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Dear Supporter,

One of the great perks of being a member of the KU Natural History Museum is access to the Association of Science and Technology Centers' (ASTC) passport program, giving you free or discounted admission to over 200 amazing museums, science centers, zoos, planetariums, and gardens across the U.S. and beyond.

Starting January 1, 2026, ASTC is updating its requirements for institutions participating in the passport program. To continue offering this valuable benefit, we’ll be adjusting our membership prices and options:

We’ll also continue offering a discounted rate for KU employees—details on that coming later this year! All current membership levels will stay the same through December 31, 2025. If you join or renew before then, you’ll still enjoy a full year of membership with all current benefits, including access to the ASTC passport program.

If you have any questions about these changes, feel free to reach out to Christy Imel, Assistant Director of Development, at imel@ku.edu. For more information on membership visit our website. 

Sincerely, 
Natalie Vondrak
Communications Coordinator 

World Oceans Day: Gallery Activity

Public Brain Health Day: Gallery Activity

Science on Tap
with Greg Troiani

Geology Rocks with K-POP

Did you know that KU’s Entomology Collection of Apoidea—better known as bees—is one of the largest in the world? Thanks to the extensive fieldwork of the late Professor and Curator Charles D. Michener across North and South America, Africa, Australia, and parts of Asia, the collection now includes over 500,000 specimens.

With approximately 20,500 described bee species worldwide, our collection represents about 13,500 species, or roughly 65% of global bee diversity. It remains an invaluable resource for bee specialists across the globe and continues to grow through expert identification, the description of new species using our material, and donations of newly discovered taxa from researchers worldwide.

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Congratulations to Brian Atkinson on his successful tenure promotion! Brian serves as the Associate Curator of Paleobotany at the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, and as an Associate Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. His dedication to fossil plant research and mentoring the next generation of paleobotanists makes him an invaluable part of our team. Way to go, Brian!

Botany Curator Craig Freeman was the featured speaker at last month’s Science Sundays event at the KU Field Station. He explored the role of woody plants—trees, shrubs, and woody vines—in shaping Kansas’s ecology, history, culture, and economy. Freeman also offered a fascinating connection between today’s flora and ancient fauna, sharing how Gomphotheres, elephant-like mammals that once roamed Kansas, are linked to the woody plants we see today.

Learn more about how James Saulsbury, 2025 recipient of the Research Postdoctoral Achievement Award, is using computational methods to understand how living things adapt to changes in their environments and addressing big questions about the history of life. Watch Video »

In late May, we proudly hosted the 40th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC). More than 400 attendees gathered in Lawrence for a week of engaging discussions, exploring the KU Natural History Museum, and sharing ideas on sustainable practices related to the care and use of biological specimens and their data.

A group of staff and students came together for a photo in celebration of International Day for Biological Diversity. But for this passionate team of educators, researchers, students, and administrators, every day is Biological Diversity Day! We’re deeply grateful for their ongoing efforts to study, understand, and preserve life on Earth—both past and present.

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.

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