My name is Jen and as of fall 2019 I have joined the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology (UMMP) as a Research Museum Collection Manager for the invertebrate paleontology collection. All of the natural history collections are housed in a facility just south of main U-M campus. My time is split between collection management (curation, archiving, preservation, conservation, person-management, etc.), outreach (exhibit and community support), and research.
After spending 22 years in the Chicagoland area I moved to Athens, Ohio to get my Master’s degree alongside Alycia Stigall. I spent two years living in the cozy town of Athens before moving on to Knoxville where I lived while completing my PhD alongside Colin Sumrall. I completed a postdoctoral position at the Florida Museum of Natural History after graduating from UTK in 2018. I spent a year at the Florida Museum where my role was geared toward curating a digital fossil collection on myFOSSIL and helping get a new institute off the ground – the Thompson Earth Systems Institute. In addition to getting excited about spineless life on Earth and science I like to be outdoors! I spend a lot of time biking (cruising and mountain biking), hiking, swimming, and running.
My research focuses on Paleozoic invertebrates, museum education and data standards, and inclusion in science. I have many ongoing projects with a variety of collaborators, see my Google Scholar, ORCiD, or my full CV for details.
In my free time, I develop and curate an educational project called Time Scavengers, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and will continue to provide opportunities for students and community scientists. Please visit the website to learn more about our efforts and how you can support the next generation of scientists, communicators, and researchers. Or you can donate directly to the project!
I am also an active knitter and have an Etsy shop called House Scarves. I usually knit a few sizes of scarves and hats. Recently, I have been knitting hats for local Michigan students that are donated to school district social workers to distribute to students in need. If you have old yarn or supplies, please reach out to me, I’d happily craft them into something useable!
Jennifer Bauer, Ph.D. 