Dear Supporter,
Summertime is here again, and we’re celebrating with fantastic deals and discounts for our museum visitors. If this is your first trip to the museum this summer—welcome! To help you navigate our four floors of exhibits, we recommend picking up one of our free discovery guides so you can get well-acquainted with our world-renowned collections. Or simply follow your curiosity! Whether you begin at the bee tree or head straight for the Panorama, there’s endless natural history waiting to be discovered.
For our Kansas residents, we’re thrilled to once again participate in the Sunflower Summer program. From July 12 to August 3, K-12 students and one parent can visit the KU Natural History Museum for free, along with over 200 other museums and attractions across the state. This statewide initiative aims to make cultural and educational experiences more accessible for Kansas families, and we're glad to support it. Learn more and register at SunflowerSummer.org.
To our members and returning museum regulars looking to pick up new museum swag, our gift shop is freshly stocked with new apparel and games. Plus, for anyone wanting a special BI/NHM-themed souvenir, we have adorable ground sloth plushies, discounted youth shirts (check out the Museum News section for details), and long-sleeved sun shirts with UPF 50+ protection. These shirts are perfect for sunny summer days or, like many of our researchers, for spending time conducting scientific fieldwork outdoors.
Lastly, please note that the KU Natural History Museum will be closed on Friday, July 4th, for the Fourth of July holiday but will be open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday.
We look forward to seeing you this summer!
Sincerely,Â
Natalie Vondrak
Communications CoordinatorÂ
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From Synapses
to Circuits
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July 11 | 12-3 p.m.Â
KU Natural History Museum
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At this drop-in event, visitors can enjoy fun, hands-on activities that explore various aspects of brain-inspired computing—from building circuits and testing your brain’s memory to modeling memristor materials and more! Learn More »
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| Science on Tap
with Town Peterson
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July 23 | 7:30-8:30 p.m.Â
Free State Brewing Co.
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Grab a pint and join KU Ornithology Curator Town Peterson for an informal science talk on the Bunker Resurvey Project. Learn how the diversity and abundance of Kansas wildlife have changed across the state over the last 100 years. Learn More »
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| Cool Chemistry
with K-POP
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July 27 | 2-4 p.m.
KU Natural History Museum
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Learn about the wonders of chemistry with our friends at K-POP, the Kansas Postdoctoral Outreach Project. Participate in exciting experiments, make your own slime, and more during this fun and engaging event for all ages. Learn More »
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Curating Collections:
Vertebrate Paleontology
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The Biodiversity Institute houses over 11 million biological specimens and 2 million archaeological artifacts from around the world—each with a story just waiting to be shared!
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Swaindelphys solastella (Mammalia, Metatheria)
Image Credit: Kristen Tietjen
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Everything’s bigger in Texas, even ancient marsupials. Kristen Miller, a doctoral student at KU’s Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, and her adviser, Vertebrate Paleontology Curator Chris Beard, have unveiled Swaindelphys solastella, a newly identified and surprisingly large Paleocene species discovered in Big Bend National Park. Though still hedgehog-sized, it’s the biggest of its kind from that era, shedding light on metatherians (marsupial relatives) that once thrived in a much greener, river-filled Texas landscape. Read More »Â
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See a full list of recent publications at the end of this newsletter.
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| Using Museum Collections for Pandemic Preparedness
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The KU Mammalogy team participated in two NSF-funded workshops exploring how natural history collections can help predict and prevent future pandemics. With around 3 billion biological specimens worldwide, these collections offer valuable records of species, pathogens, and their distribution, making them vital tools for understanding disease spread. Read More »
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| Fossil pinecones reveal early insect-plant relationships
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A new study led by KU Paleobotany graduate student Kelly Pfeiler on tiny fossilized pollen cones reveals how conifers once played a key role in the evolution of plant-pollinator relationships. Remarkably, one cone contains fossilized insect droppings filled with pollen grains, indicating insects were feeding on conifer pollen more than 65 million years ago. Read More »
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| New DNA study rewrites the family tree of Eared Nightjars
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A new study by KU Ornithology created a comprehensive genetic map of all Eurostopodus species and one Lyncornis by analyzing DNA from both living birds and rare museum specimens, including two from critically endangered and extinct species. The results support renaming the Eurostopodinae subfamily “Indo-Pacific nightjars” to better reflect their true identity and evolutionary history. Read More »
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New sign honors Dyche Hall Grotesque Renewal Project
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Next time you visit the museum, stop and view our new sign commemorating the Dyche Hall Grotesque Renewal Project. This project, led by KU Architecture faculty Keith and Amy Van de Riet in collaboration with local sculptures Karl and Laura Ramberg, celebrates the restoration of the building’s historic grotesques. The sign highlights the history behind the original sculptures, the meticulous process of recreating them, and pays tribute to the generous adopter-level donors who helped make this project possible.
