Public Engagement & Knowledge Transfer

I strongly believe that as scientists it is our job not only to research, but to effectively communicate that research to the public. To that end, I actively engage in science communication / education on social media, and also engage with the public through museum outreach programs. I have also worked, and continue to work, with a number of different organizations dedicated to science education, and have also assisted in programs designed specifically for younger audiences and underrepresented communities. Details of these organizations and programs, as well as my role with them, are discussed below.

Professional Consulting

I have provided professional consulting services to Emily Graslie and the team at Window to the World Productions, assisting in the planning and development of the PBS documentary series Prehistoric Road Trip, which aired during the summer of 2020. I provided input into the choice of topics and researchers to be covered, as well as reviewed content for the program, including scripts, animations, and interviews for technical accuracy.

As a component of my work with the Field Museum of Natural History and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, I have also consulted on a number of technical art pieces, including Blue Rhino Studio's life-sized Tyrannosaurus rex reconstruction and Beth Zaiken's Hell Creek Formation mural (both in the FMNH Traveling SUE Exhibition, and the latter also in the permanent SUE exhibit at the Field Museum). I also consulted on art that Liam Elward produced for the Evolving Planet permanent exhibit at Field Museum (Citipati, Anchiornis, Archaeopteryx, Deinonychus, and Tianyuraptor) and for the Cretaceous Creatures program at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences (18 illustrated species and 1 environmental reconstruction).

Museum Outreach

Throughout my career I have been lucky enough to work in multiple natural history museums (Canadian Museum of Nature, Royal Ontario Museum, Field Museum of Natural History, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, AU Museum of Natural History). Museums, and specifically their collections and specimen-based research programs, represent an outstanding venue in which to engage with the public and provide an effective medium for teaching about science and the natural world.

The majority of my museum outreach experience consists of regular and seasonal event outreach running display stations/tables in-gallery, or through public lectures to various audiences. Also included are consultations to develop a museum teaching/outreach-based video game called Mission to the Mesozoic (https://www.fieldmuseum.org/educators/resources/mission-mesozoic)

In addition, since 2020 I've been involved in the design and implementation of a major public science education program called Cretaceous Creatures (https://cretaceouscreatures.org), run through the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. This was initially ~50% of my duties as a postdoc at the NCMNS, and since then I continue to be involved in an advisory, outreach, and research capacity. Cretaceous Creatures is aimed at middle-school classrooms, making use of fossils and sediment collected from vertebrate microfossil bonebeds and produced as a component of the NCMNS' 'Dueling Dinosaurs' exhibition and research programs. Participants complete lesson plans based on earth sciences, climate change, and evolution, while using our produced ID keys and website tools to identify and tabulate fossils which are later integrated into datasets for palaeoecological analysis. 

Science Travels

I have previously worked with Science Travels, an organization based out of the University of Ottawa that sends graduate students to provide elementary and high school students in remote or First Nations communities additional science education opportunities. I participated in four-person team sent to northern Ontario (within and between Dryden and Kenora), which visited multiple schools and First Nations communities and performed a series of science workshops/seminars. More information about Science Travels can be found here.

Geoheritage Day

'Explore Geoheritage Day' is an event organized by the Ottawa-Gatineau Geoheritage Project and the Carleton University Dept. of Earth Sciences, which takes place every October during National Science and Technology Week. The goals of the event are to increase awareness and education about the geological history of the National Capital Region. During the event, volunteers are sent to a variety of geoheritage landmarks in Ottawa and Gatineau, and make themselves available to interact with and educate the public about the natural history of those locations. Maps and descriptions of each site are also available during and before the event, allowing interested members of the public to seek out and learn about multiple sites. During my undergraduate and M.Sc., I worked with the organizers of Explore Geoheritage Day and interacted with the public at a number of different geoheritage sites. More information about this excellent event can be found here and here.