Maureen O’Connor

Maureen O’Connor is an Education Specialist in the Smithsonian Institution‘s Shared Pasts, Shared Future Initiative in the Office of the Under Secretary for Education.

With a decade of experience in the classroom and in national museums, she designs, delivers, and evaluates programs and resources that bring audiences into meaningful conversations with history and one another.

Her work focuses on interdisciplinary, object-based learning experiences that spark curiosity, connect past and present, and equip people with tools for perspective-taking, dialogue, and meaning-making.

Maureen O’Connor will be speaking at the Digital Learning Summit 2026 :

Using 3D Objects to Ignite Curiosity and Conversation

Museums are filled with objects that can spark curiosity, conversation, and discovery – but visitors can only take in so much, and many people cannot visit in person. 3D digital models offer museums another way to share and teach with their collections. This session explores how 3D viewing and printing can extend the museum experience, from in-gallery learning to digital engagements and hands-on exploration with low-cost 3D prints. Drawing on Smithsonian examples, we’ll explore how 3D objects can support deeper investigation and how accessible printing technology can put museum objects directly into people’s hands.