Outreach in Person and Online

Museums are a great place to connect in person with the public for outreach, and I began volunteering with museums before starting graduate school. When moving to remote work in 2020, I decided to create a YouTube channel to virtually share the amazing 3D scans of specimens available online. Although I still value in person connections, I find both avenues important for making science accessible for the public audience.

Table set up with poster on lumbar vertebrae, 3D prints of lumbar vertebrae, book, stuffed Smilodon, and transparent images of CT Slices.

Science Communication Fellows

Through the Science Communication Fellows program at University of Michigan, I developed a hands-on table activity intended for public audiences. This activity includes 3D prints of fossil vertebrae, and a physical model of CT scan slices to show how 3D data is created. I have brought this activity to events at the Natural History Museum and the local Ann Arbor library.

 

YouTube Channel

3D data is widely available online, but the tools to use these data can be expensive and difficult to learn. I created The Virtual Paleontologist to make short, accessible tutorials on open-source software for 3D data, lowering the barrier to entry for this amazing resource. I have also given virtual and in person workshops on 3D data built upon these tutorials.

  • Exhibit booth entitled "Mammals' puzzling backbone"

    U of M Natural History Museum Exhibit

    I worked with the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History to create a mini-exhibit on my research on lumbar vertebrae in Paleogene mammals. Through this process, I worked with a team to create several short videos, as well as plan objects to exhibit related to the research.

  • Sculpture of a large dinosaur crashing out of a building with two babies nearby

    Children's Museum of Indianapolis

    I spent several years volunteering at the fossil preparation lab at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. There, I talked with visitors ranging from preschoolers to adults. I answered questions on everything paleontology related, demonstrated fossil preparation, and learned about many kids’ favorite dinosaurs.

  • Anne outside with a cast of a Diabloceratops skull

    Science Fest

    Science Fest is an annual event at Indiana University bringing science at the university to the local community. I volunteered for Science Fest for four years. For two of those years, I ran the paleontology station, putting together a fossil digging activity for younger children and selecting a variety of fossils and casts that were of interest to all ages.