The Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB) invites the public to view its natural history collections on Sunday, March 8 from 12-5 p.m. This second annual event is being called ‘The Science of Biodiversity’ because it will feature scientific research that is being carried out by UNM students and faculty. The museum is located in the CERIA Building on UNM’s Main Campus.

The MSB is a set of collections of animal and plant specimens from southwestern North America and all over the world. The collections are actively growing and heavily used for scientific research. This is only the second time that the collections will be opened for visitors, allowing the UNM and Albuquerque communities to glimpse the discoveries and student training occurring behind the scenes.

MSB Open Collections 2020

MSB's nine divisions will have their collections on display: Amphibians & Reptiles, Arthropods (insects, spiders, etc.), Birds, Fishes, Genomic Resources (frozen tissues), Mammals, New Mexico Natural Heritage, Parasites and Plants. This event will exhibit a wide variety of historic and modern specimens, many of which are irreplaceable and provide unique information about wild populations and natural environments. UNM students, faculty, and staff will be on hand to show off their favorite specimens, explain their research, and answer questions.

In recognition of International Women's Day, also on March 8, biodiversity research by women scientists will be featured at the event. This is fitting because MSB and the UNM Department of Biology just announced the hiring of two female faculty-curators — the first in the history of the MSB — each of whom will start in 2021: Dr. Lisa Barrow, curator of Amphibians & Reptiles, and Dr. Hannah Marx, curator of the Herbarium.

The event is free, however, a donation of $10 (per person) is suggested. Preregistration is required via Eventbrite.

Donations can be made via the UNM Foundation's online giving page.

For additional event details visit Open Collections Event.

For background information, visit Museum of Southwestern Biology, Annual Report or contact Professor Christopher C. Witt, director, Museum of Southwestern Biology, via email, cwitt@unm.edu or phone, (505) 277-1360.