Public Research and Evaluation Program Staff

John Fraser is a conservation psychologist and architect who serves as Director, Public Research and Evaluation Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society Institute. John has over 20 years experience working in the environmental communications field, including leadership positions in zoo management, design, and children’s learning center development. His primary interest is in understanding how people develop a sense of responsibility toward nature as part of our public social experiences. John is a Ph.D. student and adjunct faculty at Antioch University New England, serves as the Visitor Studies Association’s Vice-President of Programs, sits on the editorial boards of Curator and Museums & Social Issues, and is an active member of the Society for Conservation Biology’s Social Science Working Group. John is currently coordinating an international symposium for the Zoological Society of London on Zoo Experiences and the Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conservation to be held May 24th and 25th, 2007.  He is also on the planning committee for the Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conference scheduled for October 2008 in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

Jessica Sickler, Research Associate, has a background in museum education, research, evaluation, and environmental education, and is certified as a first through sixth grade classroom teacher. She received a Masters degree in Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education, that built on her undergraduate degree in Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University. For the past seven years, Jessica has worked in education, evaluation, and animal behavior research at a variety of zoos, aquariums, and museums, including the New England Aquarium, Los Angeles Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, and Wave Hill. She joined WCS in 2004 as an evaluator to examine how visitors think about and understand concepts related to dolphin cognition and has worked with the WCS Institute’s Public Research and Evaluation Program since its inception. Jessica’s research interests focus on children’s development of concern for nature and animals, how they think and learn about environmental issues and science concepts, and the role of parents and teachers in this development.

This page was last updated on 12-20-2006.