David Levering – Camps Director, Instructor

Camps Director, Science Educator, Paleobiologist

Phone: 785-639-5249

Email: DALevering@FHSU.edu

David joined the Museum staff in 2013. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelors degree in geology in 2007. He also worked as a teaching assistant in the Zoology department at Oklahoma State University from 2010 to 2013, where he graduated with a Master’s of Science. Before coming to the Sternberg, David spent seven summers working in the youth science camp industry. He also worked three summers with the National Park Service at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in southern Idaho. There, he carried out paleontology field and lab work and worked with kids showing them geology and paleontology. He is a published researcher, collaborating with professional academics on work focusing on mammal paleobiology and mechanics. David manages the entire camps program, and oversees program logistics and curriculum design.

Breanda Gomez - Program Assistant

Undergraduate at Amherst University, camps alumnus (2019-2020)

Ethan Couture - Program Assistant

Undergraduate at U. Maine, camps alumnus (2014-2019)

Ethan is a student at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. He is a biology major with a minor in earth science with intentions of going into paleontology. He works with the earth science lab at Umaine during the school year, helping the graduate students with their research. Ethan has been affiliated with the Sternberg camps since 2014, starting with the middle school paleo camp. 

Emily Staufer - Instructor

Graduate student: John Carroll University

Emily Staufer graduated with a B.A. in Biology from Lake Forest College in 2019 and is currently working on her M.S. in Biology at John Carroll University. As an undergraduate, she interned at a wildlife center, where she worked with everything from local snake species to rescued sloths. She loves being in nature and teaching others about wildlife and science, and spent a year as a naturalist for the Cleveland Metroparks. As a graduate assistant, she helps teach undergraduate biology courses and is studying the fascinating world of chemical defenses in poison frogs from Central and South America. Outside of the lab, Emily loves to stay active and is an avid runner, cyclist, hiker, and roller skater. She's excited to share her love of all things slimy, scaly, stinging, and toxic with students this summer!

Jessie McCraw - Instructor

Graduate student: University of Alabama

Jessie is a PhD student at the University of Alabama studying the paleobiology and paleoenvironment of ammonites (extinct cephalopods) using the geochemistry of their shells. Most of her work focuses on marine invertebrate paleontology. Originally from California, she received her B.S. in Geosciences from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 2018, and then her M.S.in Earth Science from Syracuse University in New York in 2020. While finishing her Master's, she worked as a Natural Resource Interpreter at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. While there, she spent her time hunting for ammonites in the Pierre Shale and exploring the scenery and wildlife of the Black Hills. Jessie loves sharing her passion and knowledge of the Earth with everyone who will listen. She also loves a good Netflix or Fantasy book binge, ice cream, cats and being outdoors in the sun!

Marjie Cone – Instructor

Geosciences student, camps alumnus (2015-2017)

Marjie is a student at University of Illinois, majoring in Geology with emphasis on paleontology. Marjie has had a lifelong love of fossils and minerals, leading her to pursue geoscience as a career path. During the summer, Marjie works as a camps program assistant in the field and in the office, working with students and managing logistics. During the school year, Marjie helps with the development and improvement of the camps program. In her own words: “I began my affiliation with the Sternberg Museum in 2015 when I was looking for some way to gain experience in the field, and found the Sternberg’s summer science camps. I participated in the paleontology field camp as a sophomore in high school and I loved it so much that I have been returning for the past two summers as a camp counselor/ teaching assistant. These camps are more than just a fun experience, but a unique educational opportunity that has enabled me to expand my horizons and give back to the scientific community.”

Maggie Wolf – Instructor

Biology student, camps alumnus (2015-2017)

Maggie Wolf is a student at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. She is a Biology and Spanish double major and hopes to continue her education and eventually conduct research. Maggie has had extensive experience in the outdoors through Girl Scouts and Venturing Crew. She participated as a student in Sternberg Paleontology Camp (2015), Southwest Biology Camp (2016), and Expedition Ecuador (2017). During the summer, Maggie works as a camps  program assistant in the field and in the office, working with students and managing logistics. During the school year, Maggie manages our wildlife data processing, including overseeing the work of our student interns. She also helps with the development of new camps, and making improvements to existing camps.

Gui Aksit – Instructor 

Graduate student: University of Oregon

Gui is geologist with a love of all things volcanoes. She graduated from Ohio University in 2009 with a B.A. in Anthropology and went on to receive a B.S. in Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington in 2019. She interned at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in the Summer of 2019, conducting fieldwork at Glacier Peak, WA to unravel the eruptive history of this Cascade volcano. Gui is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Oregon researching how topography controls dike propagation at Summer Coon volcano in Colorado. Gui loves summers in the field and is excited to share this passion with budding geoscientists!

