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111-727: The National Museum of Natural History ( NMNH ) is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution , located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. , United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. With 4.4 million visitors in 2023, it was the third most-visited museum in the United States . Opened in 1910, the museum on the National Mall was one of

222-444: A complementary web site, which provides diaries and podcasts directly from related fields of research. The companion book, What Does It Mean To Be Human , was written by Richard (Rick) Potts , the curator, and Christopher Sloan. The exhibit was designed by Reich + Petch. The Hall of Dinosaurs has fossilized skeletons and cast models, including a Tyrannosaurus rex cast facing a Triceratops cast. This Triceratops exhibit shows

333-628: A dining hall. Most residence halls have AC, but some do not. These non-AC halls are Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Chestertown, Ellicott, Hagerstown, Wicomico, and Worcester. South Campus includes the North Hill Community, made up of nine Georgian-style halls and Prince Frederick Hall (which opened in 2014) immediately west of McKeldin Mall ; South Hill Community, made up of fourteen small residence halls for upper-level students; Leonardtown Community, which offers apartment-style housing; and

444-553: A memo drafted by Samper shortly after October 15, 2005, in which Samper said the museum should not "replicate" work by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change . A few weeks later, a NOAA climate researcher advised a superior that the delay was due to "the debate within the administration and the science community over the existence and cause of global warming". During the delay, Samper asked high-level officials in other government agencies and departments to review

555-499: A mixed bag of state or provincial support as well as university funding, causing differing systems of development and goals. Opportunities for a new public audience coupled with overflowing artifact collections led to a new design for natural history museums. A dual arrangement of museums was pioneered by J. Edward Gray, who worked with the British Museum in the 1860s. This layout separated the science-producing researcher from

666-560: A month later the Sant family donated another $ 10 million to endow the director's position. On July 25, 2012, Kirk Johnson , vice president of research and collections at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science , was named Samper's successor effective October 29, 2012. By 2013, as Sant Director, Johnson oversaw a museum with 460 employees and a $ 68 million budget. A four-year strategic plan was released in 2021. The museum's Mall building

777-593: A new building on June 28, 1902. On January 29, 1903, a special committee composed of members of Congress and representatives from the Smithsonian's board of regents published a report asking Congress to fund a much larger structure than originally planned. The regents began considering sites for the new building in March, and by April 12 settled on a site on the north side of B Street NW between 9th and 12th Streets. The D.C. architectural firm of Hornblower & Marshall

888-700: A paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural History, was appointed interim director in June 2002. In January 2003, the Smithsonian announced that Cristián Samper , a Colombian with an M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Harvard University , would become the museum's permanent director on March 31, 2003. Samper (who holds dual citizenship with Colombia and the United States) founded the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute and ran

999-459: A prize in physics for his contributions to laser cooling . In 2005, Thomas Schelling was awarded the prize in economics for his contributions to game theory . In 2006, John C. Mather was awarded the prize in physics alongside George Smoot for their work in the discovery of blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation . In addition, two University of Maryland alumni are Nobel Prize laureates; Herbert Hauptman won

1110-402: A range of shared historical memories which connected Koreans at home and abroad. Personal stories of modern Koreans, as told in their own voices, provide a context to discuss some of the many issues that face the divided country today. Korea's incredible transformation from 'The Hermit Kingdom' to a world power is traced through its impact on the arts, the economy and popular culture. The exhibit

1221-474: Is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". In FY 2020, the university spent about 1.103 billion dollars in total R&D expenditures, ranking it 16th in the nation. On October 14, 2004, the university added 150 acres (61 ha) in an attempt to create the largest research park inside the Washington, D.C. Capital Beltway , formerly known as "M Square" and now known as

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1332-434: Is 44th (tie) in "National Universities" and 17th in "Top Public Schools". The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Maryland as 43rd in the world in 2015. The 2017–2018 Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Maryland 69th worldwide. The 2016/17 QS World University Rankings ranked Maryland 131st worldwide. The university was ranked among Peace Corps ' 25 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges for

1443-576: Is a female skull from Homo floresiensis , a human species that possibly only went extinct just 17,000 years ago. The exhibit includes an interactive human family tree that follows six million years of evolution, and a "Changing the World" gallery that focuses on issues surrounding climate change and humans' impact on the world. The Hall's core concept idea is "What Does It Mean To Be Human", and focuses on milestones of human evolution such as walking upright , bigger brains, and symbolic thought. Also covered

