ideas.
The orientation session did not tell me much new, but I did learn that the Smithsonian is significantly funded by federal funds, but not completely. It is governed by a board made up of members of Congress and other notable individuals. It was started as a trust, but its continued existence depends of funding from multiple sources, much of which is federal funding. Thus, the Smithsonian is “quasi-federal.”
Work on the same map continues. My geographic familiarity is improving as I work on the map and discover locations around the world that I had never heard of, or some I had heard of but didn’t know they were their own countries. Geography is a dynamic concept, morphing with changes in political and geological structure. It would be interesting to see a video showing maps from ancient days to today, documenting changes in political and geologic landscapes.
That is all for now. Blessings to the website visitors.
10-23-2011
The last couple of weeks at the Smithsonian have brought some interesting things. One, I attended a second IMAX film about saving elephants in Africa and Orangutans in Indonesia. The orphaned or injured animals are saved, rehabilitated, and then released back into the wild. It was the first 3D movie I have been to and it was a great one to first experience the 3D movie world. I kept expecting the elephants to spray water in the direction of the audience, which would have been a great special effect, but that did not happen. Nonetheless, it is a movie which relates the true work by people in these very different parts of the world. It would be interesting to tag the animals and then create GIS Maps which describe their migration over time from the point of release. In all fairness though, it seems that after a certain amount of time the tags should be removed and the animals left to roam in privacy.
The second interesting recent visit was to a facility that houses Smithsonian collections so that they can be used for study and be on hand for future exhibits. I saw collections of tissue samples, meteorites, skeletons for forensic anthropologists, and art work. It was a very futuristic setting from the nitrogen tanks where one obtains DNA to the climate controlled lab for meteorites. It would be wonderful to do GIS work for the Smithsonian, and it is wonderful to be an intern there, because one can view the collections that are associated with the GIS maps and databases. The maps and the real world intersect in the Smithsonian collections and the related research.
The third Smithsonian item of note is that the Air and Space Museum opened after hours for a free event that allowed the public to view a Hubble 3D IMAX film and then attend a John Bachall Lecture given by the noted astronomer Sunyaev. He, with his mentor, theorized the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect and has contributed significantly to the world of astronomy. To understand what he theorized, and what has since been observed, (minus the math) go to http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/compton/ . I realize this is a step away from my time at the Museum of Natural History doing GIS work. However, the Air and Space is part of the Smithsonian and I felt lucky to be able to attend this event. It was all very interesting. Of course, I must confess that I am not familiar with much in Astronomy and I had to look everything up on the internet the next day to really grasp the subject of the lecture. Still I felt it was worth it to be in the audience on that special night and I was able to understand parts of the lecture, and, of course, much of the movie. It is worth mentioning that this famous astronomer, Sunyaev, loves to read National Geographic.
Work on the map of invertebrate ocean samples continues. I work in a quiet environment in the IT section of the museum with my time broken up by opportunities to attend science lectures or events. All in all it has so far been a very positive experience.
10-10-2011
The past couple of weeks at the Smithsonian were overshadowed by the absence of my supervisor and time spent away by myself due to some job interviews. I am very happy that I was called for a couple of interviews, but it is a sign of change which brings a variety of feelings.
On the days that I was there I continued to edit the map of invertebrate ocean samples. We have identified almost all the samples that were displaying incorrectly on continents and are now making selections based on an identified ocean to check if other samples are displayed incorrectly and need to be revised. I make ArcGIS selections based on a particular ocean (presently I am in the North Atlantic). If I get results back for samples showing up in an ocean other than the North Atlantic that is cause to investigate further and try to ascertain where they should actually be displayed. In other words, for some representative points, the database describes them as being from the North Atlantic Ocean, but on the map they are showing up in other oceans and need to be investigated and moved if possible. As I said previously, the database includes information as to a written description of a location, latitude and longitude, a site station number, a Gulf, a Country, a Vessel name, date sample was taken, and an Expedition name as well as biological classifications. I act like a detective with clues, putting the information that I have in the database together with information found in an Atlas, the Board of Geographic Names, Google Earth, and other nearby samples, represented by points on the map. I am traveling the world at my Desktop.
