Volunteering at the Academy

Learn to teach informal science education and/or help evaluate our programs. This internship is designed to provide an in-depth, hands-on experience for people interested in pursuing a career in informal education. Participants work alongside the Academy’s Education staff to learn about the different facets of school programs in a museum.

These short-term placements typically require 10 hrs/week during academic semesters, and can be modified to include the optimal hours or project-based focus needed for academic credit. Hours are available on weekdays. Few positions are available throughout the year, with special assignments available for bilingual candidates.

Naturalist Center Engagement Volunteers - Inspire guests of all ages as you guide them through activities with a science theme. What causes iridescence in animals? What can tree rings tell us about the weather? Learn to identify birds living in your neighborhood. What is inside an owl pellet and why do we care? Become a Naturalist Center Engagement Volunteer and help guests answer these questions and more, as they experience the wonder of science. The service commitment is once a month for at least 6 months with daily shifts from 12:30-4:00 PM. All volunteers receive an orientation and a one day training.

Help Academy collections managers prepare and maintain scientific collections in our research departments. Individual duties are diverse—mount plants, classify bones, re-bottle specimens, document collections, and more—but all volunteers are immersed in the principles and techniques of modern scientific-collections management. Most research placements require a 3- to 4-hour weekly commitment, and hours are available only on weekdays. ​Please visit our Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability pages to familiarize yourself with our areas of research.

• Special need in Entomology: Help with a wide array of tasks from databasing specimens to helping pin and curate the collection. Prior experience is valued, but not required. Tasks can include:
  • Cut out and organize pre-made labels
  • Record label data into an Excel spreadsheet or on paper (prefer someone who is familiar with computers)
  • Re-pinning crickets with new labels
  • More info in position description below

Enjoy being outside and working with plants? Join us in becoming an integral part of beautifying our iconic living roof and botanic gardens. Our volunteer teams are a great way to expand your knowledge of California native plants and horticulture in a friendly group environment. The Landscape department offers two weekly morning roof volunteer days and a monthly grounds afternoon; each shift lasts 3 hours. Enthusiasm is all that is required as we provide ongoing training opportunities.

Join the Academy’s guest experience team! Meet, greet, and guide Academy visitors as a roving concierge, helping visitors to make the best use of their time by providing impromptu itineraries and helpful suggestions. We ask for a commitment of two 2-hour shifts each month and offer additional volunteer opportunities at special events throughout the Academy. Orienteering is the Academy’s most flexible volunteer program and great way to make your first connection with the Academy.

Put your office, organizational, and computer skills to good use by providing administrative assistance to Academy staff. Volunteers who work behind the scenes enjoy a variety of assignments tailored to their interests and abilities.