Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Mike Schaeffer has extensive experience in public programs, animal care, and technology support. Currently serving as a Volunteer Public Programs & Animal Care Interpreter at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum since September 2013, Mike also collaborates with the University of Illinois Extension as a Volunteer Inquiry Adventures Coach and leads the Birds in My Neighborhood program with Openlands. As the sole proprietor of Mike Schaeffer Services since 2007, specialized in home and small business computer and network support, Mike previously held roles at IBM Business Transformation Outsourcing and PricewaterhouseCoopers, where network projects were managed. With an educational background that includes an MA in Zoology from Miami University and a BS in Mathematical Sciences from Stanford University, Mike also earned the Illinois Master Naturalist Certification from the University of Illinois Extension.
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.