Dear Supporter,
Early last month, the KU Natural History Museum celebrated a big win at this year’s Best of Lawrence Winners Bash. If you're not already familiar, Best of Lawrence is an annual people's choice award program that highlights the community's favorite places, events, and services.
After a dedicated campaign promoting our mission, research, staff, and students, I'm thrilled to share that we placed in three of the six categories we were nominated for:
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1st - Community Landmark
- 2nd - Place to Take an Out-of-Towner
- 3rd - Best Gift Shop.
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We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who voted, shared our posts, and continues to bring friends and family to our unique and ever-important Natural History Museum. Your support means the world to us! Being recognized as a community landmark is a true honor and a testament to the vibrant, supportive community we’re so proud to be part of.
Sincerely,Â
Natalie Vondrak
Communications CoordinatorÂ
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National Fossil Day: Gallery Activity
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October 15 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Â
KU Natural History Museum
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Ask for a gallery guide at the Visitor Services desk, then go on an adventure in our Fossil Hall examining ancient fauna from the Eocene Epoch to the late Miocene Epoch. This activity is fun and for all ages. Learn More »
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| Science on Tap
with Lauren Norman
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October 22 | 7:30-8:30 p.m
Free State Brewing Company
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Grab a pint and learn about the lifeways of the ancestral Inupiat people of Alaska. Starting from an examination of animal bones, this talk will explore the variety of ways different groups acquired resources and engaged in social interactions.
Learn More »
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Spooky Science
with K-POP
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October 26 | 2-4 p.m.
KU Natural History Museum
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Conduct hair-raising experiments with static electricity, discover how scientists unravel mysteries using the scientific method, and use chemistry to bring gummy worms to life by creating your own Frankenworms.
Learn More »
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Curating Collections: Entomology
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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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Â
Private collection of beetles make a great addition for KU Entomology
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Entomology Collection Manager Zachary Falin recently uncovered a trove of beetle specimens from a private collection, donated by the family of a late amateur collector in Kansas. Over the past year, Zack has been examining and accessioning the insects, but a recent look at a small portion (900 specimens) of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) from French Guiana revealed an astonishing find—nine genera and sixteen species were new to KU’s collection. This discovery is especially surprising given the strength of KU’s existing Central and South American beetle holdings. It’s a powerful reminder of the scientific value that can be revealed from personal collections.Â
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See a full list of recent publications at the end of this newsletter.
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| KU postdoc is expanding global access to insect biodiversity
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Learn how Samanta Orellana, a postdoctoral researcher at the KU Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum, is helping preserve natural history before it disappears. Through her work digitizing images and publishing them to open-access platforms, she's helping researchers around the world study and preserve insect diversity more effectively. Read More »
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| Exploring early evolution of primates on The Crimson Chat
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Catch the latest episode of The Crimson Chat, a KU student-led broadcast, featuring Chris Beard, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology. In this episode, learn how Beard investigates the origin and early evolution of primates, and how shifts in Earth's physical environment have shaped the history of Cenozoic mammals.  Watch the Interview »
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| VENOMVenture wins Leading Edge Award at ASTC Conference
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Congratulations to our Informal Science Education team whose project, VENOMventure won a 2025 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award at the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) conference. The escape-style game teaches families key concepts in evolutionary biology through an engaging story and fun puzzles. Read More »
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Join us for a members event at the McGregor HerbariumÂ
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Sunday, October 19 | 2-4 p.m.
McGregor HerbariumÂ
2045 Constant Ave, Lawrence, KS 66047
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Calling all budding botanists! Join us for a special members-only event at the McGregor Herbarium. Enjoy a guided tour and discover how staff and volunteers in the KU Botany Division prepare plant, lichen, and fungus specimens—from the field to the herbarium cabinet. Space is limited, and the tour is open only to current KU Natural History Museum members. Not a member yet? Learn how to join and read the full event description here.
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Look what just hatched in the gift shop—Pteranodon stuffies!
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Pteranodon (tuh-RAN-uh-don) lived during the late Cretaceous period and belonged to an extinct group of reptiles called pterosaurs. See a complete skeleton of a Pteranodon on our 3rd floor and then swing by the gift shop to take a plushie version home with you!
Â
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Staff Leadership Summit explores the museum
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Over 35 KU staff and faculty visited our collections and laboratory spaces as part of the 2025 Staff Leadership Summit. This year's summit theme, “Shaping Our Future,” made our focus on resiliency and adaptation in the natural world especially relevant.
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| Sharing biodiversity research at the Kansas State Fair
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We had the best time tabling at the Kansas State Fair. From showing off sunflowers to butterflies, bats, and beyond, our staff and graduate students loved teaching Kansans about the importance of collection-based research. Watch the video »
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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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In the spirit of sparking a little friendly competition, we launched a new social media series called Specimen Showdown, which challenges our staff and students to identify specimens from our collections and share the fascinating stories and knowledge they hold. The first video featured our KU Herpetology Curators, Richard Glor and Rafe Brown, and received enthusiastic praise online. We’re excited to keep the momentum going by featuring other divisions throughout the year.
Watch the video»
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Several BI/NHM staff and students supported our friends at Monarch Watch this fall during their tagging event. One group, including Jorge Soberón, Anahi Quezada, and Nikki Lemus, caught and tagged six individual Monarch butterflies and caught over a dozen Viceroys—a migratory orange-and-black butterfly that closely resembles the Monarch but is generally smaller. See more photos »
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In September, we welcomed the KU Alumni Association’s national board to the museum for an exclusive look at our Panorama Project and collection tours. Mammalogy Collection Manager Dianna Kresja was among several staff members who spoke with the group about current collection-based research projects.
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At the KU Field Station’s Science Sundays event, Herpetology graduate student Kier Pitogo shared the remarkable story of his rediscovery of Guttman’s stream frog, a species known from only a single specimen and lost to science for 27 years. This rare amphibian become a symbol of collaborative conservation, sparking new research, and efforts to protect its remaining habitat on Mount Busa in Sarangani Province, southern Philippines.
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Also supporting Monarch Watch were members of our outreach and engagement team, Jenna Benzing and Phoenix Fisk. The duo staffed a table at Monarch Watch’s Fall Open House, showcasing butterfly specimens and leading a bracelet-making activity that illustrated the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly.
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We love our pollinators! A team of KU student and staff entomologists attended the Hasta Luego, Monarchs! event in Olathe, Kansas, last month. The event welcomed more than 500 guests, and many stopped by our table to get an up-close look at pollinator specimens.
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Pop Up Science: National Bison Day
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Saturday, November 1 | 2-4 p.m.
KU Natural History Museum
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Celebrate National Bison Day at the KU Natural History Museum! Pick up a gallery guide and see if you can find all the bison specimens on display throughout the museum. Along the way, you’ll learn how bison serve as a keystone species of the Great Plains, supporting a wide range of organisms from native grasses and prairie dogs to birds like the prairie chicken and western meadowlark. Bring the whole family to this fun, hands-on learning event! Learn More »
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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.
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