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Becoming familiar with all of the hospital’s equipment and The meerkat was one of the animals he chose. Moeser
all of the Zoo’s species were the biggest challenges, said Enderlen. designed, tested, and implemented a curriculum that incorporated
“Learning the variations between different species is a lot to learn. a meerkat biofact—a plastic meerkat skull. He began by research-
Where are the blood vessels on this animal? How do you intubate ing meerkats and writing a fact sheet to hand out to Zoo visitors.
this species? How do you hold this animal?” Then he created a craft using a Popsicle stick, a paper cup, and
For a required Capstone project, Enderlen created an instru- construction paper to make a pop-up meerkat that no child
ment guide for the surgical prep room to help staff members could resist.
identify instruments they had to clean and pack. He designed a fun activity that used cards—each pictured an
“I learned so much,” said Enderlen. “It was a lot of work but animal a wild meerkat might encounter. Players were challenged
it was extremely rewarding. Everybody was so approachable to put each card on one of two boards, one labeled “Threat”
and so knowledgeable and great to work with. I felt like and one labeled “Food.”
I was making a difference and saw patients get better.” After the design phase came the testing phase. Children at the
Zoo were invited to play the game and create a pop-up meerkat.
The CVT internship is eight weeks long and available to Moeser’s curriculum was a big hit. “We created a craft, saw how
students enrolled in the Veterinary Medical Technology the public responded to the craft, and adjusted the craft to be even
Program at Joliet Junior College and the Vet Tech more appealing,” said Moeser.
Institute at Fox College in Tinley Park.

Ed u c at io n a l C u r ato r i a l
Educational Curatorial
This internship exposes young people to
careers in informal S.T.E.A.M. (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Art, and
Mathematics) education. Working
with education program managers in
the Zoo’s Education & Community
Engagement department, they learn
how to develop experiential learning
(hands-on and active learning) opportu-
nities that connect children with wildlife
and conservation.
Tim Moeser was one of these interns
during the summer of 2023. His back-
ground includes a bachelor’s degree in
biology and a full-time job as a kennel
assistant at an animal shelter.
Moeser was one of the interns tasked
with taking an inventory of the depart-
ment’s biofacts. “A biofact is a form of
animal body part—artificial or real—
that represents what an animal looks like Tim Moeser used a replica of a wolf skull to connect some fascinated Zoo guests with the animal's dentition, binocular
or feels like,” said Moeser. “We have tubs vision, and similarities to other canines and carnivores. He also led them through a simple origami activity to continue
the conversation as the children created their own make-and-take item from the experience.
filled with artificial skulls, examples of
animal fur or pelts, claws, and bones.” Biofacts help connect “For the longest time I wanted to be a zookeeper,” said Moeser.
Zoo visitors with animals. “But interacting with the public and teaching kids about the
Second, Moeser was challenged to use research and his natural world—I can see myself doing this as well. I very much
creativity, as well as the biofacts, to develop what he calls “fun, enjoyed it.”
child-friendly ways to explain how the natural world works.”
The Education & Community Engagement department
offers four or five internships each season.

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