Interested in public history, education, community based archaeology, economic development, museums, or the social and ecological impacts of mining? Are you an American citizen, at least 18 years of age, and expecting to graduate with your bachelor’s degree on (or before) April 4th 2016 (or with degree in hand)?

This paid, year-long job in national service with OSMRE/VISTA puts you to work with industrial heritage and communities. Anyone may apply for this position, but please note that it might also be combined with Michigan Tech’s OSMRE/VISTA MS degree option (particularly in program Industrial Archaeology or Environmental and Energy Policy degrees). The position includes health insurance and other national service benefits detailed on the website.

From OSMRE/VISTA website:

OSMRE/VISTA Eckley Miners' Village

Eckley Miners’ Village is a historic site dedicated to the preservation of over one hundred historic company-owned dwellings, out buildings and newer museum structures from the 1850s – 1970s, and the interpretation of the lives of coal mining families in Pennsylvania’s anthracite region. This project will increase our capacity to engage and educate local residents, the visiting public, and school groups on the significance of the anthracite coal industry and how anthracite mining shaped and affected lives, communities, the region’s culture and landscape, and American industrial history. Our two key goals will be to develop and enhance programs and educational materials that foster 1) an understanding of the historic lifeways in Pennsylvania coal patch towns from the mid 19th through the mid 20th century including the immigrant experience, poverty and subsistence, social structures and activities in a paternalistic corporate environment, and the roles of women and children in a mining town, and 2) the historic and environmental effects of underground and surface mining that contributed to the landscape we see today. A tertiary goal of this project will be to increase visitation and revenue enough to boost the site staff drawn from the local community to levels it was prior to the recent economic downturn. The VISTA will assist with organizing activities and securing both in kind and financial resources so Eckley Miners’ Village can survive, thrive, and continue to provide invaluable educational programs and living history experiences to a wide and diverse audience. The continued growth of programming will foster the long-term preservation of this actual mining village in the anthracite region as a classroom for future generations. The support provided by this VISTA is critical to continue the outreach and educational programs provided at Eckley Miners Village.

Member Duties : The VISTA member will be primarily responsible for participating in building organizational capacity and increasing community awareness through education and outreach development, engaging in economic revitalization efforts, and securing future funding to sustain Eckley Miners Village through difficult economic times. Projects will include working with regional partners to bring our education mission to underserved communities, expanding our education mission by participating in community events and outreach programs, developing new educational/ interpretive materials focused on landscape and environmental change, and working with our non-profit board and volunteers to identify and apply for grants and other sources of outside income. The VISTA member will be primarily serving on location at Eckley Miners Village with a work station located within the main museum building. Most activities occur within 20 miles of the site, with occasional activities further away.
 
Program Benefits : Choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend , 	Relocation Allowance , 	Stipend , 	Training , 	Childcare assistance if eligible , 	Education award upon successful completion of service , 	Living Allowance , 	Health Coverage* 

https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=64994 <https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=64994>

For information about Michigan Technological University’s OSMRE/VISTA, OSMRE/AmeriCorps, DOI/VISTA, and Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Programs, including tuition status information and degree programs, please visit:
http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/programs/degrees/osm-vista/ <http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/programs/degrees/osm-vista/>

And details about National Service degree programs in the Department of Social Sciences:
http://www.mtu.edu/social-sciences/graduate/osm-vista/ <http://www.mtu.edu/social-sciences/graduate/osm-vista/>
including both Industrial Archaeology and Environmental and Energy Policy