Peter Pied Python- Science Outreach

Thanks for coming by!

Here's the nutshell (or "tl;dr"):
We are professional science educators who provide hands-on demonstrations using reptiles & amphibians that are completely free to the public (and to public schools) where we teach about science, especially in low-income schools that lack access to science experts. The more money we get, the more people we can reach, so spread the word. 

The longer version:
Who are we?
I'm Donnelly and this is my partner Philip, and we want to help bring science directly to people (science gets lonely in the lab).

Donnelly is a genetics PhD candadate (so she's been in school a really, really long time) at UC Davis.

Philip is a computer programmer who works with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley.


Together, we want to help educate folks about genetics, snakes, reptile husbandry & general science. Let's talk about our team...


This is Peter - he's one of our twenty-one abassador animals. All of our abassadors go through a series of temperment tests and stress tests. Some reptiles and amphibians, just like some people, don't like being around crowds and our tests determine who loves it. Only 21 out of over 100 non-venomous reptiles and amphibians tested have passed. This rigor ensures the utmost safety for both our ambassador animals and all of their new, human friends. 

So what do we do?
We provide hands-on demonstrations free to the public (and to public schools) where we teach about science, nature, research, science careers, genetics, snake anatomy, and habitat loss. 

In order to get folks excited about science & the world around them, we use our animal ambassadors, a ukulele, a bunch of plants, posters, handouts, etc - we're open to anything that starts the conversation about science.


Where can you find us?
While we try to put educational materials online whenever possible, we predominantly work in person in the northern and central California areas (especially Sacramento, Woodland, the Mount Shasta area, & the Bay area); here there are many low-income schools that lack access to science experts and expensive learning tools. Over many years, we've built relationships with educators in six school districts to offer free hands-on demos for grades K-12 (and their teachers) from professional scientists. This allows students to see and discuss science in action instead of just reading about it. 

We also partner with other science outreach groups, such as the Sacramento Powerhouse Science Center and the Integrative Genetics Graduate Outreach Team to bring snakes and science to an even broader community.


Why GoFund(Us)?

Well, being a student & self-employed duo, we can only afford to visit so many schools and participate in so many free public events. We've been through enough classes to know science can be boring, but it can also be facinating. Snakes can be frightening and dangerous, but as pets they can be gentle and cuddley. The venues that need us to visit most are exactly the ones without the funds to bring in help. GoFundMe will help us defer the cost of ambassador care, transportation, consumables and staff hours. It will also allow us to develop more materials to share with folks (we want to pay an artist to create more coloring sheets in multiple languages & to record songs we've written to share more broadly) and it will cover the overhead of becoming an LLC. 

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) education is vital and we want to help make it accessible to everyone.

Don't have any cash to spare?
We get that - spread our message via social media and by word-of-mouth or if you're in the area, you can help us by volunteering at one of our big events. Other questions? Feel free to contact us