The two-year move of some 20 million specimens was a gargantuan feat that is now successfully concluded. This Michigan News video is a celebration of the College of Literature, Science and the Art’s two-year move of zoological, anthropological, and paleontological specimens to the Research Museums Center, about five miles south of the main campus in Ann Arbor at 3600 Varsity Dr. Along with the University of Michigan Herbarium collections, which were moved in 2001, this amounts to over 20 million specimens and artifacts that have been collected over the past 200 years. 

“It really is a moment to celebrate,” said EEB Professor Christopher Dick, curator and associate chair for museum collections. “It was an exhausting and lengthy process to move all of the EEB collections. Now that they are safely ensconced in the RMC, we can focus our attention back to our primary mission of using the collections to do world class biodiversity research.” 

Some familiar faces in the video are Greg Schneider, collection manager in the Division of Reptiles and Amphibians, showing the goliath frog; and Cody Thompson (brief cameo), collection manager and research scientist in the Division of Mammals.  

On a related note, the monthly Friday EEB Museums Seminar series, which is open to the public, continues at the RMC. Talks are often followed with a tour of one of the collections, a great opportunity to see behind the scenes of a world class research facility.

Additionally, faculty may want to consider recommending the new course, Bio 201: Unlocking the Museums: Introduction to Biodiversity Research. The course takes students into the collections, and features research and curatorial initiatives in the two EEB museums, as well as in the paleontology and anthropological archaeology museums.  

“Thanks to all of the staff and curators involved in making this move happen successfully,” said Dick.

Compiled by Gail Kuhnlein