Scientist, Dominican Alumna Featured in New Field Museum Exhibit

A new exhibit at Chicago’s Field Museum highlighting scientists who are women and people of color features a Dominican University alumna.

Lynika Strozier ’11, a scientist who worked in the Field Museum’s DNA lab, is the focus of the first exhibition in the Changing Face of Science series, which launched in late August.

Strozier died June 7, 2020 from complications of COVID-19. She was 35.

The exhibit will allow visitors to learn more about the scientist, educator and person Strozier was, while increasing understanding of what a scientist can be, said Katie Arnold, Field Museum project manager, in a news release from the museum.

Included in the exhibit are personal items that belonged to Strozier, including the specimens she worked on, her lab equipment, and tutorial videos that featured her.

“Our hope is that guests will understand how vibrant she was, especially given the significant challenges she faced, and walk away inspired by her story,” Arnold said.

One of these challenges was a learning disability, which Strozier overcame in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree in biology from Dominican University and two master’s degrees.

Strozier joined the Field Museum in 2009 as an intern, becoming a researcher in the Pritzker DNA Lab and a mentor to students and museum interns, the museum said.

“Highlighting women and/or people of color in the science community is important in creating equal opportunities for current and future generations,” the Field Museum said in a statement. “The Changing Face of Science aims to support pre-teens and teenagers who are interested in science by creating a space of inspiring stories of scientists and their accomplishments.”

More information about the exhibition can be found at www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibitions/changing-face-science.