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Over the years, his dream job has provided Franco with some amazing experiences. He worked on the special exhibition Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall and said that, “For a biologist, the opportunity to work on Jane Goodall's facility in Tanzania was akin to visiting the Galagapos Islands with Darwin.” Franco spent two summers studying in the Canadian Arctic on Devon and Ellesmere Islands. This expertise came in handy when the time came to work on the special exhibition Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins, and he said that “It’s the diversity and scope of the exhibit’s content that makes it so fascinating.” He doesn’t have to go far to interact with scientists that he admires though, “The staff here at Science North are terrific people. It’s an eclectic group.”

Franco Mariotti at Jane Goodall's chimpanzee
research facility in Gombe, Tanzania.

Among his own influences, Franco credits his wife, Cathy, who holds the same ideals and always supported his involvement in the community, as well as his sister, Grace.  Rena and Ed Newbery, Dr. David Pearson, Dr. Gerard Courtin, Bob Rogers, Peter Beckett, and Dr. Clulow also helped to inspire and encourage him along the way. "I believe that who we are and what we do is interwoven with the people we interact with and the places we experience,” he said.

From influences to influencer, Franco recalled a particularly rewarding moment that came while he was visiting the Art Gallery of Sudbury. A woman recognized him and came over to tell him that her daughter had heard him speaking about bats at Science North, and that she was now determined to build a bat house. Franco said of the encounter, “It was the biggest thrill.”

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