Internships
Are you meant for something more?
Founded in 2003, the Pinhead Internship Program provides students with the opportunity to gain practical skills and experience in various scientific fields of study, including (but not limited to) math, physics, conservation, chemistry, museum science, and biology. Pinhead internships provide experience and opportunities for students to work with people who have dedicated their lives to academic pursuits about which they are passionate.
Pinhead Interns work with leading researchers on critical issues facing the world today including biodiversity, indigenous cultures, influenza study, sustainability, habitat loss, and climate change.
This program affords students from Nucla, Norwood, Telluride, Ridgway & 
Ouray High Schools opportunities not available in our region, and it often is a life changing experience.
Throughout the summer, Pinhead Institute places approximately 10 qualified regional students annual at renowned scientific institutions for 6 to 10 weeks.
Meet the 2008 Pinhead Institute Interns
Maddie Crowell and Louisa Clark go to Peru:
Maddie & Louisa will have a very unique experience this summer studying botany with the Andes to the Amazon program based in Quince Mil, Peru. Under the direction of Dr. John Janovec, Maddie & Louisa will spend their internships collecting native Peruvian plants & and inventorying the rainforest. When not on specimen collection expeditions deep in the rainforest, they will also help in the development of database technology for managing and publishing all the data from the studies of flora and fauna. They will also assist in the creation of a new native plant nursery and organic vegetable production trials at the research station in Quince Mil.
For Maddie's blog, Click Here
To read Louisa's thoughts, Click Here
Erin Thompson interns in Santa Barbara:
Erin will work this summer at Horny Toad Clothing Company based in California, whose motto states, “The choices we make are as important as the clothes we create.” Erin will be able to integrate her interest in fashion with responsible, organic, and scientifically engineered fabrics with Horny Toad this summer, learning more about how clothing is developed in the research phase and how it eventually makes its way to the store shelves.
To read about Erin's Adventures, Click Here
Riley Arrington Studies Sea Turtles in Costa Rica:
Riley will spend the summer a part of two unique opportunities in Costa Rica with both the Ambicor & the Osa Sea Turtle Program. Working closely with Andres Vegas at Ambicor, Riley will spend two weeks deep within the Osa Peninsula in the Corcovado Park studying butterflies and looking to tapir diets. Another few weeks will be spent with the Osa Sea Turtle Program where Riley will assist in the patrol of nesting sea turtles, relocating sea turtle nests, and help in the release of hatchings in order to protect & maintain their hatcheries.
Meghan Cain Examines Virus Design
Meghan will work this summer with the McCammon Group based out of the University of California San Diego. Meghan will be assisting in the development of structural insights that will allow for the "linking" of molecules together, creating better virus inhibitors. In the process, she will also learn about influenza viruses, avian influenza, computer-aided drug design, protein structure and function, among other things.
See what Meghan has to say. Click Here
Evan Tueller Spends the Summer at the Smithsonian
Evan will spend her summer studying Museum Science in her work with Pinhead’s partner organization, the Smithsonian Institution. Evan will be interning this summer at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC. Evan will work with the Museum’s collection in comparing and resolving information on department databases and working with collection inventories.
Read about Evan's impressions of the museum. Click Here
Kyle Rasmussen Renews His Studies in Conservation
Kyle will return to the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) after a successful summer of interning at BRIT in 2007. BRIT is a global institute for the conservation and preservation of botanical heritage through education, research, scientific publications, and collections. Kyle will continue to assist in the mounting of incoming specimens, the replacement of genus covers in cabinets, and will continue database collection management. While at BRIT Kyle will also mesh his interest in film by creating a documentary on the research station.
Read about Kyle's experience. Click Here
Ian Hebert Studies Marine Chemistry and Climate Change
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to research and education to advance understanding of the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicating this understanding for the benefit of society. Ian will spend the summer working in the Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry department. Ian will be analyzing & conducting sample prep work on samples from Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Ian will study the organic geochemistry behind the lake samples and comparing it to those taken from the Arctic and Bosumtwi to better understand climate change on our planet.
For more about Ian and the Oceanographic Institution, Click Here
Hannah Smith and Michal Fagrelius Spend the Summer in School
Hannah & Michal will spend the summer at the Cloud Forest School, a bilingual Pre-K through 11th grade school located in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The school was founded in 1991 to increase educational opportunities for a growing population of school-age children in the area. This independent school offers creative, experiential education to 205 students with an emphasis on integrating environmental education into all aspects of the school.
Find Hannah's blog when you Click Here
Read about Michal's experience. Click Here
Learn more about our 2008 Pinhead Institute Interns and follow their adventures in their blog postings and photos.
Click here to learn more about our Pinhead Interns from 2006 and 2007.