Dana
Whitelaw’s global experience in wildlife and cultural
studies to enhance Museum’s educational role.
Dana
Whitelaw’s global experience in wildlife and cultural
studies to enhance Museum’s educational role.
Bend, Ore. – Dana Whitelaw is the new vice president of
programs at the High Desert Museum, where she will use her
doctoral research in wildlife conservation and extensive
background in anthropology to expand the educational
programming at the Museum.
She began natural history, ethnographic research in 1994 in
East Java where she researched the customs, practices, and
daily living habits of Buddhist monks. That led her to
archeological field work in Kenya, researching American dipper
birds in Hamilton, Mt., and studying baboons in Ethiopia and
endangered lemurs in Madagascar.
“I am thrilled to bring my multi-disciplinary background
to work across all of the program’s departments at the
Museum, from wildlife and exhibits to education and living
history,” said Whitelaw. “I am passionate about the
mission and the possibilities for creating enriching and
vibrant educational programs for all ages.”
She has worked as a grant writer at the Museum for the last
year, and was an anthropology instructor at the University of
Colorado in Boulder, where she also developed and taught
classes and teacher workshops for the university’s
Science Squad, a kindergarten through grade 12 outreach program
in the Denver Metro Area.
Museum President Janeanne A. Upp said the appointment marks the
Museum’s commitment to a core value –
education.
“Education is a fundamental element of the Museum’s
role as a relevant and valuable resource in our
community,” said Upp. “First we focused on bringing
new and exciting exhibits to the Museum, and now we are looking
to enhance our programs, which will strengthen our unique,
interdisciplinary approach to education.”
Whitelaw’s doctoral work examined how deforestation,
cultural practices, and agricultural development disrupted
lemur habitats. Her work will be used in conservation
management of an area in southwestern Madagascar. Madagascar
remains an international conservation priority because many of
its plant and animal species are critically endangered.
Whitelaw’s research on lemurs will appear in scholarly
journals, after her doctoral degree in anthropology at the
University of Colorado is complete. Her articles previously
have appeared in prestigious publications such as the American
Journal of Physical Anthropology, and she has presented her
research at national and international conferences in
conservation biology.
Whitelaw was born and raised in Eugene, and lives in Bend with
her husband, Jason Albert, and their two sons.