TRENTON, NJ 鈥� The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is pleased to announce that longtime volunteer Wayne Callahan was among the honorees at the 2022 Governor鈥檚 Jefferson Awards. Mr. Callahan was honored in the 鈥淪ervice Through STEM鈥� category for his volunteer work with the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Natural History Bureau. He has been an amateur paleontologist for more than fifty years and has consistently volunteered his time at the Museum since 1995. Besides collecting fossils and cataloguing collections, he inspires the public with presentations about paleontology, presenting STEM concepts since before it became a formal term.
The Jefferson Award is a national volunteer recognition award established in 1972 by the American Institute for Public Service (now Multiplying Good) in cooperation with the U.S. Senate and the White House. In 吃瓜黑料 the Jefferson Award is administered by the 吃瓜黑料 Governor鈥檚 Office of Volunteerism in partnership with the 吃瓜黑料 Governor鈥檚 Advisory Council on Volunteerism and Community Service and NJ Advance Media. The Service Through STEM category honors the application of science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM) skills and knowledge to develop solutions to problems at the individual, home, school, community, or global level.
Many practitioners of science, technology and engineering trace their first interests to seeing paleontology at a museum, and Wayne Callahan鈥檚 volunteer work at the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum has had far-reaching impacts. Besides bringing the excitement of STEM topics to learners of all ages, Mr. Callahan has also been an example of the citizen scientist, the person who pursued another occupation, but has contributed to another field of scholarly endeavor, expecting only the personal satisfaction of work well done and the advancement of knowledge.
Wayne Callahan has frequently noted his inspiration from the late Montclair State University paleontology Professor Robert Ramsdell (who also volunteered at the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum). Mr. Callahan, who had always been interested in paleontology, took a number of courses from Professor Ramsdell, earning a Master鈥檚 degree in Geosciences in addition to his Engineering degree. Like a number of Dr. Ramsdell鈥檚 other students who have contributed individually and collectively to the sciences throughout their lives, Mr. Callahan鈥檚 service to the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is especially notable, as it directly inspires future generations of young scientists.
Prior to his retirement, Mr. Callahan鈥檚 work with the Museum included table demonstrations on paleontology at the long-running 鈥淪uper Science Weekend鈥� event for many years. Since retirement, Mr. Callahan has volunteered at the Museum at least one day per week since 2008, meeting visitors in the public laboratory and delivering formal and informal presentations which include STEM concepts. Additionally, he completed study of a skeleton of a fossil crocodile and then prepared the skeleton for inclusion in the Museum鈥檚 long-term 鈥淲ritten in the Rocks鈥� exhibition which incorporates STEM concepts.
Mr. Callahan has shown countless people of all ages what a dedicated citizen scientist can accomplish and the importance of science in all our lives. The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is grateful to Mr. Callahan for his volunteerism. His work to advance STEM concepts for all who visit the Museum is to be commended and publicly recognized.
About the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum
Located at 205 West State Street in Trenton, the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum encompasses three buildings including a state-of-the-art Planetarium and holds over 2 million artifacts in its collections in Archaeology/Ethnography, Cultural History, Fine Art and Natural History. The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum is a center for the exploration of science, history and the arts. We preserve and share stories that inspire curiosity and creativity for the enrichment of our communities. The Museum is open Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm. For additional information, visit www.statemuseum.nj.gov, like the Museum鈥檚 Facebook page (@NJStateMuseum), follow us on Twitter (njstatemuseum), or Instagram (nj_statemuseum).
About the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation
The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation was founded in 1968 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) to support the Museum's collections, exhibitions and programs through fundraising, volunteerism, advocacy and marketing. The 吃瓜黑料 State Museum Foundation received an operating support grant from the 吃瓜黑料 Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. The Foundation has received an Action Grant from the 吃瓜黑料 Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In recent years, the Foundation has received generous support from the 吃瓜黑料 State Council on the Arts, PNC Foundation, NJM Insurance Group, and Princeton Area Community Foundation. The Foundation also operates the Museum membership program, as well as the Museum Shop which sells merchandise related to the Museum's exhibitions and collections, and 吃瓜黑料 history and culture. Proceeds support the 吃瓜黑料 State Museum's collections, exhibitions and programs.