MITRE Employees Prowl "The Nation's Attic"

May 2004

Inez and Russ answering questions at the National Museum of American History.

On your next visit to any of the 16 Smithsonian Institution museums, take a quick glance toward the information desks near the entrances. Depending on what day you come, you might find some familiar faces seated behind the desks assisting visitors.

At the Arthur M. Sackler Art Gallery, for example, you might find Susan Hawman, who works at MITRE's Hanover, Md. site, directing visitors toward an exhibit of Chinese Luohan paintings. Across the National Mall, at the National Museum of American History, you might bump into Hawman again as she shows a youngster how a 19th century bicycle operated, or you might find Inez Dinwoodie of Corporate Communications and Knowledge Services (CCKS) behind the information desk, determining for a visitor what the "S" in Harry S. Truman stands for (it stands for nothing).

Next door at the National Museum of Natural History, Russell Woolard, also of CCKS, might be fielding a question about why the dinosaurs went extinct (theories abound, but most scientists believe it involved either an asteroid or a volcanic eruption that incinerated earth's onetime rulers). And a few miles northwest of the Mall at the National Zoo, which is part of the Smithsonian system, Amy Nahirny, a secretary working in CIIS, may be discussing the eating habits of various primates with visitors.

What moves these MITRE employees to volunteer at the Smithsonian? In essence, many of the same factors that drew them to MITRE—the chances volunteering offers to learn, to interact with diverse people, and to provide a form of public service.

"You represent the museum sitting there," said Dinwoodie. "You have to try to make people feel welcome and happy to be there. I enjoy meeting visitors who come from different places, talking to them, and making their visits more rewarding. Some of them are totally amazed that you can go into the museum free of charge; that's getting to be a rare thing these days. And the volunteers that you meet there are interesting. They come from diverse backgrounds, have a variety of jobs, and they're different ages."

But no matter their backgrounds, all have found a way to contribute to a museum as diverse as the people who work there. The Smithsonian features exhibits and activities covering art, science, history, biology, and many other topics. Volunteers can work in the public eye as information specialists or behind the scenes helping curators and researchers. They may, as Hawman has done, become docents—people who lead tours of all or parts of a museum and answer questions from visitors.

"It's hard work, and you're on your feet a lot, but it's lots of fun," said Nahirny. "If you're shy and don't like to talk to people, I don't recommend it. For me, meeting people that have similar interests has helped me come out of my shell."

The payoff for the hard work comes in many forms. Volunteers are often treated to behind-the-scenes peaks at new exhibits. Recent examples include the renovated Mammal Hall at Natural History, the "America on the Move" exhibit at American History, and a special exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum commemorating the centennial of the Wright Brothers' first flight. That was of particular interest to Woolard, a native of North Carolina, where the Wrights first flew.

"In the early '70s, I tagged along on a family vacation to the Outer Banks, which included a stop at the Wright Brothers National Memorial," said Woolard. "I went into the main museum building and was crushed to find the plane on display was a mere replica. I started whining, as eight-year-olds will, 'Where is the plane? I want to see what those guys flew in. Where is the real plane?' And my parents told me it was in some place called the Smithsonian. That sort of started it all."

But when MITRE's Smithsonian volunteers recount their favorite stories, they usually involve moments where they helped people and sparked interest in the things that interest them. Hawman recalls one day when she was working in the American History Museum's Hands on History Room, which includes a number of interactive exhibits. Hawman was showing a young girl how to put a harness on a mule to plow, as American farmers did before tractors came along. Before long, the girl's grandmother, who was sitting nearby, interjected with stories from her own youth spent on a farm in the early 20th century.

"As the grandmother talked, the girl's eyes were wide open," said Hawman. "She couldn't believe her grandmother would do something so exciting. It was so cool to see different generations talking like that. Chances are the subject would never have come up in their daily lives. That's the kind of stuff that makes it all worthwhile... I enjoy being with people, and I enjoy introducing them to something I love."

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