1554-563: Is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland , United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland . UMD is the largest university in both the state and the Washington metropolitan area . Its 12 schools and colleges offer over 200 degree-granting programs, including 113 undergraduate majors, 107 master's programs, and 83 doctoral programs . UMD

1665-605: Is a member of the Association of American Universities and competes in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the Big Ten Conference . The University of Maryland's proximity to Washington, D.C. has resulted in many research partnerships with the federal government ; faculty receive research funding and institutional support from many agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health , NASA ,

1776-547: Is adjacent to a stop on the MARC Camden line, a commuter rail line which runs from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The stop is also serviced by busses from Shuttle–UM, MTA , WMATA , and TheBus . In 2011, the university signed on to the state's Purple Line program. The Purple Line route will have five stops on and around the university's campus: M Square, the College Park Metro station, the main entrance to

1887-600: Is better known today as the Smithsonian Castle. A formal exhibit hall opened in 1858. The growing collection led to the construction of a new building, the National Museum Building (known today as the Arts and Industries Building ). Covering a then-enormous 2.25 acres (9,100 m), it was built in just 15 months at a cost of $ 310,000. It opened in March 1881. Congress authorized construction of

1998-534: Is estimated to hold more than 5000 Native American remains that have not been repatriated. Some of these may belong to the Seminole Tribe of Florida . One collection of nearly a million specimens of birds, reptiles, and mammals kept at the museum has been maintained by the Biological Survey unit of the U.S. Geological Survey . This division had started in 1885 as an economic ornithology unit of

2109-544: Is home to the Memorial Chapel and the Campus Farms. Regents Drive crosses Campus Drive at the campus hallmark, "M" Circle , which is a traffic circle with a large "M" formed by flowers in its center. The northeast quadrant of campus, formed by Campus and Regent Drives, is home to many of natural sciences and applied sciences departments. The Rossborough Inn , which, was built during the years 1798 to 1812,

2220-576: Is made up of Cambridge Community (which consists of five residence halls and houses the College Park Scholars program), Denton Community (which consists of three halls), Oakland Community (which consists of one hall), Ellicott Community (consisting of three halls), and the Courtyards, a garden-style apartment community in north campus consisting of seven buildings. The Heritage community, completed in 2024, features two residence halls and

2331-587: Is ranked as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Students and Scholars for the 2017–2018 academic year by the United States Department of State 's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs . In 2017, the University of Maryland was ranked among the top 50 universities in the 2018 Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report based on its high academic research performance and global reputation. In 2021,

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2442-465: Is rated "most selective" by U.S. News & World Report . For the Class of 2026 (enrolled fall 2022), Maryland received 56,766 applications and accepted 19,451 (34.3%). Of those accepted, 4,742 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 24.4%. Maryland's freshman retention rate is 95.5%, with 88.3% going on to graduate within six years. Of

2553-458: Is the Smithsonian's significant research on the geological and climate changes which occurred in East Africa during significant periods of Human Evolution. The exhibit highlights an actual fossil Neanderthal and replicas created by famed paleoartist, John Gurche . The exhibit has been criticized for downplaying the significance of human-caused global warming . The exhibit also provides

2664-686: Is the first building on campus named in honor of Indigenous people. The third dining hall, South Campus Dining Hall, can be found just south of McKeldin Library The university is accessible through the three airports in the greater Washington metropolitan area : Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , Washington Dulles International Airport , and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport . A small public airport in College Park, College Park Airport , lies nearly adjacent to campus, but operations are limited. This airport

2775-479: Is the oldest building on campus (and is older than the university itself). There are five regularly used entrances to campus; the main entrance, off of Baltimore Avenue and onto Campus Drive, is referred to as North Gate and features the Gatehouse, an ornate gateway honoring the university's founders. The 140-acre (57 ha), 18-hole University of Maryland Golf Course sits at the northern edge of campus, as does

2886-465: Is the world's oldest continually operating airport and the site of many significant aviation firsts. A free shuttle service, known as Shuttle–UM , is available for UMD students, faculty, staff, and some residents of College Park and Greenbelt. The university is served by an off-campus stop on the Washington Metro 's Green Line called College Park – University of Maryland . This stop

