Story done by Caleb Powers and Ely Nobel
It feels good to take a step back and look at what was here before us. That is exactly what happens when you go to a museum. Not every museum gives us the same experience because they are all different. We sat down with Dr. Steven Thompson to learn alot about the Museum of Natural History.
When walking in I thought that museums were for entertainment but there is more to it than just that. The Museum of Natural History was founded in the early 1900s. located in the Jesse Dunn building, which is located on the north east corner on the campus. When you enter the front doors the museum is located up the stairs and to the right. The museum focuses on the animals and plants that are scattered across northwestern territory of Oklahoma.
The museum stays pretty busy during the semester with science professors scheduling their classes to go to view the museum. Toward the end of the semester the local elementary school schedules a visit for the museum. By taking their students to the museum it gives the science majors a hand on experience in a potential field and promotes a good learning experience for the elementary kids. The number of community members who visit the museum is certainly smaller than the number of students “ several months ago, we had T.C Carter, the grandson of one of the founders, walk through to see some of the work that his grandfather has done.“ says Dr Thompson. Visitors come from other parts of the country, attracting people from Kansas and Texas to do research on some of the artifacts that the museum carries. The museum’s main mission is to educate the people who visit the museum. “We’re a museum of natural history so a lot of the emphasis is on the animals and plants of Oklahoma, but we also have some history of Northwestern and a few donations that were made to the museum over the years.” says Dr Thompson. Research is also a big part of a museum as well. The museum loans specimens to other museums that want to study the specimens. As well as making the museum’s specimens available for other museums to study, they have times that anyone can set up to visit the museum making it possible for scientists from across the state, including Tulsa, OK to do research at the museum. In conclusion the museum offers everyone almost anything. Entertainment, education, or “just for fun” as Dr. Thomson put it
