Meredith Jones ’24 – Education Intern
Anthropology, Studio Art
Bangor, Maine
I have had so much fun transferring the idea for this exhibit into a reality. For a long time I have been curious about how love for the natural world can be cultivated. Growing up, I always felt most at home in nature. I grew up in central Maine and spent summers on a pond in the Northern woods. Most of my favorite childhood memories are from playing in or exploring my natural world. My family also gardened in the summers, so I had a vague awareness that my food and livelihood came from the natural world.
During my time at Smith I have taken several courses, such as The Sociology of Climate Change with Professor Vanessa Adel, which have allowed me to investigate issues related to the broken relationship between many modern humans and the environment while simultaneously thinking about how I can contribute to climate change discourse and environmental justice work. I see the climate crisis as a crisis of relationships between people and with the natural world. Reading authors such as Robin Wall Kimmerer has deepened my understanding of how the climate crisis is caused by exploitation of both people and the natural environment and how stories can be a solution to beginning to heal these broken relationships.
For me, the Exploratorium is a small contribution to increasing a felt sense of belonging and interconnection with the natural world at a young age through centering storytelling, exploration, relationships, and fun!
Allie Wornell ’25 – Botanic Garden Student Educator
Plant and Landscape Ecology (Student-Designed)
Wellesley, MA
I have enjoyed working on developing new activities for the Exploratorium! Creating public educational materials about plants is very important, especially since we are living through climate change’s impacts. Increasing botanical knowledge can help people realize how plants impact the earth and how each person can get involved. I hope the Exploratorium will entice people to learn more about plants and ecosystems and invest in their and their children’s botanical education. Plants have always piqued my interest, and I hope the Exploratorium will allow kids to have fun while exploring and learning about plants.
Malika Gottfied ’25 – Botanic Garden Student Educator
Environmental Science and Policy
Concentration in Community Engagement and Social Change
Corvallis, OR
Hi! My name is Malika Gottfried (she/her), and I have loved working on this exhibit! I’ve been in charge of creating the interactive material for the Story Strolls, and it’s been so lovely to dream up what engagement could look like for younger kids in particular. The two books that we’ve chosen, Tomatoes for Neela and The Last Tree/El Último Árbol are both visually beautiful books that represent the wonder of the natural world, and so much more. As a person of color, I wish that there had been more books like Tomatoes for Neela while I was growing up that depicted people who looked like me, but I am so glad that they exist now and that we can provide this immersive experience!
Sophie Holmes ’25 – Botanic Garden Student Educator
Environmental Science and Policy, History
Barrington Hills, IL
Hi! My name is Sophia and I helped create the Exploratorium’s story stroll. When I was small, gardens and storybooks were two of my favorite things. My hope is that by laying out stories within the Botanic Garden little ones are able to engage with both the outdoors and the stories we’ve selected. I loved working with the BoGSEs to create this exhibit and hope that you and your little ones have as much fun with the story stroll as we did!
Paige Woodard ’25 – Botanic Garden Student Educator
Biological Science
Claremont, CA
Hi everyone! My name is Paige Woodard (she/her), and I am a rising sophomore studying biology and anthropology. I’m originally from Southern California, where I grew up exploring the wonderful nature all around me. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to walk around botanic gardens! Since I’ve started to grow up, I haven’t been paying as much attention to the natural world around me. This Exploratorium project has helped me to rediscover my appreciation for nature, and has encouraged me to see how it plays a role in my everyday life. I hope that the Exploratorium encourages you to touch, smell, see, and engage with the world in ways you haven’t before!
Dakota Law ’24 – Botanic Garden Student Educator
Engineering, Landscape Studies
New York, NY
Hello! My name is Dakota (she/her) and I’m a rising senior engineering student. Growing up in New York City, my main access to nature was the few street trees planted in my neighborhood that my mom would name as we passed them. Never paying much attention to them when I was younger, I now regret my casual disregard of these beings and lack of appreciation for the services they provide. For me, the Exploratorium represents the bridging of knowledge I currently hold and the things I wish my younger self had learned or paid more attention to. By engaging younger kids with the system services of plants through children’s books and the various activities associated with them, I hope they will start to see the natural world and how integral it is to our daily lives, learning to recognize and cherish it.