As to other goings on at the Smithsonian, I was able to attend a lecture described as follows:
“Please join us for the Mineral Sciences seminar today at 10 am in NMNH E410.
Glenn MacPherson (of our own department) will speak on: “Stepping off the edge of the world: A geologist’s adventures in the Koryak Mountains of Siberia”
Cheers, Ben Benjamin J. Andrews Curator, Research Geologist Department of Mineral Sciences National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution “
Glen MacPherson traveled to Siberia in search of quasi-crystals, 5 sided crystals often found in meteorites with some interesting properties. It was an interesting story filled with capable people unique to that part of the world; un-ending vistas of terrain that seemed never-ending, perma-frost filled, cold, and breathtaking; and panning for quasi-crystals through much watery mud. Scientific study on the samples is still being done, but some preliminary studies on the found samples indicate that they may have found what they were looking for.
Additionally, in my off-hours I went back up to the Smithsonian to see an IMAX film at the Museum of Natural History on Tornadoes. It told us about real life storm chasers who attempt to get to the heart of tornadoes in an actual physical way so that they can measure their properties. The storm chasers look to be adrenaline junkies, and maybe they are, but they are providing invaluable information about tornadoes in the hopes that we can increase warning time before storms hit. Tornadoes, as everyone knows, can devastate an area flattening everything in its path. Storm chasers like those profiled in the movie can bring us data that saves lives.
The Smithsonian was closed for Columbus Day, on Monday, October 10th, 2011. I will be back there tomorrow and Wednesday as long as my job search doesn’t interfere. I plan to continue to work on the map of invertebrate ocean samples and keep my eyes open as to other possible seminars to attend.
9-25-2011
This past week I continued to edit the map of invertebrate ocean samples. Things at the Smithsonian were quiet and peaceful. On Wednesday, though, there was a seminar about the Smithsonian response to the earthquake. There seems to have been no major structural damage to the Castle, though it did sustain some damage to surface structures. There are some older Smithsonian structures in outlying areas which will need some repair work, but, all in all, we came through the earthquake very well.
I learned some interesting things about earthquakes. First, a piece of practical advice: It is not a bad idea to carry a small flashlight with you so you would be prepared in the event of an earthquake. Imagine the following scenario – the earthquake causes a window to break in your bedroom. You stand up to get out of bed in a now very dark room because the power has gone out and you step on glass and cut yourself. In the event of an earthquake there is a good chance that you will end up in the dark. In such a situation a flashlight would be invaluable.
Secondly, there is a P wave that goes through the earth’s surface which is followed by an S wave. The S wave is the one that causes ripples in the underlying material,which in turn cause everything to shake. P waves travel faster than S waves. By looking at the difference in time between a P wave and an S wavescientists can predict the distance away of an earthquake. On http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/earthquake5.htm one can read the following:
"… you learned that there are [ ] differenttypes of seismic waves, and that these waves travel at different speeds. While the exact speed of primary waves (P waves) and secondarywaves (S waves) varies depending on the composition of the material they're traveling through, the ratio between the speeds of the two waves will remain relatively constant in any earthquake. P waves generally travel 1.7 times faster than S waves [source: Stein].
Using this ratio, scientists can calculate the distance between any point on the Earth's surface and the earthquake's focus, the breaking point where the vibrations originated. They do this with a seismograph,a machine that registers the different waves. To find the distance between the seismograph and the focus, scientists also need to know the time the vibrations arrived. With this information, they simply note how much time passed between the arrivals of both waves and then check a special chart that tells them the distance the waves must have traveled based on that delay.”
That is all for this week. I just want to end with a note about life in DC. In addition to the area around theSmithsonian (the mall), I have had the opportunity to go to Chinatown, the Navy Memorial and Georgetown. Chinatown is full of many different people and many interesting shops. The Navy Memorial is right near the Metro(Archives/Navy Memorial stop on the Yellow line and the Green line). It was a lot of fun to sit at the Navy Memorial and people watch. I met some people at a restaurant right near there called Teaism. I recommend it. While I waited at the Navy Memorial, due to my early arrival, I watched people and listened pleasantly to a man playing the trumpet. Georgetown was crowded, but it is full of places to shop! I grew up in this area so I have been to many of these places in the past. However, I have been away for close to 9 years living in a more rural area, relatively speaking. I am having fun being again so close to the City.
