Aquarist Intern, Temperate Gallery (Winter 2020/2021)
Time commitment:
125 hours minimum
Summary:
Interns in the Temperate Gallery assist staff with basic husbandry responsibilities of the New England Aquarium’s Temperate Gallery, home to the beautiful and ornate sea dragons, playful diamondback terrapins, and the hulking goliath groupers. As the most diverse array of exhibits in the Aquarium including a wide range of water temperatures, types of water, and habitats, working in the Temperate Gallery provides the opportunity to learn a wide variety of duties related to animal care.
Duties/Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Daily care and maintenance of the gallery’s appearance
- Cleaning exhibit windows
- Taking and recording temperatures
- Food preparation and feeding
- Siphoning detritus from tanks
- Monitoring water quality
- Cleaning filters
- Organizing and cleaning behind-the-scenes areas
- Collecting animals from the aquarium docks and local salt marshes for exhibit tanks
- Attend professional development sessions with the Volunteer Programs and Internships office
Skills/Qualifications:
- Must be comfortable working with live food items such as fruit flies, crickets, and black worms
- Must be comfortable handling deceased animals
- Must be able to work independently as well as with a team
- Must have the ability to take in and carry out multiple instructions in a timely manner
- The position requires physical labor. Applicant must be able to lift 50 lbs. Must be able to climb multiple flights of stairs
Organizational Description:
The New England Aquarium’s mission is to protect the blue planet through hands-on programs, live animal and interactive exhibits, public lectures and forums, and research and conservation projects.
This mission is fulfilled through exhibits and education, conservation, and research programs. Exhibits showcase the diversity, importance, and beauty of aquatic life and habitats and highlight critical aquatic conservation issues. Programs emphasize species, habitats and issues critical to New England. The Aquarium is also a pioneer in marine animal rescue and a leading ocean conservation organization with research scientists working around the globe.
The New England Aquarium serves as a responsive community resource that attracts and involves the broadest possible audience, seeks a culturally diverse staff and governing board that reflect our community, adheres to the highest standards of animal stewardship, and is committed to delivering the highest quality visitor experience in a welcoming and enjoyable manner that evokes wonder, curiosity, understanding, care, and action.
Department Description:
The Temperate Gallery staff support the New England Aquarium’s mission to protect the blue planet by creating and maintaining exhibits that encourage the public to care about the ocean and to become involved in conservation.