Kayla Roumie (left) and Megan Myers (right)
During a Cedar Creek Family Science Day this past fall, a young child came up to Megan Myers holding a bug — a common occurrence. The kid excitedly announced that it looked like a bug from back home in Ukraine. “It was a good reminder that connecting with nature helps connect people with a place,” reflects Myers. “While a quick interaction, it really stuck with me.”
Myers is part of the new Science Education Apprentice Program at Cedar Creek. Alongside Kayla Roumie, the pair are part of the inaugural program, which is designed to provide opportunities to college graduates interested in science education and research. Funded by the National Science Foundation’s Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research program and philanthropic support, the program focuses on developing participants into community leaders, educators and researchers.
Roumie graduated from Temple University in 2025 with degrees in environmental studies and English. She’s enjoyed the ability to explore numerous areas as part of the apprenticeship, from analyzing environmental data to supporting young learners. The community engagement aspect of the apprenticeship is her favorite part of the role. “You never know what people are going to ask or say,” Roumie says. “This makes things unpredictable, but in a challenging and fun way.”
Before becoming an apprentice, Myers spent a year working as a Minnesota GreenCorps member. The new role gives her the opportunity to dig into the research side a bit more and take on new responsibilities. Myers also worked in Climate Impact Corps after graduating from Concordia College in 2023, where she studied international politics and Spanish.
This past fall, one Family Science Day focused on prescribed burning in Cedar Creek’s prairies and oak savannas since the 1960s. The pair led about a dozen community members — both adults and children — through a series of activities to illustrate the role of fire in the ecosystems. Participants learned about the impact of prescribed burns through hands-on activities. The apprentices guided them through an activity focusing on interpreting data collected from plots that had been burned and plots that were left untouched.
“We are given a lot of freedom to design the activities and structure the events, which is both exciting and challenging,” says Myers.
The Family Science Days allow Myers and Roumie to develop new programs together and test out different approaches. They enjoy working in the supportive Cedar Creek community, where they have access to faculty and staff with expertise in a wealth of topics and are encouraged to try new things.
For Kara Baldwin, Cedar Creek’s Education and Community Engagement Coordinator, having some additional bandwidth to support programs is a huge win for Cedar Creek, expanding opportunities for more community members to engage and learn onsite. “The apprentices are creative and passionate. It’s fun to see them run with new ideas,” she shares. “There’s also a lot of energy and laughter in the building these days.” –Claire Wilson