Professor Connie Svabo Joins the Board of Naturama and Fjord&Bælt

The appointment of Connie Svabo brings a long-standing professional relationship with Naturama into the boardroom. Naturama was the focal point of her PhD project, during which she conducted 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork exploring visitors’ encounters with the museum’s exhibitions and interpretive practices.

Through her fieldwork at Naturama, Connie Svabo laid the foundation for a research career focused on experience design, nature interpretation, learning environments, and science communication. Since then, she has worked with museums, visitor attractions, and nature communication institutions as a researcher, project manager, curator, and research leader. A common thread throughout her work is an interest in how people, spaces, materials, and media come together to create meaningful environments for learning and knowledge creation.

– Naturama and Fjord&Bælt have a unique opportunity to create meaningful encounters between people, nature, and knowledge. I am delighted to return to Naturama in a new role and contribute to the development of the institutions as places where children, young people, and adults can connect with nature and become curious about it, and where research, natural science expertise, and sensory experiences can work closely together, says Connie Svabo.

Nature's Meeting Place

Naturama and Fjord&Bælt share the ambition of becoming Nature’s Meeting Place (Naturens Forsamlingshus), creating connections between research, nature, learning, and experience. This ambition aligns closely with the research carried out at FNUG and LxD, particularly in the areas of science communication, learning environments, and sensory and participatory approaches to science education.

The board position thus creates new connections between university research and two of Funen’s most important institutions for nature interpretation and public engagement. At the same time, it opens opportunities for increased dialogue and collaboration on how research, learning, and experiences of nature can be made meaningful and accessible to children, young people, and adults alike.

Chair of the Board, Marianne Holmer, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Southern Denmark, looks forward to bringing Connie Svabo's experience and perspectives into the board's work: 

– With Connie joining the board, we gain a researcher and a strong academic profile with extensive experience in building bridges between research and society. Her insight into how knowledge can be transformed into meaningful experiences and learning will be a valuable asset in the continued development of Naturama and Fjord&Bælt. At the same time, her appointment strengthens the connection to the University of Southern Denmark, benefiting students, researchers, and the wider public, says Marianne Holmer.