North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The museum is a Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum and one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the United States, with a history dating back to 1879. It is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which also includes the North Carolina Museum of Art and the North Carolina Museum of History. The museum has partnerships with North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Duke University.

● History

The museum was established in 1879 by Joseph Hyram Kusler, with the goal of promoting the study of natural history in North Carolina. Over the years, the museum has undergone several transformations, including a major renovation in the 1990s led by Architects Weiss/Manfredi, which added a new wing and expanded the museum's exhibition space. The museum has also been recognized for its contributions to the field of paleontology, with notable discoveries including the Acrocanthosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus rex. The museum has worked with other institutions, such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Field Museum of Natural History, to advance the field of natural history.

● Exhibits

The museum features a range of exhibits, including the Butterfly House, which is home to over 60 species of butterflies from around the world, including the Monarch butterfly and the Blue Morpho. The museum also has a large collection of dinosaur fossils, including a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, which was discovered in Hell Creek Formation in Montana. Other exhibits include the Naturalist Center, which offers hands-on activities and interactive displays, and the Investigate Lab, which allows visitors to conduct their own scientific experiments, using techniques developed by Louis Pasteur and Marie Curie. The museum also hosts temporary exhibits, such as the Body Worlds exhibit, which was created by Gunther von Hagens and has been seen by millions of people around the world, including at the California Science Center and the Natural History Museum, London.

● Collections

The museum has a vast collection of over 1.7 million specimens, including fossils, minerals, and living organisms, such as plants and animals. The collection includes specimens from around the world, including the Amazon rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Serengeti National Park. The museum's collection is used for research and education, and is also made available to other institutions, such as the National Museum of Natural History and the Royal Ontario Museum. The museum has also collaborated with other institutions, such as the New York Botanical Garden and the Zoological Wildlife Foundation, to advance the field of conservation biology.

● Education_and_Research

The museum offers a range of educational programs, including summer camps, workshops, and lectures, which are designed to promote science literacy and critical thinking. The museum also has a research program, which focuses on biodiversity, ecology, and evolutionary biology, and has partnerships with universities and research institutions around the world, including the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Society. The museum's research program has made significant contributions to the field of natural history, including the discovery of new species, such as the coelacanth, and the development of new techniques, such as DNA sequencing, which was developed by Frederick Sanger and Walter Gilbert.

● Facilities_and_Operations

The museum is located in a 285,000-square-foot building in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, and is open to the public 364 days a year. The museum has a staff of over 200 people, including curators, educators, and researchers, who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the museum. The museum also has a volunteer program, which allows members of the community to get involved in the museum's activities, and a membership program, which offers benefits such as free admission and special events, similar to those offered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers, which also includes the Exploratorium and the Science Museum of Minnesota. Category:Museums in North Carolina