News Articles

September 28, 2018

Goodbye, Dr. Hastings! Today is Dr. Alex Hastings last day as assistant curator of paleontology at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. Dr. Hastings will soon become the Fitzpatrick Chair of Paleontology at the Science Museum of Minnesota! Congratulations to Dr. Hastings and best of luck to you in the North Star State! You will be missed!!

September 28, 2018

We've unveiled an amazing update to the Lee & George W. Lester, II How Nature Works gallery! Read about it here and experience it during your next visit!

September 28, 2018

Krystal Davis, Administrator of Science at VMNH, is at Averett University's Career Expo, where she is discussing museum careers and education with university students!

September 25, 2018

Do you know of anyone whose contributions to natural science or natural science education should be recognized? The museum is seeking nominations for its 32nd Annual Thomas Jefferson Awards, which honor individuals and corporations for outstanding contributions to natural science and natural science education. Please follow the link to learn about the different awards available for nomination and how you can submit a nomination!

September 22, 2018

Come out to the museum today from noon to 3 p.m. for Forensic Science Saturday! Expert forensic entomologist, Dr. Joe Keiper, educators Terri Robertson and Debbi Bryant, and some of the museum's amazing volunteers are offering a variety of forensic activities! Best of all, admission is FREE today with your FREE Museum Day ticket available at www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2018/!

September 22, 2018

Kayla Lacy, the museum's newest educator, is in Bassett, Virginia at the Philpott Dam today for the Philpott Project 65th Anniversary Celebration! Come on out to meet Kayla and find out what awesome activity she has for you!

September 21, 2018

The VMNH paleo team was out tonight at Roanoke College's Dragon Fest. The crew talked up the museum's dinosaur collection and scaled fossil plants that may be tied to the origin of dragon myths. Want to know more? Then come to the VMNH's own Dragon Fest on Oct. 20! #FossilFriday #SciComm

September 21, 2018

Dr. Kal Ivanov, assistant curator of recent invertebrates, is in his hometown of Ruse, Bulgaria today and had the opportunity to visit the Eco Museum and Aquarium. Dr. Ivanov was able to meet with museum curators Venci Petkov and Krasi Kirov during his visit and received a personal tour of the exhibits. Here are several pics from his visit!

September 20, 2018

Dr. Kal Ivanov, assistant curator of recent invertebrates, was kind enough to send us a few pictures that he took during his recent visit to the National Museum of Natural History in Sofia, Bulgaria! We thought we'd share them with our friends in social media land! While at the national museum, Dr. Ivanov managed to receive a tour of its collections, which are among the oldest and largest in eastern Europe. Dr. Mario Langourov, a dipterologist at the museum (studies flies), led Dr. Ivanov through the collection. The same day, the national museum opened its newest exhibit "The wild world through the eyes of a zoologist, artist and photographer", which Dr. Ivanov got to experience.

September 19, 2018

Interested in being a part of the museum team? We are holding a Volunteer Information Session tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at the museum! We're seeking volunteers to help in many different areas, such as the scientific labs and collection areas, the museum's education programs, along with general administrative help. Come on out and learn how you can be a part of our team!!

September 16, 2018

Hey everyone! Tired of rain? We are opening with free admission 1pm today! Store/cafe will be open, and we'll put some NFL on in the lobby. Come grab a coffee and a game! Enjoy the exhibits, including our special moth art show, and take in a bonus free day at VMNH!

September 15, 2018

Special Moth Saturday today 10am to 2pm in the Walker Lecture Hall! Dr Ivanov has some treasures from the museums out on display. Free admission through Sunday.

September 14, 2018

Today, VMNH Paleontology Curator Dr. Alex Hastings was with Dr. Brooke Haiar at the University of Lynchburg to do some fossil preparation training. The students will be working on dinosaur bones from the Wyoming dig over the course of the Fall semester. We're always glad to get more help with fossil lab work! #DinoDigULVMNH #FossilFriday

September 14, 2018

DRAGON FESTIVAL: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20 Science, history and myth collide during the Dragon Festival on Saturday, October 20, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.! Explore the lore of dragons, the impact these creatures have had on societies across the globe, and the science behind the growth and dissemination of their myth! All of the sights and sounds that make the myth of dragons so alluring will be in full-force throughout the day! Experiences include... Dragon Exhibits Fire Performances (actual performer pictured) Blacksmith Presentations Medieval Combat Demonstrations Viking Performers Stilt Walkers Beer Garden (3 to 6 p.m.) Ren Faire Marketplace Games, Crafts and Activities Much, much more! Admission is only... ...

