In the Lab

Kendall Travarca recently graduated from The College of Wooster with a bachelor's degree in environmental geoscience. She has had a passion for paleontology ever since she visited the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as a 3-year-old. This passion was solidified with the completion of her undergraduate thesis, which centered on comparisons of antler-beam diameters of extinct and extant megafaunal moose species. Travarca plans to receive her master's degree and Ph.D. in paleontology, with a focus on extinct megafauna from the Middle and Late Pleistocene Epoch.

Ken Schneider is the Administrative Coordinator for Research & Collections and Natural Areas at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He has been with the Museum since 2015, initially as a Seasonal Land Steward, then as Mentor Marsh Restoration Manager. Prior to coming to the Museum, Schneider worked in the nonprofit world, as a bookseller, and for many years in book publishing. Along with his colleagues, he is a 2019 recipient of the Natural Areas Association’s Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award, granted in recognition of excellence in the management and restoration of the Museum’s Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve.

Amelia Merithew is a recent graduate of Oberlin College, where she earned a B.A. in anthropology and biology while focusing on human evolution and primatology. She’s thrilled to be working with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History this summer as a Biological Anthropology archival intern. She plans to spend the following year teaching English in Cameroon before continuing her studies in paleoanthropology and science education.

Jordyn Wynne is an undergraduate student studying environmental science and biology. She is passionate about exploring the intersection between species behavior and the natural world, particularly its role in survival and social systems. She’s excited to be part of In the Lab and contribute to conversations about what shapes us as primates and makes us unique as humans.