Museum director candidate Carol Diebel to visit next week

Submitted by Kerynn Fisher
Phone: 907-474-6941
05/04/09

The final candidate for the director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North will visit Fairbanks next week for on-site interviews.

Carol Diebel is currently the director of natural environment at the Museum of New Zealand and previously served as the curator of marine biology collections at the Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University and a doctorate in biological oceanography from the joint program in oceanography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

As part of her visit, Diebel will present a free public seminar "Left brain, right brain: Whose turn is it anyway?" on Tuesday, May 12 at 6 p.m. in the museum auditorium. Diebel will talk about her experiences mixing formal scientific background with creative opportunities over the course of her museum career. She plans to give examples that show how her work in research, collections and public engagement--both as an individual and as part of a team--have prepared her for the museum director position.

Members of the community are encouraged to attend this free presentation, which will also be available via a live web stream online at www.uaf.edu/museum/educate/aea/.

Diebel is one of three finalists still under consideration to replace Aldona Jonaitis, who has served as the museum’s director since 1993. A fourth finalist, Brendan Kelly, withdrew from the search in late April.

CONTACT: Kerynn Fisher, University of Alaska Museum of the North communications coordinator, at 907-474-6941 or 907-378-2559.