Dinosaurs, Apes, Fundraising and Programming

Alyson Wilkins embarked on a wide-ranging and eye-opening internship this summer, in addition to volunteering in the KU Biodiversity Institute Paleo Lab and presenting posters and papers at professional conferences.

What do dinosaurs and apes have in common? I spent the summer interning at the Museum at Prairiefire learning how museum run themselves. The Museum at Prairiefire is located in Overland Park, Kansas, and they do museums a little differently. They have one central rotating exhibit and the theme during my time was The World’s Largest Dinosaurs. Part of my internship included helping to create docent guides.

I enjoyed helping create a movie outreach event revolving around the summer hit, War for the Planet of the Apes. It was a movie screening and talk with a specialist in ape biology and evolution. This project also provided me the opportunity to learn more about Young Professionals organizations in Kansas City and meet all the fantastic people involved in them. I also helped begin a programming series which will evolve into its’ own Young Professionals group.

Working with the fantastic group of people at the Museum at Prairiefire was a wonderful learning experience. I learned everything from direct mail fundraising to program design and more, from a group of people who excel in their respective fields. I enjoyed working with them and look forward to seeing what the Museum at Prairiefire does in the future.