2997-558: Is to improve our understanding of the natural world. Some museums have public exhibits to share the beauty and wonder of the natural world with the public; these are referred to as 'public museums'. Some museums feature non-natural history collections in addition to their primary collections, such as ones related to history, art, and science. Renaissance cabinets of curiosities were private collections that typically included exotic specimens of national history, sometimes faked, along with other types of object. The first natural history museum

3108-581: The 2013 federal government shutdown , the fossil did not arrive in Washington, D.C. Smithsonian officials said it remained in storage in Montana, and would not arrive at the Smithsonian until late spring 2014. Packed up in 16 crates, the T. rex , named "Nation's T. rex" by the Smithsonian, traveled from the Museum of the Rockies and arrived at the National Museum of Natural History on April 15, 2014. The T. rex

3219-915: The Anacostia Tributary Trails system, cuts through campus, as does the Paint Branch stream, a tributary of the Northeast Branch Anacostia River . The university's first Leed Gold building, Knight Hall, opened in April 2010 as the new home for the Philip Merrill College of Journalism . In 2021, President Pines pledged that the University of Maryland would achieve carbon neutrality by Earth Day 2025. The University of Maryland offers 127 undergraduate degrees and 112 graduate degrees in thirteen colleges and schools: Admission to Maryland

3330-513: The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana (which helped excavate the fossil). The "Wankel rex" (whose skeleton is 85 percent complete) was to be unveiled at the Museum of Natural History on National Fossil Day, October 16, 2013, and was supposed to be on display until the dinosaur hall exhibit closed for renovation in the spring of 2014. The 35-foot (11 m) long skeleton is the centerpiece of

3441-534: The National Guard . In a massive restructuring of the state's higher education system in 1988, the school was designated as the flagship campus of the newly formed University of Maryland System (later changed to the University System of Maryland in 1997). It was formally named the University of Maryland, College Park. All five campuses in the former network were designated distinct campuses in

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3552-820: The National Institute of Standards and Technology , the Food and Drug Administration , the National Security Agency , and the Department of Homeland Security . It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and has been labeled a " Public Ivy ". According to the National Science Foundation , the university spent a combined $ 1.14 billion on research and development in 2021, ranking it 17th among American universities. On March 6, 1856,

3663-617: The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute after 2001. Smithsonian officials said Samper's administrative experience proved critical in his appointment. Under Samper's direction, the museum opened the $ 100 million Behring Hall of Mammals in November 2003, received $ 60 million in 2004 for the Sant Hall of Oceans, and received a $ 1 million gift from Tiffany & Co. for the purchase of precious gems for

3774-606: The Wolf Prize in 1980 (together with Kenneth G. Wilson and Leo Kadanoff ) and the IUPAP Boltzmann Medal in 1983. James A. Yorke , a distinguished university professor of mathematics and physics and chair of the mathematics department, won the 2003 Japan Prize for his work in chaotic systems . In 2013, professor of physics Sylvester James Gates was awarded the National Medal of Science . UMD

3885-427: The "Discovery District." Many of the faculty members have funding from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation , the National Institutes of Health , NASA , the Department of Homeland Security , the National Institute of Standards and Technology , and the National Security Agency . The Space Systems Laboratory researches human-robotic interaction for astronautics applications and includes

3996-471: The 1985 prize in chemistry, and Raymond Davis Jr. won the 2002 prize in physics. The university has many notable academics. Professor of mathematics, Sergei Novikov won the Fields Medal in 1970, followed by alumnus Charles Fefferman in 1978. Alumnus George Dantzig won the 1975 National Medal of Science for his work in the field of linear programming. Professor of physics Michael Fisher won

4107-469: The 2020–2021 academic year, 69 freshman students were National Merit Scholars . In 2020, the university announced it was joining the Common App . Beginning with the 2017-18 admissions cycle, the University of Maryland uses the application provided by The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success. In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings of universities, the University of Maryland

4218-502: The 34% of the incoming freshman class who submitted SAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1340–1490. Of the 9% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submitted ACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 30 and 34. The University of Maryland, College Park is a college sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 58 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In

4329-530: The 34th president of the university in 2020. Pines was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the university before becoming president. In 2021, the university announced it had raised $ 1.5 billion in donations since 2018. In April of 2024, UMD students joined other campuses across the United States in protests against the Israel–Hamas war . Students called attention to the genocide in Palestine and for

