By Sierra Coathup
Volunteer Program Manager
Meet Sierra Coathup!
It’s National Volunteer Week (April 21-27), and I’m so excited to talk about the Sciencenter’s volunteer program! I’m currently the Volunteer Program Manager, but I first started with the Sciencenter as a volunteer. I had just moved to Ithaca and drove by the Sciencenter one day. When I learned it was a children’s science museum, I knew I wanted to be involved. As I grew to learn more about the program and the Sciencenter as a whole, it amazed me to find that the Sciencenter has always been a volunteer labor of love for and by the community – from our roots as a volunteer-run community science program to volunteers building the very space we operate out of, to our current volunteer program.
Annie Johnson has a degree in Marine Biology and is passionate about inspiring children to develop a love for science!
In 2023, we had 149 Sciencenter volunteers who engaged 65,811 visitors and contributed 4,203 hours. That’s 175 days straight of volunteer hours! Pretty incredible. Some of the volunteers helped out at specific events, but many of our volunteers work regularly scheduled shifts here.
Volunteers at the Sciencenter help activate our floor and make it a more engaging and interactive space for our visitors! Using informal educational activities, they help visitors expand their observational skills and understanding of science processes. They operate and provide materials management for our beloved Discovery Space. Perhaps the most impactful of all, they facilitate animal interactions with our northeastern Tide Pool Touch Tank (located on the 1st floor Richardson Gallery) and Meet a Reptile (located on the 2nd floor Mezzanine). Visitors are encouraged to get up close and personal with select animals in our live exhibits collection! One of our volunteers, Annie Johnson, said, “I love helping kids know it’s okay if they’re afraid to touch the snake or some of the tide pool critters. Usually, they end up being brave and touching it after a while. And then they always want to touch it more.”
As the Volunteer Program Manager, it’s always wonderful to hear sentiments like Annie’s. It’s fulfilling and delightful to help foster a safe place where visitors of all ages can broaden their understanding of their world and maybe even try something new that they were a little scared of at first.
10th-grader Emily Isaacs found personal growth at the Sciencenter, gaining knowledge about animals and improving her teaching skills.
One of our other highlighted volunteers, Emily Isaacs, said: “At the Sciencenter, I’m in the background, watching moments that will either be forgotten tomorrow or be held onto for life, and creating an experience for myself that I will hold onto for life.”
If you’re interested in volunteering, here’s what you can expect!
Fill out an application on our website (you must be 14 years or older)
Come to the museum for a quick interview with me. This is a great way for me to learn about your interests and for you to learn more about the volunteer stations. After the interview, you’re encouraged to explore the museum to familiarize yourself with the space (or test your familiarity with a scavenger hunt if you’ve been here before!)
If selected, you’ll attend a 3-hour in-person orientation, where you’ll learn how to run various stations and build upon some informal educational skills and tricks we use in the museum every day!
Schedule your first shift. Hooray!
Volunteers led a roller coaster activity during a Sciencenter Family Science Night at Groton Elementary School.