MOSCOW, ID — The University of Idaho will host a public grand opening and ribbon cutting later this month to mark the launch of the North Idaho affiliate of the Idaho Museum of Natural History, expanding access to natural history exhibits and research collections on the Moscow campus.
The event is scheduled from 1–2 p.m. Thursday, March 26, inside the Mines Building on the university’s campus. The free event is open to the public, with welcoming remarks planned for 1:30 p.m. on the building’s second floor.
The affiliate, housed within the university’s College of Science, was created through a partnership between the University of Idaho and Idaho State University. Officials say the new location will serve as a regional hub for community access, student learning and Idaho-based research while expanding exhibit space for natural history collections.
Exhibits are being developed in the Mines Building and nearby McClure Hall, with long-term plans to connect the two spaces through additional displays. The first exhibit, located in the basement foyer of McClure Hall, is already open to visitors.
University leaders say the new affiliate will showcase several major scientific collections, including the Smiley Paleobotany Collection — considered one of the most significant fossil leaf collections in North America — along with the Williams Geological Teaching Collection and the Gunter Mineralogy Collection.
Alistair Smith, chair of the university’s Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences, said the museum will help strengthen connections between research collections and the public while providing new educational opportunities for students and the community.
College of Science Dean Ginger E. Carney added that the partnership expands research and education opportunities in earth and life sciences while increasing public access to the state’s natural history collections.
The new North Idaho affiliate also builds on the Pocatello-based museum’s statewide outreach programs, which include mobile education exhibits and classroom experiences delivered to communities across Idaho.
More information about the museum affiliate is available through the University of Idaho.
