We Invite You to Dig Deeper With Human Bridges
From The Observatory
We're looking for volunteer contributing editors, researchers, and content managers for the Human Bridges Project.
“We Invite You to Dig Deeper With Human Bridges” by is licensed by the Observatory under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
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Who We Are
The Observatory is a world-class wiki-encyclopedia reference and life guide offered free to the public. Audiences rely on our definitive expertise, research, and analysis of critical issues of our time, provided by a network of partner experts and organizations. We depend on the passion and dedication of volunteers to help us achieve this public education mission.
Human Bridges is a facet of the Observatory that aims to increase the circulation of recent scientific findings in human origins, evolutionary biology, archaeology, the social sciences, and related disciplines.
For an introduction to this project, read Human Bridges editor Jan Ritch-Frel’s conversations with Gary Feinman on the promise of archaeology to provide historical context for humanity and how we live today, Michael Hudson on how the central social institutions we live by are borne out of the archaic past, and Robert Sapolsky on the social advantages of studying the biology of human behavior.
Our Goal
Recent scientific findings and research in the study of human origins and our biology, and primate research have reached a key threshold: we are increasingly able to trace the outlines and fill in the blanks of our evolutionary story that began at least 7 million years ago to the present, and understand the social and cultural processes that produced the world we live in now. Our goal is to offer an accessible synthesis of recent findings, and advance this material as a staple of education at all stages of life.
What We're Looking For
The Human Bridges team seeks dedicated volunteer Contributing Editors, Researchers, and Content Managers to join our team and play a crucial role in identifying, shaping, and producing original content. We have two main initiatives under construction: The New Grand Tour and Collaborative Research.
The New Grand Tour (NGT) is a map and information portal for audiences worldwide to learn more about and find ways to travel to sites of archaeological and ecological significance in a given country. The NGT aims to expand the global public consciousness of new research and discoveries in human origins. You can read a general overview of the NGT or watch Peter Coyote's narrated documentary on the Observatory. Costa Rica is our current prototype for the global expansion of the project.
Collaborative Research is an initiative to bring willing research participants together to produce long-form written content on topics specific to Human Bridges that will appear on the Observatory.
Available Roles and Key Responsibilities
As a contributor to Human Bridges, you will work with the Human Bridges team and the Observatory editorial team to ensure the quality, accuracy, and impact of our growing library of content. Below is a list of available positions.
Researcher
- Conduct research to support content development and fact-checking, ensuring the accuracy and credibility of our reporting
- Collaborate with other team members to create engaging content
Writer
- Collaborate with other team members, including writers, photographers, and designers, to create engaging multimedia content
Editor
- Collaborate with the editorial team to oversee the creating and publishing of high-quality content, ensuring it aligns with the organization’s mission and standards
- Edit articles in Google Documents for clarity, accuracy, grammar, and style
- Help maintain and improve editorial standards, guidelines, and policies
- Curate guides (i.e., collections of articles centered around a single topic)
Content Manager
- Coordinate with writers, journalists, publishers, and contributors, providing guidance and feedback on their work and managing their assignments
- Help develop editorial calendars, brainstorm story ideas, and identify emerging trends and topics of interest
- Organize and edit mailing lists
Recommended Skills
- A passion for archaeology and a commitment to the Human Bridges mission
- Strong editing and proofreading skills, with attention to detail
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work collaboratively in a remote team environment (meetings are held via Google Meet)
- Familiarity with Google Suite programs
- Familiarity with AP or Chicago Manual of Style, or other editorial guidelines
- Previous editorial or journalism experience (including as a volunteer Wikipedia editor)
- Ability to work remotely
If you are passionate about archaeology or anthropology, dedicated to accuracy and impact, and eager to make a difference in the world of media, we encourage you to apply for a contributing position with Human Bridges at the Observatory. Join our team and make a difference by informing readers about human origins and prehistory.
How to Apply
To apply, please send a brief cover letter and resume to info@observatory.wiki. Indicate that you are interested in being a volunteer contributor to Human Bridges and specify which position you are most interested in. We look forward to welcoming you to our growing team.
