Paleontology Assistant AmeriCorps
Listed on 2026-02-16
-
Research/Development
Research Assistant/Associate
Paleontology Assistant (20 Weeks) - Ameri
Corps
POSITION DETAILS
Position (s): 4464
Position Title: Paleontology Assistant - Ameri Corps
Conservation Legacy Program: Scientists in Parks, Stewards Individual Placements
Site
Location:
Waco Mammoth National Monument, Waco, Texas
Number of positions available: 1
Duration: 20 Weeks (not flexible)
Flexible
Start Date:
Yes
Start Date: 5/18/2026
End Date: 10/5/2026
Ameri Corps Slot Classification: 675 hours - this is the minimum number of hours the selected candidate must serve throughout the duration of their position.
- Segal Ameri Corps Education Award
: $ 2,817.14 upon successful completion of position - Weekly Living Allowance: $ 700.00 per week, fixed rate
- Relocation Allowance: $ 450.00 (distributed as a one-time lump sum with first paycheck)
- Student Loan Forbearance if applicable (administered by My Ameri Corps , directly)
- Student Loan Interest Payments if applicable (administered through My Ameri Corps , directly)
Preference given to applicants who submit applications before Sunday, February 15, 2026. Applications will be reviewed after the Final date to receive applications passes. Positions will close after receiving 60 complete applications
, or at 11:59 p.m. EST on February 15, 2026, whichever occurs first.
Columbian mammoth, fossil preparation, collaborative collections management, updating digital content, Pleistocene, Ice age
PURPOSEThis Paleontology Assistant is an Ameri Corps position. Collaborative Paleontological Natural Resource Management
This interdisciplinary project focuses on a partnership model of Paleontological Natural Resource Management with staff from NPS Natural and Cultural Resources, Mayborn Museum Complex staff, Baylor University Geosciences faculty and students, and City of Waco staff. These institutions are primary partners, and we partner to preserve and protect America’s only known nursery herd of Columbian mammoths while also providing public tours that walk above our active excavation.
Waco Mammoth National Monument is a unique site that has catalogued museum specimens preserved in-situ or in situation. The fossils of at least six mammoths are still in the ground and on display in the Dig Shelter. Another 16+ mammoths are stored in the Geosciences Collections at the Mayborn Museum Complex, many of which are still encased in field jackets. The participant will assist with Natural Resource Management through several tasks: active excavation projects to restore the excavation to its original footprint, help establish an inventory and monitoring plan for sites outside the Dig Shelter, clean and repair in situ specimens, excavating and rebuilding museum specimens, and help advance the research and understanding of central Texas during the late Pleistocene.
OF DUTIES
The selected Paleontological Assistant will assist with fossil preparation and resource management at a collaborative paleontological partnership site with Waco Mammoth National Monument, Baylor University, and the City of Waco. Projects on-site at Waco Mammoth NM will include helping NPS staff restore the excavation to the original footprint, reestablishing the excavation grid, helping to develop an inventory and monitoring plan for sites outside the Dig Shelter, and preparation and protection of exposed specimens.
The participant will also help staff exhibit excavations on the research platform in the Dig Shelter. While working on paleontological field jackets from the 1980’s and 1990’s, the participant will also interact with visitors by providing background information on current research projects, explaining excavation and jacketing procedures, and answering additional visitor questions. The participant will also spend time working on projects in the collections at the Mayborn Museum Complex, one of the sites official partners.
A recent donation has created a backlog of collection management tasks. During the period of database restructuring, projects will focus on fossil preparation, reboxing specimens, building supportive storage (archival cradles, cavity mounts, etc.), reorganization of cabinets, managing the…
(If this job is in fact in your jurisdiction, then you may be using a Proxy or VPN to access this site, and to progress further, you should change your connectivity to another mobile device or PC).