Keri Maricle – Instructor 

Biologist, Science Educator

Keri Maricle is originally from North Texas, and has lived in Hays for the past seven years building an educational background in biology with an emphasis in botany. She graduated with her B.S. in Biology from Fort Hays State University (FHSU) in 2015, and her M.S. in Biology from FHSU in 2017. Maricle taught undergraduate laboratories in biology and botany at FHSU while she was a graduate student from 2015-2017. Currently, Maricle is the biology instructor at Thomas More-Prep Marian where she teaches courses in general biology, advanced biology, as well as human anatomy and physiology. She also works individually with her high school students on research projects to present at science fairs and conferences. In her spare time, Maricle enjoys spending time with her family including planning botanical adventures with her husband (a fellow botanist).

Catherine Sartin – Instructor 

Paleontologist, Biology Professor

Cat is a vertebrate paleontologist who is at home both in the field and the laboratory. Her latest work has been on the growth of a group of dinosaurs known as the  ornithopods. This group includes the  iguanodontians (Aladar in Disney’s “Dinosaur”) and the  hadrosaurs. To study their growth, she made thin sections (microscope slides) of dozens of bones, of all different sized individuals. Before this project, she investigated the traits that paleontologists use to determine what bones belong to what species. She has done field work all over the United States – in Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Florida and more. She has also works abroad in southern Alberta and in the Gansu Province of China. When she’s not digging up fossils or researching them, she teaches in the Biology Department at Fort Hays State University. This is Catherine’s second year as an instructor, working with the high school paleontology students in 2018.

Alyssa DeRubeis – Instructor

Alyssa DeRubeis is an aspiring avian ecologist and educator. She grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where pond critters, backyard toads, and local birds captivated her. In 2013, Alyssa obtained her Bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. During her time as an undergrad, she conducted research on grassland raptors, Greater Prairie-Chickens, and frogs and water quality; and helped with other research and educational projects. While attending college and for several years after, Alyssa worked in Alaska, the Upper Midwest, Arkansas, and Belize. You could find her surveying grassland and wetland birds, counting raptors, and teaching children about ecology. Finally, her travels led her back to the University of Arkansas, where she taught introductory biology labs and completed her Master’s degree on tallgrass prairie bird habitat ecology. Alyssa’s favorite hobbies are bird-watching, nature photography, watercolor painting, cooking, and dancing.

Reid Psaltis – Instructor

Professional Illustrator and Sculptor

Reid Psaltis is an illustrator, sculptor and natural history enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest. Always interested in expressing an interest in animals through art, he majored in oil painting at Western Washington University, completed the science illustration graduate program at California State University Monterey Bay, and interned in the exhibitions department at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Recent achievements include the publication of  Kingdom/Order and  The Order of Things: A Bestiary  by  Secret Acres Books and being awarded a grant from the  Regional Arts and Culture Council. Reid currently lives in Portland, Oregon where he works as a freelancer and manages a shared studio spaced called Magnetic North. He is also presently working as an Artist in Residence at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

Kellum Tate-Jones – Instructor 

Graduate student: University of Oregon

After working as an ICU nurse for 4 and a half years, Kellum left the medical field to pursue her dream of becoming a vertebrate paleontologist. She graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in summer of 2017 and began her Ph.D. program at the University of Oregon that fall. Kellum studies marine mammals and the transition from terrestrial to aquatic environments, and is extremely passionate about sharing the wonder of the earth sciences with the public. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, rock hounding, fantasy fiction, and pestering her cat.

Molly Hunt – Instructor

Molly is an Undergraduate Student in The School of Earth Sciences at The Ohio State University. She has been conducting paleontological research since high school. Currently, she focuses on rodent body size evolution throughout geological time. Molly also works as the Education and Collections Assistant at the Orton Geological Museum on OSU’s campus. She has done fieldwork both in the United States and internationally; in addition, she has worked as a paleontology intern at The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs South Dakota. When she is not working or taking classes Molly enjoys being a Board Member of the Education Division and Student Advisory Council of the Geological Society of America. She plans to attend graduate school, gaining a Ph.D. and working as a curator of vertebrate paleontology at a major American museum. She is very excited to join this year’s Sternburg Science Camp team!

Megan Wyatt – Instructor

Graduate student: Stonybrook University

Megan is a paleontology PhD student at Stony Brook University in New York. She graduated with a Bachelors in both biology and Earth sciences from University of Oregon where Megan fell in love with fossils. Megan researches how mammals have changed since the Cretaceous Mass Extinction and enjoys learning about bizarre creatures that used to roam the Earth. When she is not looking at fossils, Megan enjoys taking photos outside and cuddling with her cat.

Lissie Connors – Instructor

Graduate student: University of Oregon

Lissie is a graduate student at the University of Oregon, where she studies how volcanic gasses drive explosive volcanic eruptions in Eastern Africa. Fascinated by the inner workings of volcanic systems, Lissie has done fieldwork on ancient and active volcanoes across the globe, from the western US, to Iceland and New Zealand. After graduating with a B.S. in Geology from Lafayette College in 2018, she worked with the National Park Service at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Eastern Oregon. She’s excited to teach students this summer about her backyard volcanoes the Cascades!

Brandon Schmidt - Counselor

Biology student; Camps alumnus (2018-2019)

Brenna Koehler - Counselor

Biology student, Camps alumnus (2016-2019)