The below experts can discuss and provide information on a variety of topics, from the Museum's exhibits and programs, to current research and projects, to trending issues and timely questions. To set up an interview, contact Madeline Anderson: andersonm@mpm.edu or 414-278-2784.
Bob Bonadurer, MA
Daniel M. Soref Dome Theater & Planetarium Director
Bonadurer produces engaging astronomy programs and events for Planetarium visitors of all ages. He can provide astronomy explanations on sky events or deep space and their connections back to planet Earth, including:
- Aurora borealis (Northern Lights) activity
- Planet movement and alignments
- Total Solar Eclipse: April 8, 2024
- NASA Astronauts to orbit the Moon for the first time since 1972: September 2025
- April 10: Opening of New Planetarium Show—Cosmic Questions? Answers & Mysteries
At MPM: Bonadurer can discuss films and special shows playing at the Museum's Theater and Planetarium.
Nicolas J. Dowdy, PhD
Head of Zoology & Director of Collections Informatics
Dr. Dowdy oversees the Zoology department, which includes the management of 2.5 million animal specimens. He can discuss general biology topics/questions about insects as well as bats, how animals use sound to communicate (bioacoustics), and anti-predator defenses in a group of moths called tiger moths.
At MPM: Dowdy can discuss certain topics in the Rainforest, Bugs Alive!, Exploring Life on Earth, Puelicher Butterfly Wing, and Sense of Wonder exhibits.
As the Director of Collections Informatics, he is also responsible for helping to improve public access to MPM's digital specimen data.
His research focuses on the biology, evolution, and taxonomy of a group of moths called tiger moths (~12,000 species worldwide, including in Wisconsin).
He can discuss:
- General biology topics/questions—behavior, ecology, DNA, and evolution—about Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and other insects as well as bats (predominantly in North America, Europe, and South America)
- Bioacoustics (how animals use sound to communicate)
- Anti-predator defenses such as warning signals (“aposematism”), mimicry, escape behaviors, especially those of tiger moths, including their ability to use ultrasound to jam (or disrupt) bat sonar to avoid predation
Patricia Coorough Burke, MS
Robert & Sally Manegold Curator of Geological Collections
Coorough Burke oversees the Geology department, which includes the management of 900,000 specimens of rocks, minerals, fossils, and meteorites. She can discuss fossils found in Wisconsin and why dinosaur fossils are not found in Wisconsin, general geology and fossil topics, how life evolves and has evolved, general processes of Earth (plate tectonics, water cycle, ice ages), general mineral and meteorite topics, and how museums are making collections items accessible online.
At MPM: Coorough Burke can discuss certain topics in the Third Planet and Exploring Life on Earth exhibits.
She specializes in mass extinctions throughout Earth's history, specifically the Ordovician-Silurian extinction and recovery, general Wisconsin geology, and Silurian reefs, which once covered southeastern Wisconsin hundreds of millions of years ago.
She can discuss:
- How life evolves and has evolved
- Fossils found in Wisconsin and why dinosaur fossils are not found in Wisconsin
- General processes of Earth (plate tectonics, water cycle, ice ages)
- General mineral and meteorite topics
- General geology and fossil topics
- How museums are making collections items accessible online through digitization efforts
Christopher D. Tyrrell, PhD
Research Curator of Botany
Dr. Tyrrell oversees the Botany department, which includes the management of 200,000 botanical (plant and fungi) specimens. He can discuss plants that grow in Wisconsin lakes and rivers, basic plant science (i.e. photosynthesis), the general processes of lakes and rivers (water cycle, watersheds, water chemistry, spring/fall turnover), how plant and animal biodiversity is measured, bamboo diversity, and more.
At MPM: Tyrrell can discuss certain topics in the Prairie, Wisconsin Woodlands, North America, Latin America, Rainforest, Exploring Life on Earth, and Third Planet exhibits.
He also specializes in biogeography (maps, coordinates, and the distribution of life on Earth) and analyzing, researching, and organizing data related to biological topics.
He can discuss:
- Plants that grow in Wisconsin lakes and rivers
- The general processes of lakes and rivers (water cycle, watersheds, water chemistry, spring/fall turnover)
- Basic plant science (i.e. photosynthesis)
- How plant and animal biodiversity is measured
- The process by which science recognizes new species
- How life has evolved and evolves
- Bamboo diversity and distribution
- Computer programming as it relates to museums, specimens, and general analyses in biology
Jennifer M. Zaspel, PhD
VP/Academic Dean
Dr. Zaspel oversees the Collections, Research, Education, Exhibits, Planetarium, and IDEA departments at MPM. She also directs the Museum's Statewide Community Science Project. She can discuss Wisconsin butterflies and moths, global insect/pollinator declines, conservation efforts including community science and plant/animal/insect surveys, general insect topics, and more.
At MPM: Zaspel can discuss certain topics in the Rainforest, Exploring Life on Earth, Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium, Bugs Alive!, Sense of Wonder, and Third Floor exhibits (broadly: Asia, Arctic, and Africa galleries).
She is an expert on insect diversity and evolution, collections informatics, arthropod parasites (basic biology, diversity, and evolution), community science, and collections advocacy and management.
She can discuss:
- Wisconsin butterflies and moths
- Global insect/pollinator declines
- Insect/arthropod parasites (fleas, ticks, mites) distribution, evolution, collections, ecology
- Collections digitization
- Insect evolution, insect science, species diversity, and distribution across the world
- Community science, plant/animal/insect surveys, conservation
Aaron R. Atencio, PhD
Research Curator of Cultural Sciences
Dr. Atencio oversees the History and Anthropology departments, which includes the management of more than one million objects, from pottery to textiles to photographs. He can discuss North American Great Plains and Intermountain West Indigenous groups and archaeology.
At MPM: Atencio can discuss certain topics within the Native American exhibits on the Second Floor.
His research focuses on exploring the ways Indigenous groups have used visual storytelling to document life. He specializes in MPM's esteemed collection of ledger art—narrative illustrations drawn by Plains Indians in the 19th and 20th centuries as a way to record history.
He can discuss:
- North American Great Plains and Intermountain West Indigenous societies, cultures, and archaeology