Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Gabrielle S. Powell, MA, serves as an instructor at Triton College and a teaching assistant at the University of Illinois Chicago. With extensive experience leading environmental service projects as a leader trainee at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Gabrielle develops initiatives focused on water, energy, green space, and waste. As an independent researcher and anthropologist, Gabrielle investigates local food systems and creates culturally relevant mechanisms for documenting household economies. Additionally, Gabrielle has over a decade of experience as an artist and design consultant, partnering with community organizations to enhance educational programs and promote local food markets. Previous roles include field supervisor at MAPSCorps and college advisor at Columbia College Chicago. Gabrielle holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in anthropology.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
The Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum serves as an urban gateway to the world of nature and science. The mission of the Academy and its Museum is to create a positive relationship between people and nature through collaborations, education, research and collections, exhibits, and public forums that foster urban connections to our region’s nature and science. Our vision is to be the leading voice on urban ecology and sustainability as it relates to the Midwest/Great Lakes region. Established in 1857, the Chicago Academy of Sciences has been educating the public about nature and science for over 159 years, making us Chicago’s oldest Museum. In 1999, the Academy established the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to serve as its new permanent home, amidst the abundant urban wildlife of Lincoln Park and the shore of Lake Michigan. Since its opening, the Nature Museum has had more than two million visitors, including over 308,000 in 2015, allowing us to maintain our place as the 6th largest museum in Chicago. The Chicago Academy of Sciences has a rich history of leading science education through outreach, exhibits, and conservation initiatives, and the Nature Museum proudly continues that tradition of leadership. Each year, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum provides over 76,000 educational contact hours through K-12 science education programs reaching students, primarily from underserved schools and communities. Through our outreach programs and on-site workshops, the Museum also provides teacher professional development to more than 1,700 teachers annually, as well as teacher training, curriculum, and material support to the schools and communities with the greatest need.