Table of Contents
Application Materials
To apply for these internships (excluding the research assistant position), please submit the following materials electronically to Michael Milligan (mjm61@psu.edu):
Updated résumé
Cover letter
Short writing sample (preferably from a previous history course)
Letter of recommendation from a Penn State faculty member
Note: It is preferred that the letter come from a faculty member in the Department of History. Recommenders should email their letters directly to Michael Milligan.
*You needn’t be a history major / history minor to apply and be considered for these internships*
University Club History Internship
Organization
In 1910, the University Club (UClub) opened to “promote sociality” between State College and Penn State. Students, faculty, and dignitaries alike appreciate the consistency of the Club, which has supported its community for over 115 years. Students recognized the building as home to the UClub headquarters which also offered residence for graduate students and faculty. Faculty recognized the building as an outlet in achieving solidarity through its social events. The community recognizes the UClub as a staple of its neighborhood— the keystone between State College and Penn State.
Archivist’s Apprentice
Assignments
This internship has a time commitment threshold of 135 hours for the term. The student will participate in three different archival projects:
Documentary Heritage Project
Will add to the existing relational database identifying all Board of Directors activities beginning in 1910 (specifically the years 2010-2025) as well as create an annual financial spreadsheet for the Club’s history (1910-2025). The databases are searchable keyword inventories of all Board activities based on archived meeting minutes and other documents. Information from these activities will help the Club gain insight into their history and advise them on potential future operational procedures. The UClub also maintains archival records related to their members, employees, and residential leases. To coordinate information about these people, the UClub has developed a database which stores information about each person including their name, nationality, year of interaction, etc.
The intern will review the individual folders, export information to the database, and help map out the UClub’s impact around the world. The intern will assist in the creation of temporary exhibits/displays utilizing the historical materials for UClub events and socials.
Oral History Project
Will conduct and transcribe at least three oral history interviews with UClub leaders and/or members. The intern will be trained in proper protocols to conduct an oral history project, including creating interview questions, running the interview, and summarizing them for long-term preservation. Interviews will be conducted on site at the UClub offices or via Zoom. Summaries will be stored online in a dedicated repository provided by the UClub.
Other Projects and Opportunities
The intern will be offered tours, meetings, and interactions with other museum/archival institutions around Penn State including, but not limited to, the Libraries Preservation Lab, the Museum Consortium members, and visiting guest speakers. The intern will also be given access to archival reference materials, digital content, and streaming presentations to understand the future of archival science and technology.
The above-listed activities and products will require collaborative input from selected stakeholders such as Board members, current UClub management and staff, as well as local history partners. Each activity will include both paper and digital versions of reports for the sole use of the UClub administration.
Extra Credit
One Page Written Report/s on Archival Institutions/Museums that intern visits during the semester. Web Page Design and updating as possible utilizing Canva, ArcGIS, and/or other appropriate software.
Timeline
The Internship will be based on a ten-hour per week schedule (135 hours) coordinated with the archivist. Training in project software and database development activities will be provided. This internship is designed to operate over the course of the Spring 2026 semester under the supervision of a site supervisor within the UClub offices.
In collaboration with the Site Supervisor, the intern will be required to read and discuss directed readings from both the Society of American Archivists and the Oral History Association delineating procedures and protocols for archival and oral history endeavors. Sample of required readings: Gregory Hunter, Managing a Practical Archives; Michael Bezilla, Penn State: An Illustrated History; Jo Chesworth, State College: Centennial History; The Collegian Chronicles: 1887-2005.
Penn State’s Pasto Agricultural Museum and Armsby Respiration Calorimeter Building History Internships
*Interested students are urged to submit completed applications as soon as possible. Please contact Museum Director Ms. Rita Graef at rsg7@psu.edu with questions and/or additional details.*
Penn State’s Pasto Agricultural Museum and Armsby Respiration Calorimeter Historic Site and Museum, seek highly motivated, well qualified undergraduate students to take part in challenging internships involving several Museum projects.
Interns will be paid an hourly wage of fourteen dollars, funded by the College of Agricultural Sciences and will work approx. ten hours per week over the sixteen-week Spring 2026 term with excellent possibility of continued work into Fall 2026 semester. This is a Penn State University Park campus-based in-person position. Additional service to the Museum may include collections care and support, exhibit label writing, program support and public engagement.
Internship opportunities fall into two broad realms, in addition to general service to the Museum:
–1) HISTORICAL RESEARCH ON FARMSTEADS AND FAMILIES WHO OWNED AND MANAGED THE LAND THAT IS TODAY THE RUSSELL E. LARSON AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER and home to the Pasto Agricultural Museum and Ag Progress Days event to further develop an interactive StoryMap and exhibit installation at the Pasto Agricultural Museum.