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Lawrence Summer of Fun Pass
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Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained this summer? Stop in the museum for a scavenger hunt and earn a sticker featuring a Kansas state fossil. Plus, earn points toward your 2025 Summer of Fun Pass! The more you explore, the more points you earn. Register Here »
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Bugtown is getting a new look
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Visit Bugtown and our beloved Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches before renovations begin on July 7. The area is transforming into a Discovery Space with exciting new exhibits and experiences. Don’t worry. Some of your favorite insects will remain!
Watch Video »
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| $5 off youth t-shirts during July
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Throughout July, youth t-shirts are $5 off both online and in-store. Plus, museum members can save even more with an extra 10% off! To complete your online order, please email nhmvs@ku.edu with your preferred t-shirt color. Purchase Online »
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Staff & Student Spotlights
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Stay up-to-date with current activities and events by following us
on your favorite social media channels.
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Curator of Archaeology, Carlton Shield Chief Gover, wrapped up his first Archaeological Field School while at KU. Over two-dozen students and volunteers learned archaeological survey, mapping, and excavation methods at the Hell Gap National Historic Landmark Archaeological Preserve in Eastern Wyoming.
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KU Mammalogy spent the last week of June attending and presenting at the American Society of Mammalogists annual meeting at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Way to represent KU, team mammals!
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Congratulations to mammalogy graduate student, Alex Hey, who successfully defended his master's thesis last month. Alex used Nanopore sequencing technology to detect hybrid mammals (Woodrats, Neotoma) in real time, directly in the field. He’ll be staying on at KU and in the Colella Lab to begin his PhD this fall. Well done, Alex!
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In May, Herpetology Curator Rich Glor led a field course for KU students, teaching them how to conduct basic scientific field research with reptiles and amphibians. The students had a blast exploring local areas like Perry Lake, wading in the waters of Kill Creek, and visiting the KU Field Station. Offering unique, effective learning experiences to students is just one of many reasons why Glor won this year’s Stephen Benedict Most Impactful Professor Award. Read More »
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Our amazing Visitor Services team works hard to make every visit to the KU Natural History Museum a great one! Last week, they explored labs, collection storage areas, the Panorama exhibit, and even the hidden corners of Dyche Hall to deepen their knowledge of the museum and share it with you.
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Congratulations to paleobotany PhD student Austin Nguyen (pictured left) on receiving a Lewontin Early Award from the Society for the Study of Evolution. These awards offer up to $2,500 USD to assist students in the early stages of their graduate programs.
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Celebrate Hawk Week 2025 | August 15 - August 24
Â
Hey KU students, new and returning—Hawk Week is almost here! This is the perfect time to get acquainted with the KU Natural History Museum and the amazing programs and resources we offer KU students. Mark your calendars for:Â
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- Union Fest on Saturday, August 16
- Learn about new exhibits and old favorites, add your personal fungal flair to our Microbe Wall, and pick up some free museum swag.
- Curating Collections on Friday, August 22Â
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Meet our researchers, get an up-close look at our natural history collections, and gain a deeper understanding of our mission. Plus, pick up some free museum swag!
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- Rediscovered lost holotypes of two Paleogene mammals, a Neogene bird, and other published specimens from an orphaned collection, Journal of Verterbrate Paleontology (Megan Sims)
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Preservation potential of Cambrian small shelly fossils in different microfacies, North China. Geoscience Frontiers (Luke Strotz)Â
- New comatulid crinoids from the Early Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation (Texas, USA): paleobiology and evolutionary relationships of an endemic, ephemeral giant. Journal of Paleontology (James Saulsbury)Â
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Temperature fluctuation effects on the demography and fitness of Xyleborus bispinatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): thresholds and growth rates. Environmental Entomology (Jorge Soberón)
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Punctuated equilibria from 2008 to 2023: continued validation, expanded analytical approaches, plus some drift on defining stasis. Paleobiology (Bruce Lieberman, Luke Strotz)
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Genetically distinct hantaviruses in two bat species in Panamá. iScience (Jocelyn Colella, Danielle Land)
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The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university’s programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or online and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or online.
©2024 The University of Kansas
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