Due to current safety considerations / restrictions we are not accepting adult volunteer applications at this time. Should you have any questions please reach out to Bernice Baker, Community Engagement Coordinator, bbaker@smv.org.
Gallery Education Volunteers bring passion, skills, and special talents to work closely with Museum staff to provide a quality, fun, engaging, inclusive, science experience for Museum guests - encouraging and assisting them as they interact with exhibits and in labs.
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Dome Ushers greet, take tickets, answer questions and assist guests as they enter and exit the Dome. These volunteers are comfortable interacting with the public, reliable and able to work independently.
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Console Operators assist in the Dome with operation of equipment, showing Giant Screen Movies and Cosmic Expeditions. They enjoy working with a variety of computer technologies and must be very reliable, punctual and patient, as well as comfortable with public speaking.
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Shop4Science extends the Museum’s mission to inspire our guests to enrich their lives through science by providing carefully selected science merchandise and generating funds to support the Museum. Volunteers work side by side with Museum store staff to assist Museum guests as they make selections, keep the Museum store well stocked, ensure that merchandise is attractively displayed and operate a user-friendly cash register system.
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The Forge Maker Challenge Assistant
The Forge Maker Challenge Assistant will help facilitate a variety of open-ended, design/engineering challenges during pre-scheduled Maker Challenge times (currently, 10am-12 pm daily). Maker Challenges are open to all museum guests, regardless of age, and allow for larger groups to participate in the Forge during this drop-in programming.
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The Forge Workshop/Open Making Assistants
Forge Workshop/Open Making Assistants will help guests take a deeper dive into a variety of subject matter, ranging from 45-minute pre-scheduled workshops up to 2-hour Open Making blocks. Workshop/Open Making Assistants will be responsible for co-facilitating deeper engagements in electronics, woodworking, design, and textiles (and other general making problems/projects guests may have). This position will require in-depth interactions with guests and the necessity (and willingness) to solve a plethora of problems/questions as they arise.
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Live Animal/Insect volunteers are a vital part of our team, assisting staff in the day-to-day care of our live animal collection (cage cleaning, food preparation, etc.). They help with the maintenance of the exhibit and gain skills and experience in animal husbandry while learning aspects of how to run an animal exhibit. The animals in the exhibit range from invertebrates such as hissing cockroaches, beetles, scorpions, millipedes and tarantulas, fish and amphibians, snakes, turtles and lizards. We also have rats trained to perform rat basketball. Live Animal/Insect Volunteers should also enjoy engaging with Museum guests about what they are doing as well as explaining information about the animals in the exhibit.
Minimum Age: 16
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If you have any questions about the program or how to apply we would love to hear from you!