News Articles

February 28, 2022

� Well, this is serpently exciting news! VMNH is thrilled to announce the hiring of Dr. Arianna Kuhn as the museum's Assistant Curator of Herpetology! Dr. Kuhn will officially join the museum's curatorial team this fall and will lead our newly created herpetology research program, which will widely focus on the exceptional reptile and amphibian biodiversity found within Virginia. Dr. Kuhn, who's currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Lethbridge and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, has a contagious passion for herpetology that we can't wait to have on board later this year. More details to follow as we get closer to Dr. Kuhn's VMNH tenure!

February 25, 2022

The Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab (CHML) at the Virginia Museum of Natural History is currently playing a leading role in the United States' efforts to monitor and map Ukraine's cultural heritage sites that are currently under threat due to the country's armed conflict with Russia. The work of CHML, which is directed by Assistant Curator of Archaeology Dr. Hayden Bassett, is at the center of an article published today by the The New York Times. The article also highlights the CHML's close relationship with the US Army Reserve's recently reactivated Monuments Officers, which is modeled after the famed Monuments Men of WWII. A subscription to the Times may be required to access the article, although users are normally ...

February 25, 2022

� Join VMNH Executive Director Dr. Joe Keiper and VMNH Associate Curator of Recent Invertebrates Dr. Kal Ivanov on Saturday, March 19 for a morning of fowl play as they explore nearby habitats for winter birds in Martinsville and Henry County, Virginia! Participants will be taught the tricks of the trade in field identification and song identification. Pre-registration is required. Click or tap the link to learn more and register online today!

February 22, 2022

Today, a team from National Retrofitting Group is working inside the Uncovering Virginia exhibit gallery as part of weatherization updates that will greatly improve energy efficiency throughout the entire museum facility. While some of these efficiency updates are taking place within the exhibits, we are doing our best to minimize the impact to our visitors! VMNH is in the midst of numerous green energy and energy efficiency upgrades that will not only reduce the museum's carbon footprint, but provide significant cost savings. The upgrades will continue through 2022 and include upgrading to LED lighting, overhauling the entire museum's HVAC system, and enhancing the museum's installation capacity. Additionally, the museum ...

February 17, 2022

VMNH Executive Director Dr. Joe Keiper stopped for a selfie with Mr. Jefferson (and a random plush pink monkey) during a recent trip to the Virginia General Assembly. Dr. Keiper was in Richmond earlier this week to provide information about the countless exciting museum programs happening at VMNH and throughout the Commonwealth!

February 17, 2022

Several teams of VMNH board members and staff took to the Virginia General Assembly at the Pocahontas Building yesterday in Richmond to provide information regarding the museum's exceptional programs taking place at the museum and throughout the entire Commonwealth! With many offices still in the Valentine's Day spirit, one team from the museum took a break from meetings to take advantage of the Valentine's Day photo booth in front of the offices of Delegate Marie E. March and Delegate Glenn R. Davis, Jr. Pictured are VMNH Trustee Mark Buss (back right), VMNH Executive Director Dr. Joe Keiper (back left) and staffers Bobbie Dillon (front right) and Zach Ryder (front left).

February 17, 2022

Until recently, no comprehensive list of the mammals inhabiting the Virginia barrier islands or the adjacent Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) Peninsula mainland existed. Thanks to the efforts of VMNH Curator of Mammals Dr. Nancy Moncrief, along with VMNH Research Associates Drs. John Porter and Raymond Dueser, both of whom are at the University of Virginia, such a list now exists. Their article "Annotated Checklist of Terrestrial Mammals of the Virginia Barrier Islands and the Adjacent Delmarva Peninsula", which was published in Volume 28 of the 'Northeastern Naturalist', is based on specimens in the VMNH Mammal Collections, searches of records in other museum collections, a compilation of reports in the scientific ...

February 15, 2022

The Museum Store is in the midst of its first large-scale makeover since it debuted in Spring 2007! New paneling and shelving has been installed, with wall painting and new LED lighting on its way. Be sure to check out all of the cosmetic updates and fresh new product inventory during your next visit to VMNH!

February 10, 2022

Hello, VMNH Members! As the museum looks to update and enhance our member benefits, we hope you will take a few minutes to complete an online survey specifically for current members. Knowing how you feel about the museum's membership program will help us improve everything from what benefits we offer members to how we communicate with you. Thank you for your time and thank you for being part of the VMNH family!

February 8, 2022

� A few pics from this evening's 'Science Talk' at the Historic Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro, Virginia! If you missed the presentation, which focused on life in temporary ponds, you can watch it right here on Facebook using the link below! https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaMuseum/videos/1148371935968611/

February 8, 2022

"Vernal Pools: Documenting Life in Temporary Ponds" with Steven David Johnson, Conservation Photographer and Professor of Visual and Communication Arts at Eastern Mennonite University Introductions begin at the 12:21 mark. Presentation begins at the 19:23 mark.

February 8, 2022

From monitoring cultural heritage sites across the globe that are threatened by armed conflict and natural disaster, to preparing the fossils of an ancient cave cat for future exhibition, there's never a dull moment with the museum's science team! Yesterday, a crew of videographers and photographers from Parker Productions spent the day at the museum highlighting several of the incredible, ongoing research projects taking place at VMNH. The work of Dr. Hayden Bassett (Assistant Curator of Archaeology), Dr. Jackson Means (Myriapodologist), Dr. Adam Pritchard (Assistant Curator of Paleontology) and Lucy Treado (Paleontology Research Technician) will soon be featured in a series of videos that bring audiences closer to the ...

February 8, 2022

HAPPENING THIS EVENING! Join us at the Historic Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro, Virginia this evening (February 8th) at 7pm, when Steven David Johnson, Conservation Photographer and Professor of Visual and Communication Arts at Eastern Mennonite University, presents "Vernal Pools: Documenting Life in Temporary Ponds"! The presentation is free to attend and will also be streamed live on the Facebook pages of the Wayne Theatre and Virginia Museum of Natural History! Learn more at https://www.vmnh.net/event/2022-02-08-7-00/february-science-talk-at-wayne-theatre!

February 4, 2022

Join us at the Wayne Theatre in Waynesbro, Virginia on Tuesday, February 8 at 7pm, when Steven David Johnson - Conservation Photographer and Professor of Visual and Communication Arts at Eastern Mennonite University - presents "Vernal Pools: Documenting Life in Temporary Ponds"! The presentation is free to attend and will also be streamed live on the Facebook pages of the Wayne Theatre and Virginia Museum of Natural History! Learn more about the presentation at https://www.vmnh.net/event/2022-02-08-7-00/february-science-talk-at-wayne-theatre!

February 4, 2022

VMNH scientists are always willing to share their expertise! Today, Associate Curator of Recent Invertebrates Dr. Kal Ivanov is at Clemson University presenting a seminar in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, while spending the rest of his time working in the Clemson University arthropod collection!

February 4, 2022

�� We humans may rule the air today, but our ability to take flight wouldn't have been possible without studying the first masters of the air: birds, bats, reptiles and insects! The special exhibit, "The Science of Flight", is now open at VMNH through the end of 2022!