This project offers undergraduate student interns an unique experience in digital storytelling, combining historical and geographic data to present a compelling narrative of land use and history of agricultural science history at Penn State. The project is constructed to offer a systematic approach and clear objectives to yield a published work object for each intern’s portfolio, while contributing to the digital exhibits offered by the Pasto Agricultural Museum.
This second phase will be exhibited to the public during Ag Progress Days, August 11-13, 2026.
Work may include: Research and Data Collection – Landowner Research. Mapping Historical Farms. Research Center History. Land Use Research. Structure and Content Development – Outline Creation. Layout, Text, and Media Collection. Drafting and Review. Finalization and Presentation – Final Edits and Enhancements.
–2) HISTORICAL RESEARCH RELATED TO THE ARMSBY RESPIRATORY CALORIMETER HISTORIC SITE AND MUSEUM to uncover resources and primary source documentation related to the scientific pursuits, the instrument and people who were involved in this cutting-edge research.
Work may include: Developing a timeline for the historic site that includes photos of the structure, publications and papers published related to research, individuals associated with work completed at the historic site. Organizing resources on a website dedicated to sharing primary source documents related to the site. Exploring the transition in leadership and research practice that occurred following H.P. Armsby, Ph.D.’s death in 1922. A position paper describing a change in focus has been found in papers associated with the site. Supporting the interpretation of the museum and historic site.
Work with the Director to contribute to the structure and development of public engagement at the site: provide some historical context, identify themes to address, organize presentation of materials, curate images and primary source documents to include. Developing an exhibit plan that makes the best use of the artifacts to teach about the history of scientific research enterprise at a Land Grant institution.
Penn State History Department Walking Tour Development Internship
Questions about this internship may be directed to Sasha Coles, Ph.D. (sfc5843@psu.edu).
We invite applications from motivated undergraduate students for a Spring 2026 internship to assist in the research and writing of a history-based walking tour of Penn State’s University Park campus. This walking tour explores key themes in the university’s past and present, including student life, athletics, activism and social movements, labor, land use, local and national politics, and university-community relations.
The selected intern will collaborate with a faculty member to select a semester-long research focus area and develop engaging tour scripts based on the intern’s area(s) of interest. This intern will gain hands-on experience in archival work, data management, literature synthesis, and content development for a public-facing educational project.
Primary Responsibilities
- Conduct primary and secondary source research in campus archives, online databases, and published materials
- Outline and report on research findings
- Complete one or more draft tour stops
- Assist in shaping the overall tour structure
Qualifications
- Familiarity with archival research
- Strong writing skills
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Interest in university history and/or public history
Internship work will take place during Spring 2026. Much of the work may be completed remotely, but the intern should be available for in-person research at Penn State Libraries and meetings with the faculty mentor. Intern must complete no less than 135 hours of service for the term to be eligible for the History Department stipend.
Lemont Village Association (LVA) “Oral History” internship
The Lemont Village Association is committed to preserving the history of the village of Lemont, where Mount Nittany is located and adjacent to State College, PA. Some of the original settlers of the Nittany Valley lived and worked in Lemont, such as the Dales and the Thompsons.
Pursuant to the goal of preserving / chronicling this local history, the Lemont Village Association seeks a qualified, highly motivated student intern to conduct, in a responsible and conscientious manner, “oral history” interviews with five to six individuals with long-standing ties to Lemont.
The student intern will be responsible for preparing for, carrying out, and transcribing these “oral interviews.” Instruction and supervision will be provided.
Key deliverable for this project: intern will write a 500-1000 word article of superior quality based on each oral history interview that will be published in the Association newsletter.
Webpage editing skills are helpful (but not required) to post interviews to the Association website. We can train people on how to edit the Association website.
Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) Museum history internship
The EMS Museum is looking for engaged scholars who are interested in learning more about museums and archives. We have several projects with a focus on history and historical objects. Internship opportunities will focus on ONE of FIVE predetermined projects or a newly proposed project (#6) listed below.
PROJECT #1
Continue work on the mining lamp inventory and identification project. Correlate existing paper records with the historic mining lamp collection as well as conduct research into the brands, styles, and evolution of the lamps. Scan existing documents and create new records while learning museum standards for data management and proper handling techniques for historic objects. (Collection management project)
Deliverables
Accession and catalog records for the mining lamps with data, photographs, scanned documents, and historical information consolidated into one record.
