Catherine M. Early, PhD
Barbara Brown Chair of Ornithology, Science Museum of Minnesota
Education & Outreach
These are a few of the opportunities I've had to share my passion for science and paleontology and to inspire future generations. I am always interested in more opportunities to give back in this way, so please contact me if I can help you or your students learn more about paleontology, anatomy, evolution, or a career in science.
Past Time: A Podcast of Paleontology
I have joined the creators of Past Time, Drs. Matthew Borths and Adam Pritchard, as a co-host of this wonderful paleontology podcast! Our goal is to make paleontology accessible to everyone, so we try to explain difficult concepts in a way that is understandable to non-specialists of all ages but still enjoyable to more advanced listeners. Join us as we explore exciting discoveries in the different fields of paleontology! You can subscribe on iTunes or anywhere else you get your podcasts.
Dinosaurs, Dodos, and Ducks: A Birds-Eye View of Brain Evolution
I was invited to lead a discussion on my dissertation research as a Science Cafe presenter in the Ohio University Cafe Series. This series of public talks was started in 2009 by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Creative Activity in collaboration with Sigma Xi, and I am the first graduate student to be invited to participate. If you want to learn more about the evolution of dinosaurs, birds, and their brains, watch the video of my talk!
photo by WitmerLab
BioBonanza
In 2015, some of my fellow graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences reached out to public libraries in the community to start this outreach series. Presenters are mostly graduate students and postdocs, and we work together to develop stations with activities and resources that reinforce concepts that form the basis of our research projects. Topics range from microbes to mammals, depending on who is available to present, and we travel to libraries throughout southeast Ohio to reach our audiences.
photo by Federico "Dino" Degrange
Science Camp at Camp Oty'Okwa
For the past three summers, I have taught a paleontology class to Science Camp participants at Camp Oty'Okwa. Each year, I collaborate with colleagues to develop hands-on activities to teach the campers important concepts in paleontology and evolutionary biology. Camp Oty'Okwa is run by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio and serves mostly students from underserved populations in the local community.
WitmerLab Outreach Activities
One of the benefits of being a student in the WitmerLab is the ability to participate in its active outreach program. Along with participating in informal lab tours, I have helped Dr. Witmer present at Ohio University's Science Cafe program and have taught profoundly gifted youth about paleontology and the anatomy of extinct animals during Young Scholars OHIO workshops in the lab in 2013 and 2015.
photo by WitmerLab
Teen Science Cafe
During the year prior to starting grad school, I worked at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences as Coordinator of their new Teen Science Cafe program. Teen Science Cafes involve an informal presentation and discussion by a researcher aimed at a teenaged audience, with an accompanying hands-on activity. In the absence of adults in the audience, these programs encourage teens to interact with researchers. The NCMNS is part of the national network of Teen Science Cafes funded by the National Science Foundation.
photo by Alan Neifeld
The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD
In the summer of 2012, I held one of the nine paid intern positions at the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota. As an intern, I led the site's educational classes such as Junior Paleontology, Advanced Paleontology, and Atlatl Hunting. I also led tours of the site and engaged visitors in interpretation of the site's resources. I learned paleontological techniques such as in situ excavation of fossils, specimen condition documentation, fossil preparation, and screenwashing, and I interacted with the public while performing those duties.
Junior Curators
My experience with science outreach began in high school as a member of the Junior Curator program from 2004 to 2008. As a volunteer in this program at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, I performed animal care tasks every week in the Living Collections and attended lectures and trips that deepened my understanding of the natural world. I also participated in public outreach, both at NCMNS events and at external events, using NCMNS resources and Living Collections animals.
photo by Katie Floyd