Beneski Museum Student Educators (Docents)
Name: Cirdan Kearns '26
Hometown: Wendell, Massachusetts
Major: Geology
Activities on campus: Beneski Museum, FrostFinds
Hobbies: Hiking, outdoor skills, kayaking, drawing, 3D digital art, creative writing, piano
Favorite question asked in the museum: “Where are its wings?” (referring to the wingless moa bird)
My name is Cirdan Kearns, and I’ve done several research projects with the Beneski Museum since elementary school. I’m from Wendell, a little town north of Amherst, and I’ve always been amazed that dinosaur fossils were found just a short drive downhill in the Connecticut River Valley! Paleontology has long been my greatest passion, so I love it when visitors ask questions about the specimens or when kids make me name all the dino figurines on the front desk. I’m very grateful to work at a place that holds such vast treasures of scientific knowledge, which I hope to contribute to in my own research on the collections. When I’m not on campus, I’m out observing living wildlife in my town’s State Forest.
Name: Jeffrey Sheng '26 (he/him)
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Prospective Major: English & Math
Hobbies: cooking, new languages, night hikes
Favorite question asked in the museum: Which floor are we on?
Hey! I'm Jeffrey and I came to Amherst from San Diego, though I was originally born on the East Coast. My areas of study aren’t the most related to Beneski, but working here has made me genuinely interested in fossils and minerals. I’ve loved learning new things about the natural sciences every day, especially while cataloguing the (899) minerals in our hallway. Come chat with me at jsheng26@amherst.edu!
Name: Rania Adouim '26 (she/her)
Name: Annika Baldwin '24
Hometown: Princeton, New Jersey
Major: Biology
Activities on campus: Kristensen Lab Research Assistant, Outing Club, Environmental Studies TA
Hobbies: Shell collecting and fish fanaticism
Favorite question asked in museum: Can I touch that?
Hello! I'm Annika from the class of 2024. I applied to be a docent at the Beneski my freshman year because I love museums and I love biology---what better than a museum full of (long dead) biology, then! It is so exciting that the museum is finally open after being closed for COVID for most of my college career, and I love getting to meet all the little kids with encyclopedic knowledge of paleontology.
Name: Fiona Anstey '24
Hometown: Concord, MA
Major: Geology and Math
Hobbies: Hiking, rock collecting, rowing crew, watching 80s movies...
Favorite question asked in the museum: anything about the Stenomylus hitchcocki :)
Hello! My name is Fiona, and I grew up in Tokyo, Japan with my mom, my dad, and my younger brother. I started working at the Beneski museum in my freshman year. But you could say I started preparing for the job before then; as a seven year old I used to make my parents attend ‘tours’ of my rock collection. Now I get to live out those dreams every time I'm in the museum! When I'm not in Beneski, you might find me rowing on the Connecticut River, planning the next river cleanup with the Sustainable Ocean Alliance club, or convincing my friends to take more geology classes! (You should, too :) See you in the museum!
Name: Ben Clark-Eden ‘25 (he/him/his)
Hometown: Littlehampton, England
Prospective Major: Psychology and Film/Media
Activities on Campus: Men’s soccer team, social media intern, DEI representative for men's soccer team
Hobbies: Reading, Hiking, Video Games, Sitting on Memorial Hill
Favorite question asked in the Museum: How much of the Mammoth skeleton is real?
Hello! My name is Ben, and I’m an international student from Littlehampton, a small town on the south coast of England. I am on the men's soccer team, and I also work as a social media intern for the Office of Communications. I first started working at the Beneski Museum in the summer of 2022, as an intern, during which my main project was to create a Beneski YouTube channel. Now that the YouTube channel exists, my role is to continue developing content for the channel whilst growing our virtual audience across all social media platforms. My favorite thing about working at the Beneski is the opportunity to engage with the community, both in person during my docent shifts, and virtually, through the creation of content and materials that are available online. I also like that even though I had no previous experience in museum work, paleontology, or geology, the open curriculum allowed me to take a few geology classes, which piqued my interest in the museum and ultimately led to my interest in working here, which I have really enjoyed.
Name: Pierre Venne '24
Hometown Northampton MA
Major(s): Economics and French
Activities on Campus: Men’s Rowing, Newman Club, Beneski Museum
Hobbies: Running, Rubik’s cubing
Favorite question asked in the Museum: How does an Econ major work at Beneski?
Hi, I’m Pierre and I’m from Northampton MA. When I came to Amherst I was unsure of where my passions would lead me, but Amherst allowed me to explore various interests (such as Russian). I am the captain of the Men’s Rowing Club Team at Amherst so a lot of my time has been spent working out and competing with my friends, some of them work at Beneski too! You can find me studying almost anywhere on campus, though I do like the Science Center. If you have any questions about Beneski, economics, French, or rowing, email me at pvenne24@amherst.edu.
