The past summer buzzed with activity as I set out on the weekends to complete a 9-week interdisciplinary internship with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and the Chicago Academy of Sciences. There I would be working to develop an accessible museum program for guests and an evaluation of programming. The latter project needed to cease due to time constraints, however, the former aligned with the Institute's mission to foster positive relationships between people and nature by creating a multi-disciplinary project by way of the Museum's botanical archival collection and their public programming. This project needed to serve the public with an accessible learning experience which would ignite their sense of wonder for the natural world in Chicago.
I started the internship by finding respite in the quiet halls of Archival Collections where I would hone the skills to care for and identify preserved Chicago native plants as I digitally cataloged them. Here I learned the artistry of plant preservation. While carefully dusting debris from pressed plants dating back as early as 1875 I found myself taking reverence in collections processes. While digitizing field note data into the online database it would further the Institute's effort in cataloging its entire existing physical collection. Digitizing each piece would also allow other scientists to access the valuable information. This noble endeavor strengthens the broader scientific community by contributing to equitable scientific progress as a whole. As I logged data from the immaculate penmanship of naturalists' field notes it harkened back to a much wilder Chicago and I reflected on my ability to build the framework for a program to equitably display these remarkable plants.
As summer moved forward, I was given more archival tasks to learn. Archiving plants was an intimidating feat, even as a self proclaimed plant lover with years of applied knowledge, I was puzzled while handling specimens that were new to me. Although I can grow plants, beginning to classify them with peer-reviewed literature and online databases was a new challenge entirely. Through frequent check-ins with the assistant to collections, which consisted of many knocks on her office door frame, I gradually started gaining an understanding of how each part of the archival process fit together with the broader effort in mind. As time progressed, I discovered a rhythm for each activity. I was soon able to build a plant list, find the specimens and begin researching themes for the program that would be used for the other half of my project.
My second and equally challenging task at hand throughout my weekends was to develop skills by way of the Public Interpretative Program (PIP) through Guest Engagement, being formally trained as a volunteer to present educational material to museum goers. My primary objective for this aspect of the internship was to gain exposure to the basis of public interpretation at the Museum and build on that understanding. I was familiar and was drawn to public interpretation's social aspects, but I had little hands-on experience in this area. Developing a memorable and purposeful program was my primary objective as I shadowed other volunteers and staff and interacted firsthand with guests.
I noticed memorable programs could be tactile where museum guests could interact with materials in real time. I found this element crucial as I began to build the program framework. As little children would participate, they would play and simultaneously have first-hand experiences thinking about the natural world. Whether it be mimicking animal sounds with rubber bands or building models on a small turf diorama the gratifying excitement of guests learning something for the first time was incredibly palpable in the museum halls. This would strengthen my sensitivity to understanding what elements could serve as my theme by being the most attractive learning tool.
Gradually, I began to curate a small group of specimens from the teaching collection that were in need of an overarching theme that tied them all together. With so many potential directions to take, the program began to take the form of focusing on native plants. Native plants, or plants which originate from a particular area, was an important topic because plants help maintain the natural biodiversity and strengthen the landscape's resilience to disturbances as a whole. The one thing I wanted individuals, regardless of age or background, to take away was the significance of preserving these native species to Chicago.
After much deliberation I decided one of the more compelling ways to talk about this story was with flowers. I chose all flowering plant specimens with blooms for my project based on their distinct characteristics while also having particular functions for the food web and Chicago landscapes. As I finally began to grasp the essence of my programming and what the Museum experiences should provide for guests my time was coming to end.
The primary challenge with this internship was time constraints. In hindsight, I would have augmented the timeline and goals. Over 18 days of work in nine weeks, I was unable to implement the museum program in the allotted time. A setback I found in the first portion of my internship was that my point of contact left the Museum which put progress in flux. Despite this, I was able to remain in touch with the very generous Head of Programs and develop the project further. The project remains ongoing with the Museum while I further draft the project. Another challenge I experienced was that there were many times I became consumed with my PIP responsibilities while interacting with people to better focus on learning interpretation, a skillset I felt I needed to develop further. During this time I found remaining adaptable in the face of change was how I would continue to progress.
The botanic program is in the drafting stages and ongoing and is scheduled to be completed later this year, and I remain in touch with the Head of Programs to gain valuable feedback on my developed material. Once the Museum accepts my program, I am set to present it and then share with the PIP volunteers to add to the collection of available museum programs.
Although my project remains ongoing, I can report that my PIP experience made valuable contributions to educating the public regardless of background. It's supported that Guest Experience programming within the Museum provides unique informal education experiences that are such because they directly put guests in safe interactive spaces to foster their own learning equitably. No guest engagement interaction is the same and having a strong informed team of PIP volunteers is crucial to sparking excitement around nature in all forms. The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum continuously demonstrates its commitments to presenting information equitably to people with its physical presence and its relationships with schools and other groups of which I hope to extend my program to. This experience remains deeply gratifying and memorable because of my contribution to the Museum's commitment to inclusive education and fostering advocacy for the natural world.