The Master of Arts in Museology requires that students complete a thesis. They may choose either a research or project thesis. We’re talking with some of our second-year students who are deep in thesis work right now to get their perspectives on what they are learning. Museology Communications and Marketing Assistant Xavier Lucas-Cooper (’27) spoke with Marnie Hill-Woodworth (’26) about her thesis work with the Burke Museum.
What is your thesis topic?
My thesis topic is creating a volunteer guidebook for the Ornithology department at the Burke Museum. We have made a tiered system for volunteers to participate in to gain more skills and collections knowledge, which in turn helps the department work through their large specimen backlog and give people museum experience. I have been able to connect existing onboarding materials to make “The Bird Book: An Ornithology Volunteer Preparation Guide.”
What attracted you to your project and how do you think it capitalizes on what your coursework has taught you?
I was attracted to my project because it was built directly on top of my internship at the Burke and I got to continue to build relationships with people there. Through talking with my supervisor, we knew that it was an opportunity to help an issue in the department and make the volunteer program more robust. In connection with my coursework, I have been able to put it in action and use what I have learned in labs to really feel like I can be a voice of knowledge for the project.
In what ways has your project felt different from an internship?
My project feels different from my internship because it has a few more people involved, which includes my thesis committee. I also know that I have a final outcome to present that will outlast me and hopefully be beneficial to the department. I am also seen as someone who has a special set of skills and knowledge that is taking the lead, which can be different from an internship. It is also much longer and more of a commitment, but ultimately it is extremely rewarding.
What has kept you motivated when things got tough?
What has kept me motivated when things got tough is the idea of the final product and what it can look like in action. A fear that I outgrew was doing my initial evaluation, which gave me helpful results but involved me having to do something I had never done before. But without getting through that, I wouldn’t have the answers I needed to make my project better.
At what moment did it start to feel like your project? How supportive have your project sponsors been of your ideas?
It started to feel like my project right from the beginning as it was something I proposed to my internship supervisor. She has always been supportive from the start and has been extremely collaborative, as well as filling in the gaps of institutional knowledge that I don’t have that make the project stronger. This may not be the case for everyone as you sometimes jump into a project that is already fleshed out, and you have to find other ways to make it feel more personalized. I feel really lucky to be collaborating with a department that is very open and trusting.
What did your project teach you about the kind of professional you want to be?
My project has taught me that I would like to be someone in the field who is collaborative and wants to make existing structures work better for the greater good. It has made me want to make museum work more accessible, especially in a time like this and volunteering is where most people get their start.