Moving offices might not sound like a major milestone. But for the University of Florida’s Thompson Earth Systems Institute (TESI), a new home means much more than packing boxes and rearranging desks.
As part of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s ongoing expansion, TESI moved this May into a new office suite designed to support the people, programs and ideas that drive the institute’s mission. The museum’s expansion includes a new two-story addition with offices and collaborative spaces for TESI and the museum’s education department. The larger expansion project is also providing the museum with new exhibition and learning spaces, updated visitor services and a modernized entrance to the museum.
For TESI, the new space provides something especially valuable: room to grow.
A Space Designed for Students
Students have always been at the heart of TESI’s work. Through programs like the Environmental Leaders Internship, students gain hands-on experience communicating science, developing professional skills and connecting with environmental issues facing Florida.
The new office suite gives those students a place to do that work together.
A dedicated student workspace provides desks for seven Environmental Leaders Interns, creating a shared environment where students can collaborate, exchange ideas and learn from one another.
The space also includes shared office space for TESI’s Graduate Assistant and Smallwood Graduate Assistant, giving graduate students a place to work alongside the staff they support.
That proximity matters. Science communication is rarely a solo endeavor. A blog post might start with an idea from a scientist, become a story through an interview, take shape through writing and editing, and ultimately reach an audience through a social media post or video. Having students, graduate assistants and staff working in a cohesive space creates more opportunities for those connections to happen naturally.
Where Collaboration Happens
The new office also includes a dedicated conference room.
The room will provide a space for Scientist in Every Florida School (SEFS) teacher trainings. It will also provide a place for TESI staff to meet with faculty about broader impacts, connect with students, and coordinate plans and projects.
Just as importantly, the conference room creates an opportunity for collaboration across the Florida Museum. From teacher training to research discussions to cross-museum brainstorming sessions, the conference room is designed to bring people together, which has always been central to TESI’s work.
From Office Space to Production Space
The new office isn’t just designed for the people behind TESI’s programs. It’s also designed for the audiences TESI serves. One of the most exciting additions is a dedicated production studio for TESI’s growing digital outreach efforts.
The studio provides a consistent space for creating engaging videos for social media, giving TESI more flexibility to tell stories in formats that meet audiences where they are. Whether explaining an Earth systems concept, highlighting a researcher or sharing what students are learning, video can help transform complex science into something accessible, visual and engaging.
The studio also provides a quiet space for livestream management and feature-story interviews. Having the right tools and space is more than a convenience. It is part of the work.
Building for What Comes Next
“We are so grateful to be in a workspace so well suited to TESI’s mission. Though we have called it home for only a few months, we are already seeing how working in a collaborative space helps foster new ideas and build a strong sense of team community” said Sadie Mills, TESI interim director.
The Florida Museum’s expansion represents a significant investment in the future of science education and public engagement. For TESI, the new home is one part of that larger vision. It is a place designed not only for where the institute is today, but for where it is headed next.
The boxes may be unpacked, but the work is just getting started.
