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The Seattle Children’s Museum’s beloved Mountain exhibit is getting an update, thanks to a  thesis project. 

During the final quarter of the ������̳’s Museology program, students complete their theses. In the form of research or a project, completed theses show future employers students' successes, interests and experiences in real museums. 

Zoe Velie, Brittany Matthews and Betty Mfalingundi's (pictured at top, from left) project is sponsored by the Children’s Museum. Through the update, the three students are prioritizing a focus on local representation and increasing opportunities for play.

The Mountain, which has not been updated since it was built in 1995, is an interactive exhibit that children can climb and explore. The team is providing the museum with a step-by-step process for implementing updates. This guide will include needed resources, a timeline, costs and a complete to-do list. 

“I was drawn to this project because it was more concrete of a deliverable,” Matthews said. “It felt more like a practical application of skills that I am learning.” 

Matthews, Mfalingundi and Velie have plans to implement toys (like flashlights for a cave section) and a projector to make a waterfall come to life. Mfalingundi is taking charge of a "nature hike" for children as they climb the mountain. A mailbox will be found at the top, inspired by the local Mailbox Peak — a hike famous for a mailbox at the summit in which hikers leave notes. At the Mountain’s mailbox, there will be a space for children to write their own letters. 

The team is the biggest group in the 2026 Museology cohort. Velie spoke positively about the team’s collaborative effort. “I feel like we got lucky because the three of us are all so patient with each other,” she said. “We also each have our own skills and are able to capitalize on that.” 

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Another student, Zhiyue Chen, is conducting research on Chinese-language interpretations in American art museums. Chen came to the United States to study Museology and found that some of the Chinese-English interpretations in museums didn’t resonate with her. She wanted to understand the feelings of individuals with the same linguistic background as her. 

New York City and Los Angeles are homes to the country’s largest Chinese-speaking populations, so Chen conducted in-depth interviews with Mandarin-speaking visitors at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Getty Museum.  

Chen found that interpretation practices were very different between the two museums. The Met in New York provides Mandarin or Cantonese speaking docents that lead guided tours. However, the Getty in Los Angeles condenses all of its exhibit information into its app, the GettyGuide, which provides pre-recorded audio content in many languages. 

She found that Chinese speakers felt a deeper sense of belonging at the Met, as they could interact with their docent and the docent could tailor their tour to fit the audience’s interests. 

At the Getty, Chen observed that it was harder for visitors to stay engaged. She explained that many users found the app’s audio content too slow and machine-like. Additionally, it was up to the visitor to continue listening to the translations. Chen said that this tested the attention spans of visitors, many of whom quit halfway through. 

However, when visitors sensed a museum was trying to include them, they became more aware of where that effort stopped. Citing the term, ‘linguistic belonging,’ Chen concluded that translation service provides more than mere translation for visitors. “It’s something that impacts their sense of belonging,” Chen said. 

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Meanwhile, EJ Klein’s project, the “Volunteer Workflow System,” is aiding volunteer bases in small museums. Many museums in which Klein conducted research were established more than 50 years ago. Over time, the volunteer base has diminished, affecting volunteer-led projects and recruitment systems. Klein is working to build these structures back up. 

Through interviewing staff at small museums, she was able to find where operational issues lie. Poor volunteer recruitment and project documentation were among the top problems she uncovered. To address these issues, Klein devised a low-tech, no-cost system that helps museums divide tasks among volunteers. 

Completed and needed tasks are documented on worksheets, allowing staff to easily understand the tasks happening museum-wide. These worksheets are also used in volunteer recruitment. Instead of a generic volunteer signup form, these documents allow tailored recruitment to occur. 

Klein has already implemented the Volunteer Workflow System at the Shoreline Historical Museum. Using the worksheets, the museum was able to request specific help and volunteers could sign up knowing exactly what their tasks were going to be. The museum has already recruited two volunteers, thanks to Klein’s system. 

Klein will present her research in October at the Washington Museum Association Conference, where she will share her workbook and resources. She plans to continue revising her work, even after her thesis is completed.  

“This project opened my eyes to the possibility that I could keep going with this,” she said. Down the line, Klein plans to become a consultant to continue helping small museums thrive.