September 14, 2018

The Virginia Museum of Natural History has received a grant of $97,637 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to improve the care and accessibility of approximately 200 to 540 million-year-old geologic rock core that documents the extent and characteristics of the largest uranium deposit in the United States! Recent considerations of mining the uranium deposit have resulted in increased requests for access to the rock core collection, requiring additional measures to ensure its future health and accessibility. Click the pics to learn more!

September 13, 2018

Yesterday in the paleo lab, VMNH curator Alex Hastings and technician Ray Vodden sampled a mastodon leg bone from Ohio's Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. This sample will get sent out for radiocarbon dating to figure out how long ago it died as part of on-going research into the fascinating fossil Carter Bog fauna of Ohio.

September 13, 2018

We had Steve Roble of the Dept of Conservation and Recreation Natural Heritage Division give a talk tonight on VA moths. Over 160,000 described species with an estimated total of 400,000 to 1 million species world wide! That's a lot of species left to describe! We have a moth art show as well. Come check them out!

September 13, 2018

FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 AND SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 Due to Hurricane Florence, the museum is offering free admission on Saturday, September 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 16 from 1 to 5 p.m. We understand that people living in areas that have been evacuated due to Hurricane Florence have made accommodations in Martinsville and the surrounding area during this weather event and we'd like to open our doors to anyone looking for a fun activity this weekend during their stay. Of course, the free admission offering is also available to locals and anyone else wishing to visit the museum! PLEASE NOTE THAT MARTINSVILLE IS EXPECTED TO RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT RAIN AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER DUE TO ...

September 11, 2018

We start our Wayne Theatre lecture series on the South River and region, jointly hosted by VMNH and the Center for Coldwaters Restoration. Dr Scott Eaton, professor at JMU and contributing editor and author of the VMNH publication 'Geology of Virginia' gives a talk on the Geology of the Shenandoah region.

September 11, 2018

Want to learn all about the moths that call Virginia home? Of course you do! Join us this Thursday at 6 p.m. as expert zoologist, Dr. Steven M. Roble of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, presents "Natural History, Inventory, and Conservation of Virginia's Moth Fauna". The presentation is absolutely free to attend and kicks-off the 2018-19 series of the museum's 2nd Thursday Science Talks!

September 8, 2018

Today the VMNH was back at the Solite Quarry with the Virginia Master Naturalists, doing the field trip for their training program. Not a bad morning of fossil plants and coprolites from the Triassic, about 225 million years ago. #ScienceSaturday #fieldwork

September 8, 2018

This morning VMNH paleo was at the Solite Quarry on the Virginia-North Carolina border for the training field trip as part of the Master Naturalist training program. The fossil site is from the Triassic, about 225 million years old. Check it out!

September 7, 2018

If you thought moths were plain and dull, think again! A magnificent series of paintings by artist Deborah Davis is now on display at the museum through September 22. The paintings exquisitely detail the wide array of colors and diversity that these beautiful insects possess. On Saturday, September 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the museum is hosting "Moth Day", featuring a variety of moth-related activities led by Deborah Davis, as well as the museum's resident entomologists Dr. Joe Keiper and Dr. Kal Ivanov. We hope to see you at the museum!

September 7, 2018

In honor of the upcoming Earth Science Week (Oct. 14-20), you can take a virtual fossil tour of Eagle Rock, Virginia. Designed by William Schmachtenberg of Ferrum College and Franklin County High School, this is a completely free way to check out Virginia fossils from anywhere in the world. The app features photos from VMNH specimens and is tagged to the actual geology of Eagle Rock. Check it out! #FossilFriday #SciComm #K12Ed #STEM Find out more at the link below:

September 7, 2018

Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day & Forensic Science Saturday both take place on Saturday, September 22! SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE MUSEUM DAY (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Free admission to the museum will be offered to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket, which can be downloaded for free at www.smithsonianmag.com/.../virginia-museum-of-natural-history/! FORENSIC SCIENCE SATURDAY (noon to 3 p.m.) The museum is celebrating National Forensic Week by hosting its first-ever Forensic Science Saturday! Special activities will include fingerprinting, blood spatter analysis, forensic entomology, and footprint analysis! Best of all, anyone with a Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day ticket can participate in the activities - and view all the museum's ...

September 5, 2018

The 2018-19 season of the Homeschool Science and Engineering Academy has begun! Homeschool students from throughout the region are at the museum today to learn about forensic entomology from one of the nation's leading forensic entomologists, Dr. Joe Keiper. Interested in having your homeschool students participate in this series of programming? Visit www.vmnh.net/homeschool-education to learn more!

September 4, 2018

The museum has opened the search for its next Assistant Curator of Paleontology! To learn more about this and other exciting opportunities, please visit https://www.vmnh.net/careers.