Cliff Athorn, Director of Exhibit Production

Cliff has a BA in psychology and two graduate degrees in music theory and conducting. This has helped him orchestrate the day-to-day operations of our exhibit production departments, including staffing, scheduling, shop management and personnel. Cliff keeps a staff of 40+ uniquely talented individuals happy, productive and—one might even say—harmonized.

Cliff has a background in the management of stage and scenic fabrication. He served as production director for the Minnesota Opera Company for over 15 years, then left to establish and operate Twin Cities Scenic Studios, Inc. Cliff is married to a middle school English teacher, and claims "our youngest child's a golden retriever."

Roger Barrett, Exhibit Design Group Manager

Roger studied graphic design at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and holds a BA in Graphic Design from City College of San Francisco. Before joining the Science Museum of Minnesota, Roger worked as a graphic designer for Urb magazine and as a freelance designer for various local and national clients. Roger came to the Science Museum in 2000 as an internet developer and youth instructor in the museum's Learning Technologies Center. There he developed the Studio 3D website and taught children ages preschool to high school in how to playfully integrate art and technology. Currently, along with leading the exhibit design team, Roger has been lead designer and art director for many exhibits, as well as illustrator and graphic designer for several more.

When asked to name his favorite museum, Roger cited The Museum of Sex in New York City. "Because of its clever and witty approach to exhibition design, a subject that could easily be viewed as pornographic is presented in an approachable and, frankly, very educational way."

Marjorie Bequette, Director of Evaluation and Research in Learning

Marjorie joined the Science Museum in 2007, and worked in Teacher Professional Development and as a Senior Evaluation and Research Associate before becoming director of the department in 2010. Marjorie leads evaluation and learning research across the institution, including extensive work for the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network, as well as work on the Collectors' Corner, front end research, and other projects. Her research interests include how people see the relevance of science to their everyday lives, work that draws on her experience with the world of formal and informal educational research. Marjorie earned her PhD in science education at Stanford University.

Marjorie's favorite exhibitions share a common theme. Mathematica, which she visited frequently at the Museum of Science, Boston as a child and as an adult, was designed by Charles and Ray Eames. The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention, organized by the Library of Congress, explores more broadly the work of those truly original thinkers. "Their focus on the power and beauty of science and mathematics, and the importance of design and aesthetics, provide new insights into the world around us."

Mark Dahlager, Director of Exhibit Development and Design

Mark has an extensive background in biology and natural science. He has completed the coursework for an MS in Biology and Plant Ecology at St. Cloud State University and has worked as a naturalist at several local nature centers. At the Science Museum of Minnesota, Mark started as an interpreter and demonstrator before joining the design and development team. He assumed his current position in 2004 and has led the department through the design and development of a great many exhibits.

Mark's favorite museums are the City Museum ("obviously") and the Corning Museum of Glass: "beautiful objects, nice architecture, cool demonstrations, challenging and engaging programs that allow visitors to make glass stuff to take home." In his free time, Mark leads a team of treasure hunters every year in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt (their record: 0 for 12, with 11 "real close"). He is also an accomplished crop seed artist. (It's a Minnesota thing.)

Laurie Fink, Director of Science Programs

Laurie leads the Science Programs group, a team which includes Science Museum staff scientists, researchers, curators and program directors. In addition, Laurie also heads up our Health and Human Body projects. Laurie has a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Pharmacology, both from the University of Minnesota. Before coming on board, she was a research scientist at a start-up biotech company; worked in quality control and assurance in the pharmaceutical industry; and was a medical research assistant at the University of Minnesota. There Laurie identified a novel gene that plays a role in tumor formation.

Laurie enjoys playing soccer, which she claims makes her "a true soccer MOM. But I most enjoy adventures with my family!"

Robert Garfinkle, Program Director, Science and Social Change

Robert leads the Science Museum's Science and Social Change program, collaborating with Minnesota communities to explore the intersection of science and social issues. Robert has led two projects for the Science Museum that have won the American Association of Museum's annual Excellence in Exhibition Award: Invention at Play (2002, in collaboration with the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation) and RACE: Are We So Different? (2008, in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association).

Robert has consulted with other museums on master planning, exhibit development and design, project leadership and conceptual planning. He has a master's degree in educational technology from Indiana University, but is most proud of still playing basketball three days a week against kids half his age.

Patrick Hamilton, Program Director, Global Change Initiatives

Pat earned an MA in Geography from the University of Minnesota in 1982 and has been producing energy and environmental exhibits and programs for the museum for 29 years. In recent years, these projects have included Water: H₂O = Life, an international traveling exhibition developed in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History; the Big Back Yard, the museum's outdoor environmental science park, and Science House, the museum's net-zero energy building. Patrick's current project is Future Earth—exhibits and programs that explore the implications of humans as the dominant agents of global change. He also is a Principal Investigator with the University of Minnesota's National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics, a Resident Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and a Board Director of District Energy St. Paul.

Away from the museum, Patrick and his wife J. like to kayak and grow organic, blue-ribbon-winning plums and peaches at their home in St. Paul.