9-17-2011
On Monday of this week, I was editing the map of invertebrate ocean samples, per the usual. However, Tuesday and Wednesday I was in training for ArcGIS. This training was free to me since I am working as an intern. A large portion of it was much-needed-and-appreciated review of classesI have taken at Salisbury University. However, this was the first time I received training specific to ArcGIS10. Additionally, since this training was given by Dan Cole and the previous SU classes were taught by someone different, new things were emphasized.
Dan spent a good portion of time talking about projections and coordinates, reviewing uses of various projection choices. We spent a lot of time with selections and analysis, joins, relates, as well as the tools of union, intersect, buffer, and clip. He also taught us a bit about adding X, Y coordinates to a map. This last mentioned X,Y was also taught to me in a lab by my professor at Salisbury University. I have asked my professor to email me the sheet he hands out with that X,Y coordinates lab and I also took notes when Dan spoke about it. I think this piece of GIS knowledge is invaluable because it allows one to translate field data collected on a GPS to ArcMap back in the office.
In regards to the X,Y data obtained from a GPS device one should remember that it translates into longitude,latitude in that order. The degrees minutes seconds obtained from the GPS need to be converted to decimal degrees. The formula for that is DecimalDegrees=degrees + min/60 + sec/3600. The data needs to be put in an ascii text file. The information must be comma delimited. All decimal points must line up. Do NOT use space delimited. In the SU class we put the information in an excel chart and saved it and then saved-it-as a .CSV comma delimited file. We then added the file to ArcMap, being sure to have a correc tcoordinate system assigned to the map and then displayed the X,Y data. Dan also did something very helpful by drawing out the positivity or negativity of the long, lat. This, of course, is based on the direction North, South of the Equator and East, West of the Prime Meridian. South and West are negative. North and East are positive.
The class also covered editing, georeferencing, and went extensively through the layer properties box especially emphasizing the choices in symbology. When we covered symbology we also covered the various methods of classification and the ways in which data can be portrayed inaccurately as one tries to prove a point. In short, statistics and maps can be manipulated. We discussed this aspect of GIS at the University as well. One must make every effort to present data as honestly as possible, while designing the map so that it is clear and visually appealing. These are important objectives and I expect as I gain more experience I will grow my skills in this area. In sum, I was very glad to be able to participate in this ArcGIS training class at the Smithsonian.
The Albatross
On Thursday of this past week I was fortunate to be able to attend a lecture about the ocean-going research vessel known as The Albatross. As previously mentioned I am working on a map in which ocean samples were taken from similar voyages aboard research vessels like the Albatross. Going to the lecture brought the map I am working on to-life, so to speak, and helped me see the larger picture as to the usefulness of the map of invertebrate ocean samples. The Smithsonian email explains it well as follows:
“Lecture:“Smithsonian Scientists Sail the Seven Seas: Deep-Sea Research 100 years ago on the US Fisheries Steamer Albatross” NMAfA Lecture Hall
The Congress of Scholars invites Smithsonian colleagues to attend the first talk in its spring lecture series on Thursday, Sept. 15th. Dr. David Pawson,Senior Zoologist, National Museum of Natural History, will speak at 4 p.m. in the National Museum of African Art's lecture hall.
The US Fish Commission Steamer Albatross (1882-1921) sailed approximately one million miles, in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and collected millions oforganisms. The Albatross had a special and vital link with Smithsonian science,for the vessel was the brainchild of Spencer Baird, second Secretary of theSmithsonian. At least ten prominent Smithsonian scientists – including Bartsch, Bean, Clark, Gill, True, Schmitt, and Stejneger, sailed on the Albatross, to such exotic places as The Galapagos Islands, Kamchatka, Japan, and The Philippines. Months-long cruises shaped the careers of these scientists, and the resulting collections helped to shape the US National Museum. Astonishingly, about 40% of our current National Collections of marine animals were obtained by the Albatross. Recently-acquired private diaries and letters provide rare insights into life on board the vessel – exciting scientific discoveries, men overboard, jellyfish stings, drunken sailors, shore leave, and emerging volcanic islands. The thrill of discovery during the Albatross days lives on today – and we still have about 95% of the ocean to explore!
