Museum of Natural History
exhibits a changing future
■The MNH turns its attention
from past to future with a
new look and new programs
By Eric Martin
Oregon Daily Emerald
A replica of a 15-ton meteorite
that plummeted to Earth and hit
near present day Oregon City more
than a century ago stands near the
entrance of the University Museum
of Natural History.
The museum, which showcases
artifacts linking Oregon’s future
generations to its distant past, isn’t
undertaking a journey of such inter
galactic proportions. But it is driv
ing toward some major goals, fueled
by public and private donations.
The staff is now formulating
plans for a $1 million renovation of
the museum’s 3,200-square foot ex
hibit area, which should begin in 18
months, museum Director Mel
Aikens said. About $600,000 has
been collected through private do
nations for the project.
, “The redesign will fit our existing
collections into a higher density of
exhibits, which we can change out
more rapidly,” he said.
The collections, which range
from the 6-foot tusk of a mammoth
to sharp, black obsidian arrow
heads, could be augmented and dis
played more effectively with a re
design, Aikens said.
“It’s going to be a walk through
time,” said Patricia Krier, educa
tional programs director for the mu
seum. “It’ll cover 425 million years
of geologic history to the first hu
man inhabitants 10,000 years ago.”
Krier said the exhibits extend to a
study of natural and cultural history
within the past 10,000 years as well.
Museum staffers plan to have a
rotating exhibit area, Aikens said.
Public money is flowing in to fund
the museum’s broader mission.
There are plans to improve and
consolidate the museum’s research
and collection storage facility, cur
rently located in multiple locations
on campus, thanks to legislation
passed by the U.S. House of Repre
sentatives on Dec. 19 that allocated
$50,000 to the museum.
Because it is designated as the offi
cial state repository, the museum is
home to most ofthe archaeological ar
tifacts found within Oregon’s borders.
Rep. Peter Defazio, D-Springfield,
said it was important to protect such
irreplaceable pieces of ancient Ore
gon when the money was allocated.
Museum staffers also hope to
usher more youngsters into a deeper
understanding of scientific research
and observation, and were awarded
a $15,000 grant to create after
school programs for three Eugene
middle schools: Spencer Butte, Jef
ferson and Monroe.
The grant will also pay to bind and
ink booklets that will allow students
and visitors to take self-guided tours
of the school’s hidden treasures.
“We’re trying to tie in the stuff
that goes in the Natural History
Museum with things located in
other departments on campus,”
said arts management graduate
student Gus Baum, who is design
ing the booklets. Baum said the
booklets will initially catalogue
items of interest in four disciplines
— geology, geography, biology and
archaeology — located in depart
ments across campus.
“It’s science in our own back
yard,” he said.
E-mail higher education reporter Eric Martin
at ericmartin@dailyemerald.com.
Budget
continued from page 1
Provost John Moseley has indi
cated that the University can absorb
a 5 percent budget cut without seri
ous difficulty, but officials at other
institutions, such as Oregon State
University, are less optimistic.
“We are disproportionately hit,”
OSU Provost Tim White said. Bud
get cuts have already been felt at
Oregon State, where 34 classified
employees got a pink slip last week.
Kitzhaber’s current budget pro
posal slashes $5 million in state sup
port for a top-tier engineering school,
cuts $17.3 million from extension
services and forestry programs and
trims research funding by 20 per
cent. White said that OSU is bearing
the lion’s share of these cuts because
some of the university’s largest pro
grams are concentrated in engineer
ing, forestry and research.
White said that OSU has already
“done a remarkable job of curtailing
spending.” The university won’t cut
any academic programs or change
their plan for a top-tier engineering
school. “We’re not cutting the (new)
college. We’ll simply raise the mon
ey with private funds,” he said.
Young said that higher education
must not be cut by 10 percent.
“If the current budget goes into ef
fect, I will leave the state and never
come back,” he said.
E-mail community reporter Brook Reinhard
atbrookreinhard@dailyemerald.com.
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