Welcome to the Department of Museum Research and Collections!
We oversee the management and curation of the University of Alabama Museums collections and develop interdisciplinary research programs focusing on museum-based research. Browse this site to learn more about who we are and what we do.
Along with the rest of the Nation, The University of Alabama Museums has watched as recent events including the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor have fractured our communities. Violence, disparity, and acts of hatred contradict the University’s core principles of fostering a culture of inclusivity, diversity, and respect for every member of our community. The UA Museums stand behind these values as we use this time to advocate for reflection, opportunities for change, and engagement with marginalized communities. We are committed to dismantling systemic racism and seek to be a strong symbol of hope, equality, and inclusivity, bringing people together to discover and enjoy the incredible natural and cultural resources of our region.
To celebrate its 200th anniversary of statehood, the State of Alabama created the Alabama Bicentennial Park in the heart of historic Montgomery and commissioned artist Caleb O’Connor to design a series of sixteen sculptural works depicting the state’s full history, from fossils to moon rockets.
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Maybe you’ve seen the headlines: soon, hundreds of millions of cicadas will emerge after 17 years of living underground and swarm cities all over the eastern United States.
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Millions of cicadas are about to swarm the East Coast. Don’t panic! It’s totally normal. These cicadas, known as periodical cicadas, have been 6 feet underground for 17 years. From June to August, they will come above ground in waves in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina.
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Ian W. Brown, Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama and Emeritus Curator of Gulf Coast Archaeology at the Alabama Museum of Natural History, has written a book titled Behind Glass in Russia, 1992: An Archaeologist’s Journal!
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Alabama employs about a dozen professional paleontologists, but there are many more people who search and study fossils as a hobby. These avocational or amateur paleontologists uncover a vast amount of knowledge about Alabama’s prehistory each year.
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This year, the Alabama Museum of Natural History is celebrating National Fossil Day online! On October 14, 2020, we will be hosting free livestream broadcasts about Paleontology, Paleozoic Oceans, and a special presentation about the Alabama Avocational Paleontologist Award.
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