Hickory Creek Teacher Becomes Finalist in Museum Contest

An eighth-grade teacher at is a finalist for a chance to spend a month living in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

Katie Duff, a Frankfort resident, is one of six finalists selected in the museum's Month at the Museum event, which chooses one person to move into the the building and spend 30 days there, around the clock. That person also pockets $10,000 for his or her trouble. The winner will move in to the museum Oct. 19.

The winner is chosen by museum judges and a public online vote that runs through Monday, Oct. 3, on a special website for the contest. The winner will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Duff, 29, and a Palatine native, was chosen from hundred of applicants after a series of phone and in-person interviews with judges. The science teacher enjoys getting her students excited with hands-on activities and science-inspired accessories, said a museum press release.  

"Katie is obsessed with science, and has the science-themed accessories to prove it!" according to the judges's comments on the website. "If she becomes the Museum’s next roommate, her goal would be to give all her followers the chance to follow along and experience science for themselves with a series of do-it-yourself demos and activities. Katie is the science teacher we all wish we had."

And why does Duff want to spend a month in the museum?

"I think it’s important that learning doesn’t stop after a visit to the museum; it’s meant to inspire it," she said in her contest essay. "If a visitor (or their child) really enjoyed a particular exhibit, I’d love to give them the resources to learn more.”

Before voting in the contest, view Duff's video and bio.