Meet Jen Collins

jencollins_300Jen Collins is an Education Specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Her STEM education and outreach work (mainly in the biological/zoological sciences) is for public audiences. Jen has been a long standing member of COPUS and we’re grateful for her contributions to large collaborations (like the UCMP’s Understanding Science and Understanding Evolution websites).

She’s currently focusing on 1) training volunteers of the Sant Ocean Hall how to effectively communicate about how science works and climate change in the context of exhibits and interactive activities; 2) connecting researchers to education and outreach efforts; 3) exploring ways to use objects to engage visitors in conversation.

Some things she’d like to talk to other COPUS members about: 

  • Evaluation
  • Visitor engagement strategies
  • Working with volunteers
  • Science education researh

Jen’s located in Virginia and is interested in connecting with folks all over the map.

One of Jen’s memorable STEM moments:

“Watching engineers, scientists, lab techs, and welders gathered around a drill pipe onboard the JOIDES Resolution trying to solve a problem with the deployment of a tool into the seafloor. They talked, pointed, talked, tweaked, then finally brought out the duct tape!”

Connect with Jen: