Located on the Pickle Research Campus, the Texas Natural History Collections’ Ichthyology Collection contains over 53,000 specimens from around the world, but primarily from Texas, and is growing rapidly. Most specimens are stored in alcohol in jars on shelves and loaned to researchers around the world for research purposes. The collection is the primary contributor and physical home to the Fishes of Texas Project (www.FishesofTexas.org and search “Fishes of Texas” in Eureka). Dr. Dean Hendrickson is the curator of the collection whose research also occurs in the physical space of the collections building.
required: attention to detail; willingness to handle preserved specimens; interest in fishes (ichthyology) and/or aquatic ecology, conservation and natural resource management.
preferred: familiarity with spreadsheets
project is ongoing; volunteers are needed year-round including summer
Tasks include but are not limited to: specimen sorting, specimen identification; counting and measuring specimens; shelving specimens; data entry, photography, scanning documents, mixing alcohol; and occasional field work. Volunteers must commit to at least one 4-hour block at least once a week (tues, wed and/or thurs) and are expected to establish a regular schedule. The herpetology collection is in the same building and opportunities to work in that collection are available as well.
