About the LSU Museum of Natural Science
The LSU Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1936 and the current public exhibit area was opened on March 27, 1955 in Foster Hall. The Museum’s founder and first Director, Dr. George H. Lowery, Jr., was a professor of zoology at LSU. The Museum of Natural Science is a research museum, meaning it educates the public through exhibits and programs, houses a premier research staff committed to learning more about our natural world, and maintains collections that support this work. Research at the Museum centers on the following disciplines: mammalogy (mammals), ornithology (birds), ichthyology (fishes), herpetology (reptiles and amphibians), paleontology (fossils), archaeology and anthropology (early human culture), genetic resources (DNA), palynology (fossil pollen and particulate matter), and science education.
With holdings of almost 2.5 million specimens, the LSU Museum of Natural Science is among the nation’s leaders in terms of the size and diversity of its research collection. It houses the most active and third largest university-based collection of birds in the world and the largest collection of genetic resources (DNA samples) in the world. The museum’s nine faculty members have authored a combined total of more than 100 scholarly publications in the past five years, including several prestigious books, and have been awarded extramural grants totaling more than $6.4 million. As a result, the Museum is a powerful magnet for graduate students from throughout the world who come to study anthropology, archaeology, paleontology, and zoology at LSU. The Museum faculty currently advise thirty-nine graduate students, and the Museum is among the top units on campus for success in placement of graduates.
The exhibit area highlights nine habitat dioramas which were constructed between the years of 1955-1964 by the talented scientist and artist, Ambrose Daigre. Habitat dioramas were popular forms of display in natural history museums beginning in the early 1900’s. They were intended to give the illusion of a real scene as being viewed through a window. The background of the diorama is constructed in the shape of a half dome to give the illusion of depth. It was Daigre’s job to blend the three dimensional foreground with the painted background to create a continuous natural scene.
In addition to the habitat dioramas, the Museum also has displays of the mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians of Louisiana, as well as the first Mike the Tiger, Experience Antarctica, Louisiana Native Americans, and Making a Big Splash with Louisiana Fishes. Fossil bones of a mastodon and a cast of the skull of the dinosaur, Allosaurus, are also on display. More specific information about the Museum exhibits is available under the "Exhibits" tab.
Each year, more than 3,500 visitors view the Museum’s exhibits and benefit from informative tours and outreach programs.
Windows on the World
"Windows on the World: Public Exhibits in the Museum of Natural Science at Louisiana State University" was written as a semicentennial tribute to the museum's collection in 1986 and covers the history of the museums and its collection from 1936-1986. This work was created by Peter A. Soderbergh, Dean of the College of Education LSU (1976- 1981). Soderbergh was first involved with the museum in 1980 and was instrumental in forming the LSUMNS Patrons Association. At the time of writing "Windows on the World," he was the chairman of the Museum's Board of Fellows.
Below you can download a PDF copy of "Windows on the World."