Seeing Results

Research jobs appeal to many recent graduates, including Rachel Marino ’13. However, not all of those jobs offer researchers the chance to apply their discoveries to real-life situations. Luckily for Marino, a research coordinator in the Education and Public Programs department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, she sees firsthand how her work ties into the educational programs at the museum and the students and teachers that participate in them.

As a psychology major, Marino got her taste for research from working with Travis Wilson, assistant professor of psychology at Oberlin. After taking several classes with Wilson and assisting him with his research on classroom culture, Marino was hooked.

During her time at Oberlin, Marino also served as the Dr. Seuss Day coordinator, organizing the annual literacy day event at the Oberlin Public Library. “That experience sparked my interest in public programming, which led me to the position I have now,” Marino says.

The students and teachers who benefit from education programs offered by the museum come from a school district with limited or zero funding for field trips and art-based curriculum. “These programs make the museum more accessible to those groups of kids who otherwise might not be able to come here, and they give them the space to think about and create art,” Marino says.

Once Marino’s grant-funded research position comes to an end, she plans to continue in the same line of work, and someday pursue a graduate degree in teaching, education policy-making, or research.