Name: Ariana Ravitch '24
Hometown: Hopatcong, NJ
Major: Education Studies and Psychology
Hobbies: Annoying my dog, Figure skating, Reading old books
Favorite question asked in the museum: "How did this get dead?
Hello! My name is Ariana, and I transferred to Amherst College spring 2022, because I fell in love with the College's immersive learning environment. My goal in life is to spread and partake in the joyful acquisition of knowledge, which is why I would like to become a teacher. My interest in education was what led me to the Beneski museum, and I have been lucky enough to work with student groups and amazing educators during my time as a docent. Working at the Beneski really rocks, and like the meteorites, this job is out of this world!
Name: Adela Thompson Page ’26 (she/her)
Hometown: Vashon, Washington
Major: undecided
Hobbies: hiking, reading, playing guitar, cooking
Favorite Question Asked in the Museum: What happened to Atlantica?
Bio: Hi, I’m Adela and I’m from a small island in Puget Sound off the coast of Seattle. I grew up on my family’s small animal farm, and after high school I took a gap year and spent my time working on a ranch/non-profit/land-trust/summer-camp (yes, it is somehow all of these things) in rural Eastern Washington. I find lots of value in spending as much time as possible in the woods, sans technology and bright lights. Spending a year away from traditional school made me all the more excited to come to Amherst and learn from the people here, professors and peers alike!
Name: Ellie Kerns '24
Hometown: Newburyport, MA
Major: Environmental Studies and Art History
Activities on Campus: Project Coordinator for the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, Treasurer for the
Native and Indingenous Students Association, Beneski Museum of Natural History Docent,
Member of the Student Committee for the “Boundless” Exhibition at the Mead Art Museum, club
tennis, and club frisbee.
Hobbies: Running, drawing, hiking, making mochas
Favorite question asked in the museum: Is there a gift shop?
Hey! My name is Ellie and I am from northeastern Massachusetts, right on the beach! Amherst has been an amazing experience so far because it has allowed me to explore all m academic and extracurricular interests. I have met so many wonderful people through my classes and clubs. In addition to the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and the NISA, I have tried rowing, frisbee, and tennis… ask me what I will try next! When you don’t find me going on long runs, third floor frost, taking pictures of squirrels, or making a mocha in Val, I am probably working at or wandering around the Beneski Museum of Natural History! I would love to answer any questions (or see your Amherst squirrel pictures!!), email me at ekerns24@amherst.edu.
Name: Jay Baldwin ‘25 (he/him/his)
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio\
Major: Geology, American Studies
Hobbies: Trans Connection Project, Archery, GUAC (Geologists Underrepresented at Amherst College), Disability/Neurodivergence Alliance, embroidery, looking at cool rocks
Favorite question asked in the museum: What is your favorite part of the museum?
Hi! I’m Jay Baldwin and I’m from Ohio. I spent half my life in Columbus and half in Cincinnati. When I came to Amherst, I intended to go into policy analysis. However, with the freedom of the open curriculum, I found my love of Geology and American Studies. Amherst provided me an amazing opportunity to combine my many academic interests under the guidance of an incredible community of professors and faculty. You can find me doing archery in Tyler, hanging out in the QRC, or working in Beneski (whether I’m in class, working in the museum, or just doing homework). If you have any questions about the museum or being trans on campus, feel free to email me at jbaldwin25@amherst.edu.
Name: Connor Farquhar '26 (He/Him/His)
Hometown: West Hartford, CT
Major: BCBP and Anthropology
Hobbies: Birdwatching, Quiz Bowl,
Favorite question asked in the museum: “Aren't those ( ivory-billed woodpeckers) the ones you see in the forest near here? “(My grandfather)
Hello! I’m Connor from Connecticut (hey that rhymes). Now in my 2nd year, I am certain that Amherst is the best! When I am not in the museum, you can usually find me in the Wu Orr lab, studying bacterial proteins or taking walks in the bird sanctuary (when it's warm). After graduating, I hope to become an infectious disease researcher at the CDC or NIH, studying pathogenesis and genetics. In the meantime, I am pursuing majors in Biochemistry and Anthropology with the hope of integrating the social and biological components of disease. Feel free to email me any questions about Amherst (or bird identification) at cfarquhar26@amherst.edu.
Names: James Knowlton '25 (Abroad Spring 2024)
Hometown: Haddam, CT
Major: Undecided
Activities on Campus: Political Science Research Assistant, Beneski Museum Docent, Sailing Team Captain, Route 9 Acapella, Club Soccer
Hobbies: Reading, hiking, sailing, running, watching movies, napping
Favorite question asked at the museum: What's your favorite part about the museum?