PROJECT #2
Create an exhibit for the museum gallery using our collections (Fine art, prints, photographs, historic equipment, minerals, rocks, and fossils) that tells the story of an underrepresented group (such as LGBTQ+, POC, or other marginalized groups). This internship will involve researching marginalized groups and their contributions to industry/ professions/collections/EMS. Other elements include writing label copy, exhibit design, exhibit prep, final install, and creation of a marketing piece. (Exhibit project)
Deliverables
A museum exhibit and a marketing piece featuring historic equipment from the collection that are used to tell the story of the selected group. This exhibit will be developed with input from the College of EMS’s Educational Equity office.
PROJECT #3
Choose and research four to six Pennsylvania artists who are represented in the Steidle Collection of American Industrial Art, creating an artist biography, and a history/timeline of those artist’s paintings in the collection. (Research project/ Collection project)
This project will involve contacting and working with other PA museums, such as the Westmoreland Museum of Art and the Carnegie Museum of Art for research purposes. (Total number of artists will be determined as we see how much information is available for each artist.)
Deliverables
Complete artist biographies and painting histories for upload into the museum’s Past Perfect database software.
PROJECT #4
Plaster Model project. This project involves researching, documenting, and creating Past perfect files for a dozen early 1900 plaster animal models created as exhibit props for museums. This project will include determining the origin of the models, how they came into the collection, and what the next steps are for conservation (recommendations only, you won’t be conserving them). Additional work will include 3D scanning the models and producing web-worthy models for the museum’s website. (Collection Management project)
Deliverables
Past Perfect files with relevant data, including manufacture date, maker, materials, original animal that the model was created from (such as Dippy in Pittsburg), as well as high quality 3D digital models for the website.
PROJECT #5
To be determined by student interest. Our collections include rocks, fossils, minerals, historic scientific equipment (such as microscopes, meters, safety equipment, surveying equipment), photographs, prints, and fine art. If you are interested in working with, curating, researching, creating an exhibit or outreach opportunity with our collections and have an internship idea you would like to discuss, please reach out. We are open to new and innovative ideas that will help YOU engage with our collections!
PROJECT #6
Book Collection. Inventory, assess the condition of, and re-house a 100+ book collection that was donated to the museum. This project involves assessing the condition of the book. Cleaning them, creating book boxes to properly support individual books in the collection. (Note, not all of them will need this level of care). You will work with the Paper Conservation Center and the museum’s curator to house and stabilize the historic volumes.
Deliverables
A detailed inventory of the donation as well as an assessment and treatments for the books in need of specialized cleaning and care (there are an estimated five to twelve books in need).
NOTE: The EMS collections facility is located three miles away from campus and is not on a bus route. Transportation is required.
“Hearts in the Highlands” Local History Internship
“Hearts in the Highland” (HITH) is an on-line publication, produced by the Highlands Civic Association, which posts articles related to the history, architecture, civic, social, and religious organizations, and people past and present who have made their home in the “Highlands” district of State College.
[The “Highlands” is a district of State College bordered by Beaver Avenue, University Drive, Easterly Parkway, and Atherton Street. Learn more about Highlands Civic Association and its publication “Hearts of the Highlands”.
The HITH intern will thoughtfully research and write on an engaging and substantive facet of local State College history of particular relevance to the Highlands district.
The internship involves a good deal of independent (but supervised) research on pertinent topics mutually agreed upon by the “Highlands” editor, Prof. Milligan, and the intern. The intern will write one or two articles which, in turn, would be prepared for, then likely published (if of requisite quality) in the “Hearts in the Highlands” publication.
Centre County Planning and Community Development Office Historic Preservation Internship
*Interested students are urged to submit completed applications early as the Planning Office can host only one intern for Fall 2025 term*
Location
Centre County Planning and Community Development Office (CCPCDO), Willowbank Office Building, 420 Holmes Street, Bellefonte, PA, 16823.
Program Overview
The main aim of the historic preservation internship program is to document resources that will serve as an inventory for state agency use and made available to local organizations for their own historic preservation efforts (e.g. establishing historic district boundaries and preservation regulations).
The internship began in 2017 and in consecutive academic terms has offered Penn State students majoring or minoring in history with hands-on experience using research tools, critical thinking skills, and introduced them to interrelated concepts.
For Spring term 2026 the CCPCDO offers flexibility that the best suited candidate may choose which program option best fits their career goals and personal interests, while satisfying historic documentation guidelines outlined by the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office.
