Museum Collections of the living Great and Lesser Apes [Research Assistantship]

Department: Professor of Human Origins
Professor Bernard Wood
Project Description: There is no comprehensive inventory of museum collections of great (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans) and lesser (gibbons and siamangs) apes. The student would work on-line and with me at the Library of Congress chasing up publications that relate to the major ape skeletal collections in natural history museums around the world. We are especially interested in the history of each collection. Where did the animals come from? Who collected them and why? The goal is to present this research as a Chapter in a book called “Primates in History” to be published by Taylor and Francis. A previous Honors RA was an author of this 2013 publication that focuses on one collection of great apes at the Powell-Cotton Museum in the UK. ‘Great Ape Skeletal Collections: Making the Most of Scarce and Irreplaceable Resources in the Digital Age.’ Gordon, Adam D., Marcus, Emily and Wood, Bernard. Am. J. phys. Anthropol., 57: 2-32. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22391
Duties: The student would work on-line and with me at the Library of Congress chasing up publications that relate to the major ape skeletal collections in natural history museums around the world. The student would also be involved in collating this information and writing the chapter.
Time Commitment/Credits: 4-6 hours per week; 2 credits
To Apply: Send your cover letter and resume to bwood@gwu.edu