Nationality: American (SA Permanent resident)

Institution:  University of Cape Town

Department:  Geological Sciences

PAST programme support: Other

Project title: Fireside Stories: Using the power of firelight to inspire learners and connect traditional knowledge with science storytelling.

Trained as a paleontologist, Wendy began her career as a collections manager and has worked at several natural history museums and universities in the US including the Paleontological Research Institution (Cornell University), the Field Museum of Natural History, and the University of Chicago. She has been employed at Arizona State University (ASU) since 2006, where she has served as an outreach specialist for several NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the Public Outreach Lead for ASU’s Astrobiology Program, Center for Meteorite Studies and EarthScope.

In 2013, Wendy moved to South Africa with her husband, Philip Janney, and for the past 10 years has been an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Cape Town. Her research focuses on the evolution of the first complex animals in northern Norway and South Africa. She has continued her connection with ASU here in South Africa and works remotely as a learning designer and subject matter expert for ASU’s Center for Education Through Exploration or ETX (https://etx.asu.edu/). Wendy has been part of the Immersive Environments team for over eight years where she helps create online courses and Virtual Field Trips (VFTs). She is also the founder of the science storytelling non-profit company Puppet Planet and is a co-founder of the online museum training academy called PalaeoLink.