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| Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo | |
|---|---|
| Name | Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo |
| Established | 1885 |
| Type | Public |
| City | La Plata |
| Province | Buenos Aires Province |
| Country | Argentina |
| Campus | Urban |
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo is a faculty of the National University of La Plata located in La Plata, Argentina, dedicated to natural sciences and museum curation. It traces institutional roots to nineteenth‑century scientific initiatives associated with figures such as Bernardo Houssay, Florentino Ameghino, and national projects that intersected with institutions like the Museo de La Plata, the National University of La Plata, and the University of Buenos Aires. The faculty combines undergraduate instruction, postgraduate training, and curatorial research in an integrated campus that serves regional, national, and international scientific communities.
The faculty's origins link to late nineteenth‑century Argentine efforts exemplified by Julio Argentino Roca era investments, the founding of the Museo de La Plata under Francisco Pascasio Moreno, and parallel developments at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and the Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Early contributors included paleontologists such as Florentino Ameghino and zoologists connected with expeditions endorsed by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and ministries headed by figures like Carlos Pellegrini. Throughout the twentieth century the faculty engaged with national research programs influenced by Nobel laureate Bernardo Houssay, collaborating with institutions such as the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, and the Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Political events including the Infamous Decade (Argentina), the Revolución Libertadora, and the Dirty War affected staffing and policy; post‑1970 reforms paralleled trends at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and regional universities in Latin America. Recent decades saw modernization linked to international networks like the International Council of Museums (ICOM), collaborations with the Smithsonian Institution, and exchanges with the Natural History Museum, London.
The faculty occupies buildings within the University City (La Plata) adjacent to the Museo de La Plata and near landmarks such as the La Plata Cathedral and the Bosque de La Plata. Facilities include lecture halls named after scientists like Florentino Ameghino and Bernardo Houssay, research laboratories affiliated historically with the CONICET and centers modeled on facilities at the Max Planck Society and the Smithsonian Institution. Collections are housed in climate‑controlled repositories comparable to those at the American Museum of Natural History and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. The campus features greenhouses, field stations used for expeditions to regions associated with Patagonia, Pampa, and the Iguazú area, and specialized infrastructure supporting collaborations with the Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía and the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional.
The faculty offers undergraduate degrees in disciplines with lineages tied to departments at the University of Buenos Aires, including programs reflecting the work of scholars associated with Florentino Ameghino, Bernardo Houssay, and researchers from the CONICET. Graduate offerings include master's and doctoral training aligned with international programs at the University of California, Berkeley, the Sorbonne, and the University of Oxford through exchange agreements similar to those maintained by the National University of La Plata. Curricula emphasize lab training, fieldwork in regions linked to the Andes, Patagonia, and the Gran Chaco, and museum studies drawing on standards from the International Council of Museums and best practices at the Natural History Museum, London. Professional development and continuing education connect with municipal agencies in La Plata, provincial bodies in Buenos Aires Province, and national ministries such as the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation (Argentina).
Research spans paleontology in the tradition of Florentino Ameghino, zoology, botany, ecology, geology, and museology, with projects intersecting work from the Museo de La Plata, the CONICET, and international partners including the Smithsonian Institution, the Natural History Museum, London, and the American Museum of Natural History. Collections include vertebrate and invertebrate specimens, paleontological assemblages comparable to holdings at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, herbaria with historical links to collectors associated with Francisco Pascasio Moreno, fossil archives important for research on Gondwana paleobiogeography, and type specimens cited in publications in journals like Nature and Science. Research groups collaborate with regional initiatives such as the Patagonian Research Network, conservation programs associated with IUCN, and climate studies paralleled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The faculty is administratively part of the National University of La Plata system, with governance structures reflecting statutes similar to those at other Argentine public universities such as the University of Buenos Aires and the National University of Córdoba. Leadership has included deans and councils composed of professors historically linked to networks involving the CONICET, municipal authorities of La Plata, and provincial agencies in Buenos Aires Province. Administrative units coordinate with national funding bodies including the ANPCyT and international grantors such as the European Research Council and foundations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for major collection digitization and research projects.
Notable figures tied to the faculty and its milieu include paleontologists in the tradition of Florentino Ameghino, physiologists in the lineage of Bernardo Houssay, curators linked to the Museo de La Plata, and scholars who collaborated with international scientists from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Natural History Museum, London, and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Alumni have held positions at the National University of La Plata, the University of Buenos Aires, the CONICET, and foreign universities including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge; others have worked with organizations like UNESCO, the IUCN, and national ministries.
Outreach integrates museum exhibitions at the Museo de La Plata, public programs modeled on initiatives run by the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History, citizen science projects similar to collaborations with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and school partnerships across Buenos Aires Province. Cultural activities include permanent and temporary exhibits, field courses in regions such as Patagonia and the Pampa, workshops with museums like the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, and participation in national events promoted by agencies such as the Ministry of Culture (Argentina) and networks like the International Council of Museums.
Category:National University of La Plata Category:Museums in Argentina Category:Universities and colleges in Buenos Aires Province