Hailey Buckentin and Addilyn Seep are two of the longest serving education interns at the new UWSP Olson Museum of Natural History. Starting together in 2024, they worked on organization projects for the first rooms in the new location under the direction of Outreach Specialist Brigid Ferkett. Seep had never seen the museum’s collections before they were moved into Science Building storage following the move from Albertson Hall for its demolition.
The museum had no spaces open to the public when they began working in the museum, organizing behind-the-scenes tours for small school groups. The museum’s first completed exhibits room, the Discovery Center, gave visitors the chance to get hands-on with learning stations featuring family-friendly exploration tools like magnifiers.
Museum and College of Letters and Science representatives meet with UWSP Facility Services to plan the next phase of construction for the Olson Museum.
“I can remember the first Junior Scientist night I hosted when we had the magnifiers and we used them for entomology specimens. One of the parents, commented on how they had learned so much!” said Seep.
As a biology major, it’s been great for Seep to lean into course content such as Biology of Reproduction as she developed creative lesson plans to accommodate a mixed range of ages in their Junior Scientist audiences.
“What’s cool about the intersection is I get to see how development affects learning on a pretty regular basis,” she said.
With 10 interns now working on projects for the budding museum, they have been able to hone their presentation and display skills. Seep said the job is never the same from week to week. The flexibility has made it possible for staff to work on materials for programs and special events around their course schedules.
A Space to Collaborate
It’s hard to find a time when their schedules coincide but Ferkett hopes to build upon her regular team meetings with the staff and provide them with a dedicated space for future collaboration as they move into the next renovation phase of the museum. A grant proposal for the IMLS Museums for America Grant would help fund a Student Exhibit Lab. This planning space would allow for desks and seating where interns can comfortably collaborate and plan out exhibit spaces and events for the future.
“For years, our interns have worked without a dedicated space—often squeezed into dim storage areas with one shared desk. A true workspace would give them the tools, materials, and collaborative environment they need to do meaningful museum work with real specimens,” said Ferkett.
Students will be instrumental in the work of cataloging the museum’s vast collection. The IMLS Museums grant proposes the curation of a digital database for its specimens. In addition, the next phase of the Olson Museum renovation is moving ahead. This summer, three former A wing classrooms in the Science Building will be outfitted with new walls and wired for interactive exhibits.
Thanks to dedicated alumni donors and grants Ferkett has secured, that next phase will accomplish a multi‑gallery renovation spanning four habitat dioramas—Woodland, Prairie, Mountains and Tundra—and a refreshed Birds, Eggs and Small Vertebrates room. Mounts will have to be constructed to support the museum’s core North American wildlife collections. Since people typically haven’t seen many in the wild, Seep’s favorite is the bull moose.
Although those exhibits will not be completed by the time Buckentin graduates this spring with her degree in soil and waste resources, she is already eager to steer the next generation of museum interns and provide them with her insights around project work and overcoming obstacles. From her first “nerve-wracking” program, Buckentin said she now enjoys tabling events and other chances to speak to groups about the museum.
Hailey B., right, demonstrates how to use magnifiers in the Discovery Center.
“I think it’s exciting and there’s still a lot I don’t know but it’s been great to work with as many people as you can and that pushes you to be more creative,” she said.
Buckentin grew up on a family farm in Minnesota, the oldest of four sisters. She had worked in outreach before with live animals, transporting their llamas so others could learn about them at community events. The diversity in backgrounds has served the museum staff well. Some roles put them in front of audiences for education programs on a range of natural science topics. Some were immersed in the physical work of arranging fossil casts and geology specimens.
The museum has expanded its reach by tapping into the interest of student organizations on campus. One of them that started to collaborate and fill needs is the newly reformed Museum Studies and Enthusiasts or MuSE. Their members have cleaned and moved exhibits in the Rock and Fossil Room and led info booths at recent museum events.
Club officer Morgan Garlieb, a history major, was eager to get involved in a museum-centered club. MuSE members will help improve exhibits and shape the future of the museum, collaborating with museum staff and faculty curators.
“We would love for people to find a community in the museum,” said Garlieb.
She’s volunteered her time to help build awareness about the array of natural science collections that are accessible on campus.
Open for Community Exploration
Museum interns are introducing current students and community members to the gift shop, located inside the first room in the A wing hallway off the lobby. The gift shop opened in December 2025 and has already tallied over 550 visitors. From the store, visitors can access the other two educational and exhibit spaces that are open to guests.
Family educational programs have been held in Science A113 each month with frequent repeat visitors who come for the hands-on learning and engaging student-led lessons. The past six Junior Scientist programs drew about 140 participants last semester. The museum is projected to welcome over 700 participants in youth field trips for this spring semester.
The public will be invited to see the museum’s tremendous progress. The Olson Museum Collection Crawl annual open house is set for April 11, 2026, with collections on display from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. With learning stations spread across three buildings, participants can spend hours checking out museum collections and engaging in science games and activities with staff and volunteers. This year the event will showcase how specimens provide a range of “Color and Camouflage!”
“It has been an incredible opportunity to help rebuild this treasured museum and mentor the museum interns,” said Ferkett. “Every time someone walks through our doors to see our progress, we’re reminded of why this work matters and how much joy a natural history museum can bring to our community.”