CVs tell a story...
I was standing inside of a dry cleaning facility in South Carolina wearing a hard hat and a pair of steel toed boots. At the front of the store a cloud of steam enveloped the few staff who were still wielding hot irons while drillers bored holes into the floor of their workplace. We were testing the groundwater below for chlorinated solvents - chemicals that had been dumped by the shop's previous owners - before the environmental regulations of the 1970's.​​​
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"Well, ya. I've had to knock on people's doors, hand them a case of bottled water and tell them not to drink from the tap," I heard my boss telling our newest junior scientist, as casually as if he were reporting on the hotel's lackluster continental breakfast. ​My heart sank. How to break life-altering news to people was not part of our onboarding. My boss knew the science, but he didn't know the people.​
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As the Science Communication Manager for the U-M Museum of Natural History, I get to help ensure that practicing and aspiring scientists are equipped with the tools they need to have meaningful, memorable (and even difficult) conversations about research with people in their communities.
Education. My academic foundation.
Oregon State University
2012 - 2014
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Dual Major M.S in Soil Science and Botany and Plant Pathology
Mentors: Julie Pett-Ridge, Bruce McCune
Thesis: Interactions between nitrogen, phosphorus, and molybdenum in forest soils and cyanobacterial lichen in the Oregon Coast Range
Indiana University
2006 - 2011
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science Program Minors: English and Geology
Mentor: Lisa M. Pratt
Thesis: Sulfur isotopes and heavy metal concentrations in lichen species of the basin mining district, Bullion Mine, Montana
Experience. Where I've worked and what it taught me.
Science Communication Manager, U-M Museum of Natural History
2019 - present
I provide science communication training and public engagement opportunities to U-M students and researchers as part of the museum's National Science Foundation Broader Impacts support initiative. In this role I've learned to manage inter-departmental and inter-organizational collaborations with scientists, students, and artists at the university and beyond.
Adjunct Lecturer, University of Michigan Applied Liberal Arts Division
2020 - present
I design curriculum for a skill-building course in science communication and prepare undergraduates to lead equitable partnerships beyond academia through collaborations with nonprofits and local governments. In this role I've refined my approach to classroom teaching, and expanded my idea of what and where a classroom can be.
Site Specialist: Naturalist/Educator
The Grove Museum
2018 - 2019
In this role I developed and implemented monthly STEAM education programs on a 10.5-acre historic site and partnered with other state and municipal organizations to host events. I also discovered the power of inquiry-based learning and began translating science for children and families.
Environmental Specialist
Ecology & Environment
2015 - 2018
As a private sector environmental consultant I specialized in ecological monitoring, restoration, planning and management. My clients ranged from federal, state, and regional governments to solar and wind power developers. In this role I shared science with a variety of non-technical audiences, from land and business owners to concerned citizens in polluted areas.
eStudies Instructor
Duke Talent Identification Program
2016 - 2018
Before the Covid-19 pandemic took in-person education online, I was teaching virtual interactive chemistry lessons to advanced 6th - 8th graders through the Duke TIP. In this role I received extensive professional development in distance learning pedagogy.
Adjunct Instructor, Principles of Soil Science
Florida State University
2015
My course on soil science was designed for geology and environmental science majors in the Department of Earth, Ocean, & Atmospheric Science. Facilitating student's field projects challenged me to build better learning experiences outside of the classroom.
Graduate Teaching Assistant & Curriculum Designer
Oregon State University
2012 - 2014
In addition to teaching 60 students per year in the lab sections of Introduction to Soil Science, I also assisted faculty with the reorganization of the course curriculum into separate soil science and forestry tracks. The highlight of my graduate teaching was co-coordinating a 250 student Service Learning Symposium.
Laboratory Manager
Indiana University
2010 - 2012
As lab manager for Dr. Lisa Pratt’s biogeochemistry research group I worked closely with students and senior scientists on carbon and sulfur isotope geochemistry. At the time, Dr. Pratt was mentoring 7 graduate students as well as a postdoc, an undergraduate, and a research scientist. This was an informative vantage point for understanding how research projects interact in a collaborative space.
Teaching Assistant: Field Methods in Environmental Science
2009
​The I-U Judson Mead Geologic Field Station is located in the undeveloped wilderness of the Tobacco Root Mountain Range, MT. As a teaching assistant for the station's environmental field methods course, I built skills for leading research campaigns in remote areas. Later I applied these skills to my graduate work and the environmental monitoring I conducted on state and private lands adjacent to the Florida Everglades.
Fellowships, Grants & Awards. Funding the work.