4440-577: The Agriculture Department. Clarence Birdseye and Clinton Hart Merriam had worked in this organization. As of February 2018, the unit's funding is planned to be cut, and it is not clear what would happen to the collection. The National Gem and Mineral Collection is one of the most significant collections of its kind in the world. There are currently over 15,000 individual gems in the collection, as well as 350,000 minerals and 300,000 samples of rock and ore specimens. Additionally,

4551-608: The Bush administration". The changes were discussed as early as mid-August 2005, and Dr. Waleed Abdalati , manager of NASA's Cryospheric Sciences Program, noted at the time that "There was some discussion of the political sensitivities of the exhibit." Although the exhibit was due to open in October 2005, the Post reported that Samper ordered a six-month delay to allow for even further changes. The newspaper also reported that it had obtained

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4662-657: The First World Congress on the Preservation and Conservation of Natural History Collections took place in Madrid, from 10 May 1992 to 15 May 1992. While the museum buildings where collections of artifacts were displayed started to overflow with materials, the prospect of a new building space would take years to build. As wealthy nations began to collect exotic artifacts and organisms from other countries, this problem continued to worsen. Museum funding came from

4773-517: The Language House, where students learning a shared target language live together. Several LLPs exist under the university's Honors College, with focuses in topics including cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and life sciences. College Park Scholars is another LLP umbrella that includes programs in the arts, public health, and legal thought, among others. There are two main residential areas on campus, North Campus and South Campus. North Campus

4884-640: The Morrill Quad, which was the original center of campus. South of the Morrill Quad are the South Hill and South Campus Commons Communities, and the Southwest Mall and the Robert H. Smith School of Business to the southwest. Running parallel to McKeldin Mall to the north is Campus Drive, the main thoroughfare through campus. Another thoroughfare, Regents Drive, runs perpendicular to the Mall and

4995-559: The Museum of Natural History on March 29. In May 2007, Robert Sullivan, the former associate director in charge of exhibitions at the National Museum of Natural History, charged that Samper and Smithsonian Undersecretary for Science David Evans (Samper's supervisor) ordered "last minute" changes in the exhibit "Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely" to tone down the role of human beings in the discussion of global warming , and to make global warming seem more uncertain than originally depicted. Samper denied that he knew of any scientific objections to

5106-616: The National Gem Collection. On March 25, 2007, Lawrence M. Small , Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the organization's highest-ranking appointed official, resigned abruptly after public reports of lavish spending. On March 27, 2007, Samper was appointed Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian. Paul G. Risser , former chancellor of the University of Oklahoma , was named acting director of

5217-467: The National Museum of Natural History had 11 permanent and acting directors. The directors included: Richard S. Fiske (1980-1985); James C. Tyler (acting, 1985 and 1988); and Robert S. Hoffmann (1985-1988). Frank Talbot , ichthyologist and former director of the Australian Museum and California Academy of Sciences , served as director from 1989 until 1994. He was the first (and as of 2024

5328-662: The Observatory . The campus contains 7,500 documented trees and garden plantings, leading the American Public Gardens Association to designate the campus the University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden in 2008. There are also nearly 400 acres (1.6 km ) of urban forest on campus and the Arbor Day Foundation has named the university to its 'Tree Campus USA' list. The recreational Paint Branch Trail, part of

5439-436: The Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents (which had final say on accepting the donation) questioned whether the donation was a conflict of interest . Before the board could consider the donation, the donor withdrew the offer. Risser resigned as acting director of the museum on January 22, 2008, in order to return to his position at the University of Oklahoma. No new acting director was named at that time. Six weeks later,

5550-614: The Smithsonian obtained a 50-year lease on a T. rex fossil skeleton owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers . It is the first T. rex skeleton to be displayed at the museum, which until now has only had the cast of a skull. The specimen, known as the "Wankel" or "Devil" rex , was found on Corps-owned land in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana in 1988. It has since been on display at

5661-587: The Smithsonian regents chose Georgia Tech president G. Wayne Clough as the new Secretary. Samper stepped down to return to his position as Director of the National Museum of Natural History. In June 2008, the Victoria and Roger Sant family donated $ 15 million to endow the new Ocean Hall at the museum. The museum celebrated the 50th anniversary of its acquisition of the Hope Diamond in August 2009 by giving

