Internships and Volunteers

Student interns and community volunteers play a crucial role in the maintenance and growth of WILLI. These opportunities offer interns and volunteers valuable, hands-on experience through individualized training. No previous experience or specific skills are required—just enthusiasm and a genuine interest in learning. For more information about working in the herbarium, please contact the curator.

Intern and Volunteer Activities

Mounting

Interns are essential in preparing the thousands of plant specimens added to WILLI’s collection each year. Pressed and dried specimens are carefully mounted onto archival herbarium paper, along with labels that include identification and collection details. Through this work, interns gain a close familiarity with the flora of the Southeastern United States and develop practical skills in the archival preparation of natural history collections.

Database

“WILLIdat” is our database containing label data for over 30,000 herbarium specimens, with more than 45,000 specimens still to be added. Interns provide vital support for this ongoing effort. Once entered, specimen data can be easily shared with researchers in fields such as conservation, biogeography, and systematics. Digitizing this information also helps preserve the physical spec

imens by reducing the need for hands-on use. Database interns gain valuable experience using popular relational database software and develop highly marketable skills in data integrity and management.

Website and Digitization

Interns and volunteers have the opportunity to learn about graphics hardware, software, and web design, while gaining exposure to extensive floristic information. These experiences offer practical skills that are applicable beyond the herbarium.

To learn more, Download a presentation on WILLI and herbaria in general (PowerPoint format).

If you’re interested in gaining new skills and making a meaningful contribution, we encourage you to reach out!