Measurement of Museum Social Impact Study (MOMSI)
$850 (participant incentives)
This national study aimed to establish best practices for measuring social impact within the museum field and was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, and Thanksgiving Point Institute.
Public Interest Technology Community Innovation
(PIT-CIF) Fellowship Program
$18,200
PIT-CIF fellows developed a public forum to address a local socio-scientific issue. Our forum brought together voices and resources across southeastern Michigan in a conversation about how cultural heritage institutions can support local environmental justice work and facilitate better access to environmental data. This work was funded by the Association of Science and Technology Centers.
Publications. Download my comics, white papers, and peer reviewed articles.
Northwest Florida Water Management District, State of Florida, 2017
Presentations, Posters & Panels. Where I've shared.
MythBusters: Truths of Science Communication.
Pannel Discussion
Stevens, Abbie, Bruno Takahashi, Jade Marks, Kara Gavin, Rishi Masalia. ComSciCon-MI-2024, Lansing, Michigan. October 26 - 27, 2024.
Breaking the 4th Wall: Secrets of science communication from museums, movies and memory.
Workshop
Marks, Jade A. Ecological Society of America, Great Lakes Chapter Conference. Kalamazoo, MI. April 6, 2024.
Measuring Social Impact; Making Strategic Changes.
Oral Presentation
Michelle Mileham, Marks, Jade A., Christy Barlow. Association of Academic Museums and Galleries Conference. Logan, UT. June 16, 2022.
Public Interest Technology Community Innovation Fellowship: Innovations from Shifting to Virtual Public Dialogue Forums.
Sittenfeld, David, Mahmud Farooque, Marks, Jade. A., Justin Schell, Anja Scholze, Corinne Takara, Cindee Millard, Melissa Mullins, Rachel Quimby, Stefanie Covino. ASTC Annual Conference (Virtual). October 21, 2020.
Oral Presentation
Distribution of soil molybdenum across a soil N gradient
Oral Presentation
Marks, Jade. A., Steve Perakis, Julie Pett-Ridge. Geochemistry Conference. Sacramento, California. Abstract 1593. Thursday, June 13, 2014.
Molybdenum as a Micronutrient in Coast Range Soils
Poster
Marks, Jade. A., Steve Perakis, Julie Pett-Ridge. Oregon Society of Soil Scientists Winter Meeting.​ Bend, Oregon. February 27-28, 2014.
Sulfur Content and Isotopic Composition of Lichen Species, Bullion Mine;
Poster
Marks, Jade. A., Lisa M. Pratt, Seth A. Young. Indiana University Women in Science Research Conference. 2011.
Testimonials. What my colleagues & students are saying.
Taylor E.
ALA 270 Student
“This is the class that feels the most real, the most useful."
Christianne Myers
Professor of Music, Theater & Dance
"Jade was a wonderful host, contextualizing scientific content in an accessible manner for the theatre design students. Her enthusiasm was contagious."
Morgan DeSantis
Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
"[Jade] has had a huge and positive impact on the trajectory of my career and has significantly enriched the educational experience of my students."
Outreach & Service. How I give back.
Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Liaison for the U-M Museum of Natural History
2023 - present
I serve as one of the museum's two Inclusive Culture Liaisons. We attend monthly meetings with the DEI Office and liaisons in other units to deepen our understanding of DEI issues and best practices. We also lead DEI meetings for our team and provide guidance and structure making the museum more inclusive and accessible.
Letters to a Pre-Scientist
2020 - present
I compose personal letters to middle school science students from under-resourced communities each month and respond to their questions about college, STEMM careers, and professional pathways.
ComSciCon-MI Write-a-Thon
October 2024
At the Write-a-Thon I read and critiqued writing samples for six STEMM graduate students from different disciplines, providing guidance and strategies for writing STEMM content for non-technical audiences.
Wolverine Express
University of Michigan
September 2019
I prepared an interactive presentation on careers in STEMM for high school students and designed an autobiographical comic to promote higher education and cross-disciplinary scholarship.
Non-academic Careers Panel - Department of Ecology and Evolution, Florida State University
This panel experience provided undergraduate students with advice and recommendations on non-academic career tracts in STEMM. I shared my experiences in environmental consulting.
August 2016
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Coastal Restoration Project
August 2015
Alongside a team of volunteers, I helped construct artificial reefs to increase oyster populations, protect the shoreline, improve water quality, and support seagrass recovery in St. Andrews Bay, FL.
Discovery Days Science Outreach Program -Oregon State University
November 2011
For this annual outreach event I designed an activity and poster highlighting the ecological roles of lichens. My lab members and I facilitated 2 hours of hands-on engagement for local school children.