Welcome to the Department of Museum Research and Collections!
We oversee the management and curation of the Alabama Museum of Natural History collections and develop interdisciplinary research programs focusing on museum-based research. An increasing portion our collections can be found in the online database Arctos. Browse this site to learn more about who we are and what we do.
Last month, Dr. Adiel Klompmaker (UA Museums’ Curator of Paleontology) and Dr. Cristina Robins (a UA Museums’ Research Associate) participated in the 8th Symposium on Fossil Decapod Crustaceans organized in Zaragoza, Spain.
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A new paper in Diversity, authored by a team of international collaborators that was headed up by Dr. John Abbott (Director of The University of Alabama’s Department of Museum Research and Collections) and Dr. Cornelio Bota Sierra (Postdoctoral Research, The University of Alabama Museums) about the Diversity of Nearctic Dragonflies and Damselflies has been published.
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From June 16-21, Dr. John Abbott (Director of The University of Alabama Museum’s Research and Collections) and Kendra Abbott (Alabama Museum of Natural History‘s Research and Outreach Coordinator) traveled to Colombia to conduct a Dragonfly ID and Genetics Workshop, as part of the GEODE research project.
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When trying to study changes in insect populations, researchers are hindered by one big problem: We don’t know as much about bugs as we need to. “We know almost nothing,” said Kendra Abbott, entomologist and museums research and outreach coordinator at the University of Alabama.
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The remains of a 70-million-year-old carnivorous lobster have been found in Alabama, and the fossil is so well preserved it resembles well-cooked bacon.
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This story is part 11 of the AL.com series “Ancient Alabama,” examining the natural forces that made Alabama what it is over the past 500 million years, and how those forces still shape the state today.
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Alabama has a fantastic fossil record and many important fossils have been discovered by avocational (amateur/hobby) paleontologists. In 2020, a new award was created by The University of Alabama Museums honoring an avocational paleontologist who has made substantial contributions to paleontology in Alabama.
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Visit the Alabama Museum of Natural History on October 15 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM for a free event to celebrate National Fossil Day and the scientific and educational value of paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations! Join us for a National Fossil Day celebration focused on Alabama’s fossil heritage!
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On August 19th, a new article on a fossil turtle from the Alabama Museum of Natural History collection was published.
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