No reservations are required.”
Dr.Pawson was very funny and told us true stories about the research trips such as that a skylight near a seating area would frequently break and water would come pouring into the ship; the ship often had a mascot including a goat who traveled on many a voyage; and the labs took up so much of the ship space that storage was difficult to find and, consequently, the decks were often filled with coal.This internship is about maps, but it is also about the meaning of the data displayed on the map. At the Smithsonian I am able to attend Natural History seminars and lectures so that I can see the usefulness of the GIS, that is the applications as well as the reality of the source of the data
9/9/2011
The GIS Internship started on July 20th, 2011. I am working for the Smithsonian in the Museum of Natural History. My supervisor is Dan Cole. I started out making regional maps of specific areas based on a given latitude and longitude. As simple as this sounds, I started off a bit like a Jerry Lewis bellhop choosing an area that was some degrees North instead of South and having to make selections repeatedly. Nonetheless, I was able to complete the task and the internship moved on. The rough beginning was a product of nervousness and lack of experience.
I next was given the task of editing a map of invertebrate ocean samples. This map spans geography worldwide as well as spans time with expeditions going back as far as the 1800’s. Invertebrate samples are represented by dots on the map. Data transfer being what it is, mistakes have been made in the location representations. I am editing the map to correct the locations of the representative dots. I view the map and associated database, double-checking dots on land as the samples were supposed to be taken from the ocean, and making selections based on location to see if things are in the right place. I then correct the latitude and longitude and move the dot to the right general location based on information in the database.
The associated database includes latitude and longitude in degrees minutes seconds as well as in decimal degrees. The database also contains a description of a precise location, a Country, Gulf or Bay, Ocean, Expedition Name, Date sample was taken, site number, along with invertebrate classifications (Kingdom,Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species). To determine the correct location I puzzle through with the map, the database, an Atlas Book, the U.S. Board of Geographical Names on the internet,Google Earth, and Google general searches when all else fails. Sometimes a sample is identified as being in the East when it was actually taken in the West, or North was written instead of South. Data transfer errors lead one to wonder if the information was copied incorrectly from handwritten documents or spoken aloud (and misheard) aboard a ship.
I am getting a good lesson in Geography and learning, as my supervisor stated, that geography is not as straightforward as one might think. Differences in language and regional identifiers can make it difficult to determine what place was actually visited and where it actually is. For example, there are at least two Christmas Islands in the world. One is in Kiribati in the Line Islands. The other is over by Indonesia. I am becoming familiar with latitude andlongitude throughout the world and working on correctly identifying degrees minutes seconds as it translates into decimal degrees.
When one views the map and database, and thinks of the associated reality, it is really quite amazing. All these dots on the map represent samples taken in Oceans all over the world on a variety of expeditions. I have asked my supervisor if we could take a field trip to view the collection of invertebrate ocean samples. He said that would be possible in time.I also purchased a book on Biogeography by Lynne R. Parenti and Malte C. Ebach in the Museum store. I am rather enthusiastic about this book as it combines my interests and I hope to learn more as I read. I have asked my supervisor if we could make some selections and do some searches related to the invertebrate classifications listed in the database and represented geographically on the map. It would be quite interesting to see if we could identify patterns and trends of invertebrate life geographically.
In sum, I am enjoying my time at the Museum. I am learning. In addition to the work I do as an intern I have the opportunity to visit exhibits in the Museum of Natural History, attend seminars, and participate in upcoming GIS training given by my supervisor. The training is in introductory GIS and is scheduled for September 13th and 14th. I am also signed up for advanced GIS, taught by my supervisor, due to take place in November.