Hello everyone! My name's James and I'm from Connecticut. I came to Amherst after taking a gap year to avoid the worst of Covid year and have thoroughly enjoyed my experience so far. The campus is beautiful for getting outside and walking around but often with all the opportunities on campus I find myself extremely busy with numerous student activities, clubs, and of course classwork. Because I'm interested in so many different things I'm still exploring different majors and am not sure at all what I want to study but have enjoyed math, political science, and computer science so far.
Name: Alex Lapadat '26 (they/them)
Hometown: Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania
Major: Neuroscience
Activities on Campus: Beneski Museum of Natural History Docent, Member of several clubs: the Outing Clubs, Amnesty, the Film Society…
Hobbies: visiting museums, exploring the nature of MA, debating, listening to music and piano playing, spending time with friends
Favorite questions asked in the museum: Are the human skulls real?
Hey everyone! My name is Alex and I'm from Romania. I’m a second year student majoring in neuroscience. I’m only at the beginning of my Amherst career, but I feel like it already had an amazing impact on me and my perspective of the world. When I’m not studying on the first floor of Frost or in Beneski, I spend my time watching shows and documentaries, walking around the city, gaming, hanging out with my friends in CISE or at Late Night at Val. If you have any questions, contact me at alapadat26@amherst.edu!
Name: Alexandra Olson ’25 (she/her/hers)
Hometown: Centennial, Colorado
Major: Chemistry, Classics
Activities on campus: Symphony Orchestra, Equestrian Team, Goutte Lab Research Assistant, Charles Drew Health Professionals Society, Beneski Museum
Hobbies: Drawing, kayaking, reading (pretty much anything!)
Favorite question asked in the museum: What’s your favorite museum specimen?
Hello! My name is Lexi Olson, and I’m from the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains above Denver, Colorado. Paleontology was one of my greatest interests when I was younger, and my passion for scientific inquiry has now translated into my current research in biochemistry and my work at Beneski. I have found that the museum holds many applications to the rest of my studies: whether it involves the Latin etymology of a species’ name, the chemical mineralization of fossils, the biology of equines, or the archaeological history of human civilization, the museum and the liberal arts nature of Amherst has allowed me to keep my various passions alive.
Name: Catherine Charnoky '24
Hometown: Ithaca, NY
Major: Environmental Studies
Hobbies: crocheting, hiking, yoga, singing a cappella
Favorite question asked at the museum: how did the dinosaurs fit through the door to get into the museum?
Hello! My name is Catherine and I am a Senior Environmental Studies major. I appreciate how Amherst allows me to explore my wide range of interests and try new things, like working at the Beneski! Working at the Beneski Museum is a highlight of my week. I love the ambiance in the museum, interacting with the visitors, and being in the presence of fossils that are millions of years old. On campus I also sing in the a cappella group Terras Irradient, work as a research assistant for the Mead Art Museum, and work as a field hand at the Book and Plow Farm. If you have any questions feel free to email me at ccharnoky24@amherst.edu.
Name: Taku Mhuru '24
Hometown: Masvingo, Zimbabwe
Major: Statistics and Computer Science
Hobbies: Writing, Photography, Choreography
Favorite question asked in the museum: "Do you study this?" (and the surprise that comes after I say my majors)
My name is Taku. I am a junior from Zimbabwe(where the oldest African dinosaur was recently discovered!) I love working in the museum because every time I am on my shift, I learn something new about the amazing fossils we have on display. I also love meeting new people and working at Beneski gives me that opportunity. Seeing the looks of wonder when old people see older specimens and hearing the squeals of delight from small kids when I hand them smaller dinosaur stickers makes my docent job all the more worthwhile.
Name: Kaili Maurice '26
Hometown: Goodyear, AZ
Major: Geology
Activities on Campus: Beneski Museum of Natural History Docent, Post Office Clerk, GUAC (Geologists Underrepresented at Amherst College), Varsity Volleyball, Outing Club
Hobbies: hiking, reading, baking, watching romcoms
Hi everyone! My name is Kaili and I’m a second year geology major! I’m from Central Arizona, in the Greater Phoenix area- it’s been really nice to get a change of scenery here in Massachusetts. I came to Amherst interested in astrophysics, but I quickly fell in love with geology, in large part due to the amazing department. I’m interested in one day doing research at a museum, so I’m really excited to be working at Beneski! I spend quite a bit of time in the building, but if I’m not here, you’d probably find me catching up on some TV shows or outside collecting cool rocks! If you have any questions, I would love to answer them; my email is kmaurice26@amherst.edu!