Scientist for a Day: Collection Care and Conservation

Ages: 9-12 years

Looking for an educational and exciting activity for the winter school holidays? Consider joining our Scientist for a Day: Collection Care and Conservation program, a full-day workshop designed for young minds aged 9-12.

Our Collection Care and Conservation team plays a very important role at the Museum. Conservators are responsible for protecting the Australian Museum’s renowned collections – from preserving archaeological and cultural objects, rare books and archives, to biology and geology specimens.

This special Scientist for a Day program includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the Australian Museum Research Institution, where you’ll meet two expert conservators, Sheldon Teare and Silvia Da Rocha. Learn about the essential work of conserving and preserving museum collections for the future, and understand how materials work with each other.

Throughout the day, you will get hands-on with experiments, the art of taxidermy, and explore ways to safely transport objects. You will also discover the techniques used by conservators to prevent deterioration and minimise the impact of known deterioration on the collections.

This program is an excellent opportunity for children to learn about the importance of museum collections and the essential work of conservators. So why not give them the chance to be a Scientist for a Day and experience the wonders of collection care and conservation first-hand?

Sheldon is Natural Sciences Conservator for the Life and Geosciences collections at the Australian Museum. He is responsible for providing expert advice and Conservation treatments across 10 collection areas totalling 20 million specimens. Sheldon has specialised in the care of Natural Sciences collections for 10 years and is a strong advocate for ensuring Natural Science collections receive the same status and care as other collections. He coordinates and undertakes the majority of Natural Sciences conservation treatments within the unit. Sheldon has been an active member of the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM) for many years, he is currently a peer reviewed Professional Member of AICCM.

Silvia Da Rocha is a Natural Science Conservator – this is basically a funny title to describe looking after and fixing the millions of specimens that can be found in science collections in museums. Silvia trained at the University of Melbourne to become a Conservator and decided she preferred working on anything 3D. She has zipped around the world working in museums across Europe and Australia. She has worked on many varied things including peculiar glowing modern art pieces, ancient Egyptian funerary objects, and a very large taxidermied sunfish right here at the Australian Museum. Silvia loves animals, museums, history, ghost stories, and all the squishy things in jars.