Beverly Baker has spent much of her life dedicated to environmental sciences. She's always had a passion for math and science and was constantly drawn to the outdoors and to discovering more about the world around her. As she describes it, "I've wanted to be a fish ever since I was a child!" In college, Beverly studied Atmospheric Science and then went to work for Greenpeace. After a few years, she earned a Masters degree in Physical Oceanography and then worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for many years. In 2008, Beverly was excited to learn about The Sant Ocean Hall exhibition and signed on as an Education & Outreach volunteer.

When she's at the Museum, Beverly can often be found behind the giant squid case, where visitors can learn about the open ocean, one of her areas of expertise. The case is a great jumping off point for many questions about ocean and marine life and visitors often ask how specimens were found. Questions like these are typical when Beverly uses a Discover Station to showcase and share information through hands-on experiences, developed to help visitors make connections and better understand the exhibition. "The public is hungry for knowledge and they love demonstrations." Last fall, Beverly worked with a Discover Station that showed what happens when the land meets the ocean. "It clearly demonstrated that everything you do on land impacts the planet. If you can get that across to young visitors, it has real meaning."

She also enjoys helping the many teachers and kids that come to the Museum in school groups. As an African American scientist, Beverly recognizes how important it is to show all children the possibilities and opportunities that are available to them. "I'll approach anyone that comes into the exhibit and talk to them about being a scientist." The time she spends as a volunteer has now become an important part of her life. "It's an honor and a privilege to be a part of making this information available to the public."

For Jangela Shumskas, becoming a volunteer for Dig It! at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History hasn't just been a way to give back to her community; it's also served as inspiration for her career. As a graduate student pursuing a Master's degree in Strategic Security, the time she's spent at the Museum has influenced her thesis, and has even led to a paper entitled "In Defense of Soil," which examines what's happening to the world's soil and how it might impact our national security.

A volunteer since summer 2008, Jangela often finds herself connecting with visitors through a Discover Station. One day in particular, a father and his two young children were looking at specimens and making observations. The little girl, aged six, asked why the Bess beetle had hair. Although she had looked at the beetle countless times, Jangela hadn't noticed the hair and was struck by how observant kids could be when they are really interested in something. The fact that touch is encouraged in Dig It! is a major attraction for kids, Jangela says. "It's a very family friendly exhibition."

Teens are another group Jangela encounters often in the exhibition. While some race through, others stop to ask questions and "…really come around if something surprises them." After just one year as a volunteer, Jangela has embraced her role and looks forward to her time in the Museum. "I love encouraging the visitors to connect the Dig It! exhibition with elements from other parts of the Museum – they start to see how nature touches every part of their world."

Russ Waddell started as a volunteer with the National Museum of Natural History in the early 1980's. As an Air Force pilot flying helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes at a nearby base, Russ had a flexible schedule and was looking for interesting opportunities to volunteer while he was stationed in the DC area. Wanting to become involved with the Smithsonian, Russ inquired about opportunities at the Museum and volunteered in the Naturalist Center from 1982 – 1985.

Russ retired from the military in 2001 and he and his family moved back to the Washington area. A few years later the volunteering urge struck again, so he contacted the Museum of Natural History once more. In 2004, Russ joined the Museum's Discovery Room, a hands-on destination for families and children. In the Discovery Room, Russ introduces young visitors to the wonders of the natural world by working one-on-one with them to explore objects from the Museum's collections.

From the animals on the Discovery Room's biodiversity wall – foxes, turtles and ducks to name a few – to the microscopes, specimens and bones that are meant to be touched, there is a lot to see and experience. Each visitor brings new questions and countless interesting answers. "Over the twenty years that I've been volunteering, I've grown into my role and most enjoy interacting with visitors. Their excitement is really contagious." He likes asking children questions like, "What makes a duck a duck?" and helping them to find new ways of looking and thinking about their world. Russ also loves helping kids make connections between the objects in the Discovery Room and those throughout the rest of the Museum. "When you see someone's face light up with a discovery and a connection, it's really rewarding."

What happens when an accomplished 2nd grade teacher and former clown retires? Naturally, she becomes a volunteer with the National Museum of Natural History's Live Butterfly Pavilion.

Jo-Lynn Westlund, who spent more than 30 years as a Fairfax County teacher and 10 years as a professional clown, came to the Smithsonian looking for opportunities to continue learning and to interact with people. The timing coincided with training sessions for the launch of Butterflies and Plants: Partners in Evolution, including the Live Butterfly Pavilion, in early 2008. She signed on as an Education & Outreach Volunteer, went through training and now spends one day a week with the beautiful winged creatures in the Pavilion. The experience has been more than she ever expected it to be and, "Very rewarding! I love it when you open the door for visitors and they say 'Wow, this is so cool! Are they real?'"

Like all Museum Volunteers, Jo-Lynn uses her background and expertise to help visitors get the most out of what they see and experience. For instance, when a butterfly lands on someone, she'll tell him or her it's a "butterfly kiss," and asks visitors questions to encourage them to experience the butterfly's world. While a background as a teacher is a big help in her role as a volunteer, Jo-Lynn's experiences as a clown add just as much. When she studied to be a clown, she learned it was easy for people to have fun around her. At the Museum, she uses jokes to help visitors learn how to observe butterflies and often has a pocketful of stickers for young kids as a way to acknowledge a keen observation or a question that helps them to learn more.

In her role as a Volunteer, she's found that she can use her knowledge and experience to help visitors discover new things– and learn about the world around them. Jo-Lynn is just one example of a volunteer who recognizes the value that a little guidance from a friendly face can have on a visitor's experience, offering, "whatever you put into it, you're going to get back ten-fold."