Program 1: Historic Preservation and Flood Mitigation
The intern will be responsible for updating previously collected data for historic properties in the flood-prone community of Unionville, Centre County. Relevant information collected will be inserted into a template that integrates historic property information, maps, photographs, and an assessment of the flood inundation risk associated. The completed inventory sheets will be provided to the community’s governing body along with property owners to encourage greater appreciation for historic resources and gain a better understanding of potential flood impact. Also, recommended flood mitigation techniques to preserve structural integrity and protect property and life will also be included.
The preservation/mitigation program will entail a rotation in the office, in the community, and remote learning. Learning objectives include proficiency with property deed research, satisfactory understanding of general architectural features/terms, and flood risk assessment evaluations that translate into potential mitigation techniques for homeowners.
Program 2: Underrepresented History—Jewish Communities
The intern will be responsible for working with a variety of records to integrate persons in the County’s Jewish History with place of residence, occupation, community contributions, and other relevant information discovered during research. Interns will start with cemetery records from the Sons of Israel Congregation Hebrew Cemetery in Philipsburg, PA, and cross-reference those names with property deeds, genealogy websites, planning office books, and articles from the Centre County Museum and Historical Library.
This project will entail compiling a narrative summary that captures the individual’s information, home and home photos, family tree relationships, and other items of interest uncovered.
The underrepresented history program will entail a rotation in the office, in the community, and remote learning. Learning objectives include proficiency with property deed research, satisfactory understanding of cross-referencing historic resources, and compiling genealogical and community connections between individuals by birth and by property transfer. This project will likely have additional parts for a future intern opportunity to build a broader story in understanding Jewish migration and settlement patterns within Centre County.
“Centre County Encyclopedia of History and Culture” Project through the Centre County Historical Society
The Centre County Historical Society—working closely with faculty / specialists at Penn State —is carrying out a multi-year project to produce an online Centre County historical encyclopedia, titled, “Centre County Encyclopedia of History and Culture”.
The encyclopedia covers a wide range of topics and “entries” are in 3 forms (short—250 to 500 words; medium—500 to 1,000 words; long—1,000 to 2,000 words).
Interns will research and write articles for the “Encyclopedia” and conduct other research tasks as needed. They should be skilled in historical research and writing and have a strong interest in “telling” local history. The research will emphasize using primary and archival sources as much as possible.
Piper Aviation Museum Archive Internship
Piper Aviation Museum is located in Lock Haven, PA (30 miles from State College) and houses a substantial collection of planes and artifacts documenting / preserving the history of Piper Aircraft Corporation (light plane manufacturing took place in Lock Haven from 1939-1984). https://www.pipermuseum.com/.
The intern would work closely with the museum manager and collection staff on several ongoing projects (primarily involving the re-organization of the archive and rehabilitation of exhibits). Other responsibilities include day-to-day operations of the museum (group tours, marketing, social media, etc).
For those students interested in finding out more about / applying for the Piper Aviation Museum internship please contact Gregory Peek, Ph.D. of the Penn State History Department ( gap156@psu.edu ).
Pine Grove Mills Village Association “Living Memory” History Internship
Founded in 1801, Pine Grove Mills is a small village nestled between Rothrock State Forest and the Nittany Valley. Once a hub of early industry and agriculture, the village’s past is still visible in its buildings, land use, and long-standing community ties.
The Pine Grove Mills Village Association (PGMVA) is seeking a curious, self-motivated student to contribute to the PGM Living Memory project. This is a flexible opportunity that can be shaped according to the student’s interests, skill sets, or academic goals.
Intern Roles and Responsibilities
The intern may choose to focus on one or more of the following activities:
- Conducting oral history interviews with long-time residents
- Documenting historic homes, buildings, or land use patterns
- Researching archival materials, such as deeds, photographs, and maps
- Collecting and digitizing historical materials for long-term preservation
End Product
Because this internship can be shaped according to the student’s interests and background, the final product will be determined collaboratively at the start of the project. Together, we’ll outline a set of goals and milestones that align with both the intern’s academic or professional goals and the broader aims of the “Living Memory” project.
Possible outcomes could include
- 1000 word article for the Pine Grove Mills Village Association newsletter
- Curated gallery show or public presentation
- Published collection of interviews or media clips shared on the Association website or YouTube channel for free and open access
We welcome creative approaches and will work with the intern to ensure the final product is both meaningful and publicly accessible.
Preferred Skills
We are seeking a candidate with attention to detail, strong organizational abilities, and the capacity to work independently. Preferred (but not required) qualifications include experience conducting interviews or working with oral history methods, familiarity with transcription practices and/or digital archiving, and skills in video or audio recording and editing.