UAM Summer Internship 2017: Introductions
Jean Middleton - 31 May 2017
Every summer, the University of Alberta Museums offers a summer internship opportunity for a student currently enrolled at the senior undergraduate level at the University of Alberta that is funded in part by the Friends of the University of Alberta Museums. The Student Internship in Museum Innovation was established to commemorate the Friends of the University of Alberta Museums 25th Anniversary in 2009, to provide support to University of Alberta students who wish to pursue careers in museum study, practice, research or innovation, and to provide an opportunity for student scholarship related to museology and object-based learning. This internship opportunity allows students to experience many aspects of museum practice, including curation, conservation, exhibitions, collections management, communications and research.
My name is Jean Middleton and I will be the summer intern at the University of Alberta Museums this year. I have just finished my bachelor of arts in history at the University of Alberta and am looking forward to moving on to the University of Aberdeen in Scotland for a master's in museum studies next fall.
During my time at the University of Alberta, I became interested in museum practice as it combined so many of my interests: history, anthropology, archaeology, material culture and the list goes on. I see museum studies as a way to continue working with many of my interests. This summer, I hope to gain experience in different areas of museology to learn what area I’d like to work in in the future. I look forward to gaining first-hand experience working with some of the University of Alberta Museums’ 29 collections!
Over the course of the summer, I will be using this blog to share some of what goes on at the University of Alberta Museums from an intern’s perspective. I’ll be focusing on what I’m working on and if the first two weeks are any indication it will include a little bit of everything.