April 2026 Member of the Month
Meet Laila Cook (she/her), Graduate Associate in Education at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History!
What’s one thing — either industry/work-related or not — you learned in the past month?
I finally learned how to properly cook a steak on a cast iron skillet! I love to cook and it was a task too scary for me until now!
What do you value about your membership with AAMG?
I have really appreciated the professional learning opportunities and networking that AAMG brings to its members.
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I really wanted to be a cowgirl. I had this pleather outfit with chaps that I rarely ever took off!
If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
I would trade places with Aretha Franklin. I love her music and she was an incredible advocate for women’s and civil rights with her fame. I would love to see what a day in her life was like.
Book/Author suggestion?
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson! It is dark but I always find myself coming back to it!
What do you enjoy most about being a part of an academic museum?
I love the intersection of research, student voice, and experiential learning. As an educator, I love to share scientific research with the university and K-12 audience in unique ways!
What are your hopes for our industry?
I hope there are more professional development opportunities for museum educators outside of traditional education theory. I would also love to see more collaboration across institutions!
Bonus: Do you have a favorite joke to share?
What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A Thesaurus!