Joe Imholte, Program Director, Special Exhibits and Exhibit Services

Joe started at the Science Museum of Minnesota as a visitor assistant while still in college. After securing a BA in Environmental Science and Political Science from Hamline University in 1996, he added responsibilities as Omnitheater usher and console operator, circulation manager for The Big Frame, Visitor Relations Manager, Exhibit Operations Manager and Project Leader. Joe has been involved with every traveling exhibition hosted by the Science Museum since 1998.

When asked to name a favorite museum, Joe came up with two. "The City Museum is a total blast and awesome in nearly every way. And the Durham Museum of Life and Science—you can see the passion of the people that work there in the exhibits and experiences out on the floor and in their incredible outdoor exhibits."

Joanne Jones-Rizzi, Director of Community Engagement

Joanne began her career in 1985 as an exhibit developer and cultural program leader at the Boston Children's Museum. During her 20-year tenure she was the lead concept and content developer for the internationally acclaimed Kid's Bridge exhibit, as well as TV & Me; Arthur's World; and Boston Black: A City Connects. Joanne joined the Science Museum as a program and exhibit developer for the award-winning exhibit RACE: Are We So Different? She collaborated with local community groups to develop programs that provided relevance and extended the exhibit experience. She is currently the leader of the Community Engagement Group for the Science Museum.

Joanne cites Mining the Museum as her favorite exhibit. "I saw this exhibit in Baltimore in 1992 and I still think about it: the juxtaposition of objects; the reactions of visitors; the combining oil paintings, audio and lighting to communicate being 'the other.' The use of objects to communicate slavery, racism and what they did to the people involved was profound. The collaborative aspect of the project also resonated with me. I am always looking for new models for bringing ideas to the public."

Bill Maloney, Director of Traveling Exhibitions

The first thing you need to know about Bill is, when asked for personal info to include in his bio, he wrote, "I secretly want to be the voice of a movie animation character." That off-beat perspective has served him well in the crazy world of traveling exhibits.

After earning a BA from Tufts University, Bill spent several years working in retail display production and design, and medical education media design and production. Bill manages all aspects of the traveling shows the Science Museum of Minnesota circulates to other institutions. Beyond the current roster, past touring exhibits include Wolves and Humans; Bears: Imagination & Reality; Hunters of the Sky; Bionics & Transplants and Cenote of Sacrifice.

Paul Martin, Senior Vice President, Science Learning

As Senior Vice President for Science Learning, Paul is responsible for directing the Science Museum of Minnesota's efforts to develop, design and produce exhibits and related science learning opportunities. These efforts extend to visitors to the museum's riverfront facility in St. Paul, users of its national touring exhibitions, and partnerships with other museums and educational organizations. Over the past 30 years, Paul has contributed to the evolution of exhibits as a medium for engaging visitors in interactive learning through many innovative museum and exhibition projects. He has worked with over 50 museums and science centers and has held leadership positions with Museum Content Builders Inc., The Field Museum, Jim Henson Productions, the Minnesota Historical Society and the Science Museum of Minnesota.

J. Shipley Newlin, Program Director, Physical Sciences and Technology

J. has over 30 years experience in museum education and exhibit development. His career has included tenures at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia (1973-1983) and the New York Hall of Science (1984-1986). At the Science Museum, J was the project director for the development of the Experiment Gallery and for the series of eleven acclaimed "Experiment Benches" funded by the National Science Foundation's Informal Science Education program in the early '90s. J. holds a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from St. John's College, Annapolis, MD. He has taken additional courses in chemistry, mathematics, and physics from Drexel University and the University of Minnesota.

When asked to name a favorite museum, J can't pick just one. "I love several museums, each because they give visitors a deep and enriching experience. Among them, the Deutches Museum in Munich, which has wonderful exhibits on industry and technology. I particularly love the exhibit of harpsichords and pianos in which a curator plays music written for each instrument and talks about the technology that makes the music sound as it does. The Art Institute in Chicago because its permanent collections and special exhibits never fail to give me new insights into human culture. The Exploratorium in San Francisco because the exhibits there illuminate the way the natural world works. And Science North for its appropriate scale and the sense it can give to visitors that they are themselves science investigators."

Bette Schmit, Exhibit Development Group Manager

Before coming on board at the Science Museum of Minnesota, Bette worked at the Minnesota Children's Museum (MCM) for 11 years, holding a series of positions from exhibit developer to project leader to department director. During her tenure as department director, she oversaw exhibit development, design, production and maintenance, as well as the traveling exhibits program. Prior to working at MCM, Bette earned a BA in Music History from University of Minnesota, and worked for several years at United Arts in St. Paul, an organization supporting small- and mid-size arts organization in the Twin Cities. Since coming to the Science Museum in 2006, Bette has served as Senior Exhibit Developer for several projects, as well as leading the exhibit development team.

Bette finds it impossible to name a single favorite museum or exhibit. But one that rates special mention is Teen Facts, an exhibit about puberty at The National Center for Science and Technology in Amsterdam ("NEMO" in Dutch). "With a light and somewhat comedic touch, this often hard-to-discuss subject is made enjoyable and informative for youth and adults alike. Really clever."