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5772-463: The Smithsonian's National Gem and Mineral Collection houses approximately 45,000 meteorite specimens, including examples of every known type of meteorite, and is considered to be one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind in the world. The collection includes some of the most famous pieces of gems and minerals, including the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia (one of the largest sapphires in

5883-737: The South Campus Commons Community, which consists of seven apartment-style buildings (the seventh and most recent building being opened in January 2010). There are three dining halls on campus. In addition, a food court in the Stamp Student Union provides many fast food dining options for the university community. The 251 North dining hall lies in the Denton Community on the northern part of campus. The second northern dining hall, Yahentamitsi,

5994-482: The United States. START is focused on the scientific study of the causes and consequences of terrorism in the United States and worldwide. The university hosts "living-learning" programs (LLPs) that allow students with similar academic interests to live in the same residential community take specialized courses and perform research in those areas of expertise. These include CIVICUS, focused on politics and community service; Hinman CEOs, an entrepreneurship program; and

6105-527: The University of Maryland, after lobbying by President William Kirwan and congressional leaders to foster academic collaboration between the institutions. In 2004, the university began constructing the 150-acre (61 ha) "M Square Research Park", which includes facilities affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense , Food and Drug Administration , and the new National Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, affiliated with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In May 2010, ground

6216-426: The administrators to sell off 200 acres (81 ha) of land, and the continuing decline in enrollment sent the Maryland Agricultural College into bankruptcy. The campus was used as a boys' preparatory school for the next two years. The Maryland legislature assumed half ownership of the school in 1866. The college thus became, in part, a state institution. By October 1867, the school reopened with 11 students. In 1868,

6327-414: The attribution, no charges were filed. As a result of the data breaches, the university offered free credit protection for five years to the students and faculty affected. In 2017, the university received a record-breaking donation of $ 219.5 million from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation , ranking among the country's largest philanthropic gifts to a public university. Darryll J. Pines became

6438-399: The biological perspective in exhibits to teach the public more about the functional relationships between organisms. This required the expertise of zoologist and botanist. As this kind of work was not typical for educated scientists of the time, the new profession of curator developed. Natural history collections are invaluable repositories of genomic information that can be used to examine

6549-408: The campus on Route 1, near Stamp Student Union on Campus Drive, and on the other edge of campus on Adelphi Road, along with a parallel bike path. The Diamondback is an independent student newspaper . It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin , which became the school mascot in 1933. The newspaper is published daily during

6660-829: The center of the hall and a male displayed off to the side, an adult coelenterate , and a Basilosaurus . The museum also provides the Smithsonian Ocean Portal , a complementary web site that provides regularly updated, original content from the museum's research, collections, and Sant Ocean Hall as well as content provided by more than 20 collaborating organizations, including Archive, Census of Marine Life, Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Encyclopedia of Life, INDUCT, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, National Geographic, NOAA, New England Aquarium, Ocean Conservancy , Oceania, Pew Charitable Trusts, Sea Web, Save Our Seas, Scrips Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, World Heritage Marine Programmer. This exhibit and associated website "examines

6771-476: The changes, and said that no political pressure had been applied to the Smithsonian to make the changes. In November 2007, The Washington Post reported that an interagency group of scientists from the Department of the Interior , NASA , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Science Foundation believed that, despite Samper's denial, the museum "acted to avoid criticism from congressional appropriators and global-warming skeptics in

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6882-415: The collection; Frederick A. Canfield , who donated 9,000 specimens to the collection; and Isaac Lea , who donated the basis of the museum's collection of 1312 gems and minerals. The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins opened on March 17, 2010, marking the museum's 100th anniversary. The hall is named for David H. Koch , who contributed $ 15 million to the $ 20.7 million exhibit. The Hall is "dedicated to

6993-462: The collections include 30 million insects, 4.5 million plants preserved in the Museum's herbarium, and 7 million fish stored in liquid-filled jars. The National Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles has more than tripled from 190,000 specimen records 1970 to over 580,000 specimen records in 2020. Of the 2 million cultural artifacts, 400,000 are photographs housed in the National Anthropological Archives . Through off-site active loan and exchange programs,

