LHSI Intern: Deane Paleoanthropology and Education Lab Intern

Program Summary:  

This internship is offered as a part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI). This program connects 125 IUI undergraduates per year with internships on campus with faculty and staff in a variety of health and science related campus areas/programs. All LHSI internships start in August 2025 and end in May 2026 and are paid $13/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required. 

Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Deane

Department/Office: Medicine; Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology

Overview of the internship site: The Deane paleoanthropology lab uses comparative methods (gross anatomy, histology, 3D computer modeling, 3D printing) to address research questions related to ape and early human evolution and the human fossil record. Specifically, we are interested in t Paleoecology is the study of how a now extinct animal lived. The more accurate our interpretations of fossil ape and early human paleoecology, and locomotion and diet in particular, the greater the potential for that information to contribute answers to research questions about why these species evolved, what made them successful in some cases and extinct in others, and the connection between diet and locomotion and the origins of the lineages of living apes and modern humans.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Internship Duties: 1) Creating and editing 3-D computer models of fossil ape and early human fossils, 2) using 3-D software to measure curvature and surface area of selected regions of fossil models, 3) assisting with the dissection and collection of muscle samples from primate cadavers (woolly monkeys, gorillas, siamangs, macaques), 4) preparing histological slides of muscle tissue, 5) creating 3-D plaster/plastic casts of fossil ape and early human specimens, and 6) using a 3-D printer to generate 3-D models of fossil ape and early human specimens.

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in an office setting with a dress code designated by specific spaces (i.e. gross anatomy lab)

Hours per week: flexible based on student needs (10 maximum), scheduling is flexible..days, evenings, weekends etc.

Project-specific qualifications: Good with technology, attention to detail important...interest in biological sciences preferred. Prior knowledge of primate biology not required.

By the end of the LHSI program, you will:

·        Carefully consider, explore, and articulate your career goals, including an analysis of how you arrived at that path and what steps you need to take next. (Community Contributor, Communicator)

·        Understand your role and strengths on a professional team and analyze who you would like to become as a professional. (Communicator)

·        Gain and strengthen skills relevant to next steps after graduation, such as communication, collaboration, teamwork, analysis/synthesis/evaluation, independence, confronting/challenging failure, problem-solving and perseverance, and constructive criticism. (Problem Solver, Communicator)

·        Convey ideas and knowledge effectively through an ePortfolio and presentation of your internship work. (Problem Solver, Communicator)

·        Set and meet your own additional learning goals identified with your supervisor.

LHSI Qualifications  

·        must be graduating May 2027 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2025)   

·        Current full-time IUI undergraduate

·        minimum overall GPA of 2.0 

·        All majors welcome

To apply:

LHSI accepts at least 125 interns per year. Complete the application for LHSI at lhsi.indianapolis.iu.edu and select 3-4 internship sites on that application. All available sites are listed in Handshake and will start with the position title “LHSI Intern.” You will meet with at least 2 of these if selected for interviews.