Jo D'Avella, smiling and wearing glasses
Jo D’Avella.

Jo D’Avella has been with the Mütter Museum since 2021 and museum educator since 2023. As museum educator Jo focuses on educational programming and museum education, such as pop-up exhibitions, speaking engagements, tours, lesson plans, and much much more. The most recent pop-up exhibition, Vampirism, focused on the medical anxieties that helped to propel the vampire from folklore to literature and later to film, particularly in Europe.

Jo’s talk will focus on the American vampire, exploring Bram Stoker‘s Dracula, medical anxieties, body decomposition, and the American Vampire Panic.

Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are not required for this event.

About the Series

Science on Tap is a monthly speaker series that features brief, informal presentations by Philadelphia-based scientists and other experts followed by lively conversation and a Q&A. The goal is to promote enthusiasm for science in a fun, spirited, and accessible way, while also meeting new people. Come join the conversation!

Featured photo: Bela Lugosi as Dracula, 1931, from Universal Studios via Wikimedia Commons.

More events

firework with the word "Passfire" over a black field
July 17, 2026
Free

Film Screening: Passfire

This original documentary by Veverka Bros. explores the world’s most spectacular pyrotechnics, the artisans who create them, and the rich cultural traditions they represent.

painting of an alchemist doing an experiment that caught fire
July 18, 2026
For Families

Stories of Science: Revolutionary Science

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

engraved print of a fireworks show in a book
July 18, 2026
Drop-In Tours

Fireworks Tour

Join our museum educators for a drop-in tour of our special exhibition on the fascinating history and science of pyrotechnics.

    Republish

    Copy the above HTML to republish this content. We have formatted the material to follow our guidelines, which include our credit requirements. Please review our full list of guidelines for more information. By republishing this content, you agree to our republication requirements.