7104-520: The college regulatory powers in several areas—including controlling farm disease, inspecting feed, establishing a state weather bureau and geological survey, and housing the forestry board. Morrill Hall (the oldest instructional building still in use on campus) was built the following year. On November 29, 1912, a fire destroyed student housing, school records, and most of the academic buildings, leaving only Morrill Hall untouched. There were no injuries or fatalities, and all but two students returned to

7215-433: The dinosaur hall since it re-opened in 2019. The Museum of the Rockies (which did not own the skeleton but was the repository for it) has about a dozen T. rex specimens, including one which is eighty percent complete. Only about six museums in the United States have a T. rex skeleton. The Museum of the Rockies is a Smithsonian affiliate museum, and had long promised to find a T. rex for the Smithsonian to display. Due to

7326-407: The discovery and understanding of human origins," and occupies 15,000 square feet (1,400 m) of exhibit space. This exhibit includes 76 humans skulls, each of a different species, eons apart. Each of these species is a human, signified by the " Homo " genus name. One species that can be found in this gallery is the Homo heidelbergensis , which lived 200,000–700,000 years ago. In addition, there

7437-431: The diversity, dynamism, and global influence of Africa's peoples and cultures over time in the realms of family, work, community, and the natural environment." The Butterflies + Plants is a live butterfly pavilion which allows "visitors to observe the many ways in which butterflies and other animals have evolved, adapted, and diversified together with their plant partners over tens of millions of years." The exhibit

7548-458: The east and west by McKeldin Library and the Thomas V. Miller, Jr. Administration Building, respectively. Academic buildings surround McKeldin Mall on the north and south ends. They are the homes to many departments in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences , College of Arts and Humanities, and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. West of McKeldin Mall is the North Hill Community, and south of McKeldin Mall lies Morrill Hall and

7659-433: The exhibit displayed a scientific certainty that did not exist, and expressed his belief that the museum should present evidence on both sides and let the public make up its own mind. The issue became more heated after the press reported that Samper gave permission for the museum to accept a $ 5 million donation from American Petroleum Institute that would support the museum's soon-to-be-opened Hall of Oceans. Two members of

7770-484: The first Smithsonian buildings constructed exclusively to hold the national collections and research facilities. The main building has an overall area of 1.5 million square feet (140,000 m) with 325,000 square feet (30,200 m) of exhibition and public space and houses over 1,000 employees. The museum's collections contain over 146 million specimens of plants , animals , fossils , minerals , rocks , meteorites , human remains, and human cultural artifacts ,

7881-440: The first accurate dinosaur skeleton in virtual motion, achieved through the use of scanning and digital technology." The collection consists of 46 "complete and important specimens" of dinosaurs. In May 2012, billionaire David H. Koch donated $ 35 million toward the cost of a $ 45 million upgrade to the 30-year-old, 25,000 square feet (2,300 m) dinosaur hall. The hall closed in April 2014 and reopened in June 2019. In June 2013,

7992-562: The forerunner of today's University of Maryland was chartered as the Maryland Agricultural College . Two years later, Charles Benedict Calvert (1808–1864), a future U.S. Representative (Congressman) and descendant of the first Lord Baltimore , purchased 420 acres (1.7 km ) of the Riversdale Mansion estate nearby today's College Park, Maryland . Later that year, Calvert founded the school and

8103-475: The former Confederate admiral Franklin Buchanan was appointed president of the school. Enrollment grew to 80 at the time of his resignation, and the school soon paid off its debt. In 1873, Samuel Jones , a former Confederate Major General, became president of the college. Twenty years later, the federally-funded Agricultural Experiment Station was established there. During this same period, state laws granted

8214-494: The gemstone its own exhibit and a new setting. In March 2010, the museum opened its $ 21 million human evolution hall. In January 2012, Samper said he was stepping down from the National Museum of Natural History to become president and chief executive officer of the Wildlife Conservation Society . Two months later, the museum announced it had received a $ 35 million gift to renovate its dinosaur hall, and

8325-491: The historical game now referred to as "The Queen's Game". Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at The University of Maryland in 1964. In 1969, the university was elected to the Association of American Universities . The school continued to grow, and by the fall of 1985 reached an enrollment of 38,679. Like many colleges during the Vietnam War , the university was the site of student protests and had curfews enforced by

