The Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education

The Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education is funded through an endowed fund in memory of Claudine K. Brown, an educator and influential leader of the Smithsonian. Awardees of the Brown Internship are appointed based on a demonstrated interest in the field of education and museum leadership.  Internships are available for college students, including under-served youth. This is a remote/virtual internship.

Background

This program was established in honor of the late Claudine K. Brown, former Assistant Secretary for Education and Access, to promote excellence in education and help ensure a diverse education and museum workforce of the future. Brown was a lifelong champion for learners of all ages.  She believed in immersive experiences – that we learn by doing. As Assistant Secretary for Education and Access from 2010 to 2016, Claudine Brown was responsible for defining the institution’s overall education program, especially for K-12 students and teachers.  She worked with more than 300 educators to bring stories, collections, lessons, films, games and many more offerings to life.

Purpose

The internships are intended to increase participation of underserved students who are under-represented in the education and museum leadership field. Interns experience opportunities in the central education office and collaborate with offices, museums, and research centers throughout the Smithsonian Institution where they help to create, develop, and disseminate innovative educational programs and resources at the Smithsonian, online, in the classroom and in communities.

Eligibility
To be considered for this opportunity, students must be:

• U.S. Citizens and U.S. permanent residents; and

• Undergraduate - enrolled as a rising college first year/freshman through rising college fourth year/senior
   

How it works

Each year, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE) identifies new projects for the Claudine K. Brown Internship awardees. In 2023, the Claudine K. Brown interns will have an opportunity to learn through engagement with mentors at the OUSE central education office. In Summer 2023, internships will be offered remotely for 8 weeks.

 

Project Descriptions:

#1) Project Description: Claudine K. Brown Education Outreach Intern

As a central office collaborating across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE) leads the Institution’s strategy and vision for connecting education audiences to museums.

In the role of a multi-faceted museum educator, an important aspect of creating programming is well-developed communications and outreach plans. This internship offers student training in content creation and communications strategy for OUSE education outreach initiatives.

By interning with OUSE through the Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education, interns will strengthen their skills in research and writing within the context of education. During the internship, the intern will be mentored by Ashley Naranjo, M.Ed., to learn about museum education communication and various OUSE projects from the idea phase through the development and implementation phases. By participating in OUSE projects, interns learn about developing and disseminating innovative educational programs and resources at the Smithsonian. 

Intern will learn about OUSE’s:

• Coordination and messaging for teacher and caregiver audiences through social media platforms and ongoing partnerships with education platforms, school districts, and national organizations;
• Education content development, storyboarding and the curation of a print activity guide that features interdisciplinary Smithsonian at-home activities in a national publication; and
• Selection and research of feature stories about Smithsonian education in the Smithsonian Magazine “Smithsonian Voices” online blog, including successes from our Together We Thrive grant program.

Additionally, interns will:

• Interact with OUSE team members and the community of 300+ Smithsonian educators;

• Attend planning meetings and brainstorming sessions, as well as twice-weekly mentorship meetings with the program manager; and
• Write some draft content under the mentorship of OUSE.

Learning Goals for Intern

Upon completion of the internship, Claudine K. Brown interns will be better able to:

• Understand and apply best practices of education in their area of interest;
• Support the creative process stages of collaborative education content development;
• Collaborate with a variety of audiences from Smithsonian education staff, volunteers and visitors to the museums, education, and research centers; and
• Build self-confidence in a professional setting.

Mentorship Goals

The mentor will:

• Support the intern in developing strong communications skills in writing both for internal leadership and teammates, as well as external audiences;
• Support the intern in understanding how the creative process unfolds, while working on a team and meeting deadlines; and
• Provide opportunities for the intern to practice public speaking and presentation skills.

#2) Project Description: Claudine K. Brown Education Programs Intern

As a central office collaborating across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education (OUSE) leads the Institution’s strategy and vision for connecting education audiences to museums.

This internship offers a student training in the creation of original programming by a program manager, including attendance at planning sessions where strategies for education program initiatives are developed.

By interning with OUSE through the Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education, interns will strengthen their skills in research and writing within the context of education. During the internship, the intern will be mentored by Ashley Naranjo, M.Ed., to learn about museum education programming and participate in various OUSE projects—from the idea phase through the development and implementation phases. By participating in OUSE projects, interns learn about developing and presenting innovative educational programs and resources at the Smithsonian.

Intern will learn about OUSE’s:

• Planning and implementation of the Smithsonian National Education Summit, an annual conference for teacher audiences nationwide;
• Leadership in Smithsonian-wide strategic planning efforts and coordination of a scan across units to better understand our education resource offerings holistically;
• Ongoing partnerships with school districts and national organizations; and
• Education program development and the curation of both digital and in-person support for a publication that features stories and activities from the Smithsonian.

Additionally, interns will:

• Learn about the Smithsonian Learning Lab, a digital platform for curating and personalizing content;
• Interact with OUSE team members and the community of 300+ Smithsonian educators;
• Attend planning meetings and brainstorming sessions, as well as twice-weekly mentorship meetings with the program manager; and
• Write some draft content under the mentorship of OUSE.

Learning Goals for Intern

Upon completion of the internship, Claudine K. Brown interns will be better able to:

• Understand and apply best practices of education in their area of interest;
• Support the creative process stages of collaborative education content and program development;
• Collaborate with a variety of audiences from Smithsonian education staff, volunteers, and visitors to the museums, education, and research centers; and
• Build self-confidence in a professional setting.

Mentorship Goals

The mentor will:

• Support the intern in developing strong communications skills in writing both for internal leadership and teammates, as well as external audiences;
• Support the intern in understanding how the creative process unfolds, while working on a team and meeting deadlines; and

Provide opportunities for the intern to practice public speaking and presentation skills.

Program dates: 6/12/2023 – 8/4/2023. The internship will require a commitment of 35-40 hours per week, Monday—Friday (no weekends or Federal Holidays - Monday, June 19, 2023 (Juneteenth National Independence Day), and Tuesday, July 4, 2023 (Independence Day).

Stipend

$650/week (full-time) = $5,200; Maximum eight-week internship period.

Logistics
Remote from your home. This is not an in-person internship. Housing in Washington, D.C. is NOT provided. The entire internship during summer 2023 will be virtual and can be conducted from your own home. 

Vaccines
Ongoing Smithsonian COVID-19 Information: https://internships.si.edu/covid-19-information

Background Investigation

All academic appointees, including interns, are required to undergo a security background investigation, and fingerprinting through the Smithsonian’s Office of Protection Services. You may need to be fingerprinted off-site (police station, campus security, commercial site) if you are interning remotely.

For more information about Smithsonian Internships, please visit https://ofi.si.edu/faq-for-applicants/.