At the KU Natural History Museum, our scientists and students study the incredible life of the planet—its plants, animals and ecosystems, living and fossil, and its past cultures. We turn our discoveries into forecasts for conserving endangered species and habitats, and for halting the spread of pests and animal-borne diseases. We train generations of scientists and share discoveries through our museum exhibits and science outreach programs. We also employ and provide career experience for KU students in a variety of majors. Join us for the 2021 One Day. One KU. fundraising day as we raise funds to support our Museum Excellence Fund and Student Positions Fund.
MUSEUM EXCELLENCE FUND
Our Museum Excellence Fund supports items which help elevate the visitor experience at the museum and maintain unique experiences, such as the care and feeding of the insects in our popular BugTown exhibit and regular care of the plants in our unique living PaleoGarden exhibit. It also funds our advertising budget, ticketing and development technology, and supports several positions. Funds are normally received through visitor contributions, which ended in mid-March when we temporarily closed our doors due to COVID-19.
STUDENT POSITIONS FUND
The KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum employs approximately 30-40 KU students every semester on an hourly basis. The students, which are different from our graduate student researchers, come from majors across KU, and work in many departments at the museum. Two-thirds of the students work in our collections and laboratories, while others hone and share their skills in Communications, Outreach and Education, and Exhibits. These students gain experience and build their resumes, while our work and programs are enriched by their unique perspectives. Many of our projects would not be possible without these students and their talents.
