Giving Day 2026

Explore how Field Museum staff make a huge impact

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  Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by ensuring every guest enjoys a welcoming, engaging experience as they explore our Museum, helping them connect with science in ways that inspire curiosity and lifelong learning. - Calvin Jenkins, Jr., Manager of Visitor Services
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  Giving Day 2026 Quote I make a huge impact by studying reptiles and amphibians, with a favorite interest in snakes and their evolution. I also oversee the Museum’s core research laboratories, which allow for many different types of cutting-edge research and are used by Field scientists and their collaborators.
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  Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by caring for the Museum’s cultural collections from Asia, Europe, and ancient Africa. My work connects descendant communities, researchers, and the public with the cultural items in our care. - Jamie Kelly, McCarter Anthropology Collections Manager
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  Philipp Heck in a suit standing at a podium with a microphone Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by supporting each team of scientists pursuing research across a variety of fields. I also conduct research myself on the origin of the solar system and oversee the Museum’s vast collection of meteorites. - Philipp Heck, Sr. Director of Negaunee Integrative Research Center; Robert A. Pritzker Curator for Meteoritics and Polar Studies; Head, Robert A. Pritzker Center
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  Lesley de Souza of the Field Museum during a break in sampling fishes in the Essequibo River Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by advancing freshwater biodiversity science and translating it into conservation action that protects some of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Through collaborative research, partnerships with Indigenous communities, and policy engagement, I help safeguard critical habitats, strengthen sustainable resource management, and ensure science drives real-world conservation outcomes. - Lesley DeSouza, Senior Conservation Ecologist.
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  Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by advancing the Field Museum’s work in the Andes-Amazon, collaborating with Indigenous leaders and scientists to produce actionable knowledge that helps protect critical ecosystems, strengthen community governance, and translate science into conservation outcomes on the ground. - Jeremy Campbell, Director of the Andes-Amazon Program
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  Giving Day Fabiany Herrera Portrait Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by climbing mountains in Wyoming, South America and Eastern Asia to search for fossil plants and learn more about the earliest rainforests. - Fabiany Herrera, Associate Curator of Paleobotany
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  Giving Day Akiko Shinya Portrait Akiko Shinya Sitting at a laboratory table with a microscope and a fossil. Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by carefully removing rock matrix from fossilized specimens to preserve and uncover their trapped secrets - Akiko Shinya, Chief Fossil Preparator
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  Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by bringing teams of educators together to share the Field’s collections and research with families and the public. Our programs engage learners of all ages to spark a lifelong journey of curiosity. - Rudy Albsmeyer, Public Learning Experiences Director
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  Sophie Picq crouching by a waterbody taking water samples. Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by leveraging cutting-edge technology to gather molecular data on where species live. By identifying the DNA in small samples of water, I can discover what species live in a given area—sometimes revealing brand new understandings of their habitats! - Sophie Picq, Environmental DNA Research Scientist
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  Jim Louderman with a tarantula on his arm surronded by smiling children and having his photo taken on a phone. Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by maintaining our collection of 20 million insects, and sharing insects with kids to spark a lifelong curiosity about some of nature’s smaller species. - Jim Louderman, Insects Collections Assistant
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  Giving Day 2026 Quote: I make a huge impact by researching feathered dinosaurs including the earliest birds. I chase answers to questions like, How did some birds survive the end-Cretaceous mass extinction? and What did T. rex like SUE use their tiny arms for? - Jingmai O'Connor, Associate Curator of Fossil Reptiles