Big changes at Curiodyssey in San Mateo

CuriOdyssey in San Mateo has appointed a new executive director to lead the early science learning center and zoo at a time when business is very much not usual due to the pandemic.

Aragon Burlingham, who joined CuriOdyssey as a board member last year, has succeeded Rachel Meyer, the nonprofit’s longtime executive director who left the post in late June.

When Burlingham took over, the nonprofit was only beginning to reopen after a three-month hiatus brought on by COVID-19. CuriOdyssey remains open today, but in a decidedly different way: exhibits have been moved outdoors, educational programming has shifted online and more than 15% of staff have been furloughed.

“What’s important to remember through these changes is that we remain committed as a champion of early science learning to inspire love for science and curiosity about the world,” Burlingham said.

Starting in July, the nonprofit not only transitioned exhibits outdoors, but created 22 new and touch-free ones. Dubbed “Illusions,” the outdoor exhibition allows visitors to “observe phenomena in color, patterns and position that will mesmerize, transfix and make you question your visual sense and perception of reality,” according to the nonprofit’s website.

Exhibits include the Ebbinghaus Illusion, in which two identical dots appear to be different sizes, the Hering Illusion, where straight lines appear to curve, Illusory Motion, which includes static images appear to move along with five others. 

“These illusions demonstrate how the brain and eye work together,” said Patricia Jenkins, CuriOdyssey’s director of marketing and communications. “Visual perception matters. It is our visual perception that allows us to understand that if an animal is partially hidden behind a tree or slightly camouflaged our brain fills in the gaps and allows us to see it.”

A second outdoor exhibition titled “The Nature of Patterns” debuts Sept. 3 and will teach children about symmetries, fractals, cracks, flow and chaos, waves and dunes, bubbles and foam, according to the website. Visitors can also make their own crayon rubbing from each exhibit to take home.

October brings an evening harvest festival and in November and December the outdoor gardens will be turned into a lighted IlluminOdyssey, according to a press release.

About 50 of the exhibits on view before the pandemic have been placed in storage.

The outdoor exhibits are alongside CuriOdyssey’s zoo — also outdoors — where about half of the nonprofit’s 100 animal residents can be viewed. Live camera feeds of a bobcat, river otter and barn owl can be accessed on the website.

Jenkins noted most of CuriOdyssey’s animals are native to California and are from rehabilitation facilities because they could not survive in the wild. Both the eagle and turkey vulture are blind and one has a broken leg, for example.

Science experiments, classes, summer camps and performances are also being offered online. Kate the Chemist and Tom Noddy known for the TV show “Bubble Magic” are just two entertainers that CuriOdyssey has featured over the past couple months.

While a timeline has yet to be announced, the nonprofit is also developing outdoor learning programs for home schoolers and distance learning students.

Safety protocol including mandatory mask wearing and social distancing are of course in effect for visitors, meaning the nonprofit is now serving far fewer visitors. In a normal year, about 190,000 people would pass through CuriOdyssey’s doors, but that number is now down to about 70,000, Jenkins said.

All in all, Jenkins estimates the nonprofit has seen roughly $1 million in lost revenue due to COVID-19. She added community support since the onset of the pandemic has been “phenomenal,” but help is still needed to stave off further cuts.

“COVID-19 has changed every aspect of our operations,” Jenkins said. “We are suffering losses and we’re hoping to recover those through donations in the coming year. More cuts might be necessary unless the community rallies.”

Prior to joining CuriOdyssey, Burlingham was an aerospace engineer who served in executive management roles at a diverse range of Silicon Valley companies for more than three decades. He switched careers in early 2008 to focus on his lifelong passion of enhancing math and science learning for kids.

Since then, he founded the We Teach Science Foundation, which pairs engineers and scientists with middle and high school students for remote tutoring and mentoring; and also served as director of partnerships at Envision Learning Partners.

Burlingham said his love of early science education is based on experiences of being told he’s “not university material” while growing up in England.

“I don’t want to see any child being told science isn’t right for them,” he said. “Science is right for every child. Every child is inquisitive and wants to learn about the world and that’s what CuriOdyssey does.”

Tickets must be purchased online prior to visiting CuriOdyssey. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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