As summer is coming to a close, our interns are finishing their projects and heading back to school. This year our division was fortunate to have 3 summer interns, 2 volunteers and a Junior Fellow.

You may have already read about Brian Horowitz’s discovery of Brevet Major Alfred Mordecai’s work in Stumbled Upon in the Stacks  and Aileen M. J. Marshall’s post on Men & Housework 1940-1950 .

Science Reference volunteers Kim and Chris Hedlin from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, combed through the Library’s book stacks, databases, and the Web for their individual projects. Both girls found books to stimulate and inspire students as well as teachers—and in the process of their research, added a host of new materials to the Library’s collections.

Here is their story:

Once upon a time, there were twin sisters at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL–a small liberal arts school in a land far, far, away.  They were book-loving English majors, and they dreamed of having an internship at the Library of Congress.  One day, they met the princess of the science reference section (okay, they met Connie Carter, the head of the science reference section), and their dream came true!

This is a true story.  We should know–it happened to us! Our names are Kim and Chris Hedlin, and we had the opportunity to do an internship in the science reference section this past summer.  Since pedagogy and education is one of our areas of interest and experience, we each created reference guides related to equity in science education.

Kim’s projects addressed gender issues in science education.  One of her guides, Biographies of Women Scientists for Girls and Young Women, listed works of juvenile literature featuring women scientists.  Her other guide, Girls and Science: How to Engage Girls in Science, is a compilation of books, websites, articles, and curricula for educators, parents, mentors, and girls.

Chris’s project, Latinos in Math and Science: Resources for Kids, Young Adults, and Teachers, helps educators how to engage Latinos in the science classroom and lists Spanish, English, and bilingual resources for Latino students.

The Science Reference Section is pleased to share these novel, upbeat, and engaging guides that will certainly enliven the classroom, open doors for girls and teachers, and provide an excellent hand-out for Hispanic American History month. 

If you are interested in the Library’s fellowship, internship, or volunteer opportunities see the Library’s page on internship, fellowship and volunteer programs.