8436-494: The histories of biodiversity and environmental change. Collaborations between museums and researchers worldwide are enabling scientists to unravel ecological and evolutionary relationships such as the domestication of the horse , using genetic samples from museum collections. New methods and technologies are being developed to support museomics . University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park ( University of Maryland , UMD , or simply Maryland )

8547-650: The largest collection of vertebrate specimens in the world, nearly twice the size of the next largest mammal collections, including historically important collections from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its collection was initiated by C. Hart Merriam and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (later the Department of the Interior ), which expanded it in the 1890s-1930s. The O. Orkin Insect Zoo features live insects and exhibits about insects and entomologists . Different habitats have been created to show

8658-495: The largest natural history collection in the world. It is also home to about 185 professional natural history scientists —the largest group of scientists dedicated to the study of natural and cultural history in the world. The United States National Museum was founded in 1846 as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum was initially housed in the Smithsonian Institution Building , which

8769-635: The museum's collections can be accessed. As a result, 3.5 million specimens are out on loan every year. The rest of the collections not on display are stored in the non-public research areas of the museum and at the Museum Support Center , located in Suitland, Maryland. Other facilities include a marine science center in Ft. Pierce, Florida and field stations in Belize, Alaska, and Kenya. The museum

8880-526: The natural history museum was a new space for public interaction with the natural world. Museums began to change the way they exhibited their artifacts, hiring various forms of curators, to refine their displays. Additionally, they adopted new approaches to designing exhibits. These new ways of organizing would support learning of the lay audience. Organised by the League of Nations , the first International Museography Congress happened in Madrid in 1934. Again,

8991-562: The new system. However, in 1997 the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation allowing the University of Maryland, College Park, to be known simply as the University of Maryland, recognizing the campus' role as the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland. In 1994, the National Archives at College Park completed construction and opened on a parcel of land adjoining the campus donated by

9102-637: The only neutral buoyancy facility at a university. The Joint Global Change Research Institute , which studies human and earth systems, was formed in 2001 by the University of Maryland and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory . The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) launched in 2005 as one of the Centers of Excellence supported by the Department of Homeland Security in

9213-435: The only) Australian to ever be appointed to this role. Two acting directors (Donald J. Ortner, 1994-1996, and David L. Pawson in 1996) served before Robert W. Fri was named the museum's director in 1996. One of the largest donations in Smithsonian history was made during Fri's tenure. Kenneth E. Behring donated $ 20 million in 1997 to modernize the museum. Fri resigned in 2001 after disagreeing with Smithsonian leadership over

9324-487: The over 80 million specimens in the museum's total collection, the largest in the world. The hall is named for the Roger Sant family, who donated $ 15 million to endow the new hall and other related programs. The collection includes: a North Atlantic right whale , a giant Lion's mane jellyfish model, a 1,500-US-gallon (5,700 L) aquarium containing live marine fish and corals, one female giant squid displayed in

9435-494: The past by highlighting enduring features of Korean culture which have influence and resonance today. The exhibit used the Smithsonian ceramics collection as well as a rich selection of photographs, ritual objects and traditional Korean carpentry to communicate and connect to both the local Korean community and an international audience. Traditional art forms, such as ceramics and calligraphy, along with mythological figures, language, large feature photographs and illustrations spoke to

9546-556: The plan went into effect, 1,550 students (18% of the total student body) faced expulsion. On October 19, 1957, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom attended her first and only college football game at the University of Maryland after expressing interest in seeing a typically American sport during her first tour of the United States. The Maryland Terrapins beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 21 to 7 in

9657-413: The possibility of diverse audiences, instead adopting the view of an expert as the standard. The mid-eighteenth century saw an increased interest in the scientific world by the middle class bourgeoisie who had greater time for leisure activities, physical mobility and educational opportunities than in previous eras. Other forms of science consumption, such as the zoo, had already grown in popularity. Now,

9768-399: The reorganization of the museum's scientific research programs. J. Dennis O'Connor , provost of the Smithsonian Institution (where he oversaw all science and research programs) was named acting director of the museum on July 25, 2001. Eight months later, O'Conner resigned to become the vice president of research and dean of the graduate school at the University of Maryland . Douglas Erwin ,

9879-424: The school. On April 9, 1920, the college became part of the existing University of Maryland , replacing St. John's College, Annapolis as the university's undergraduate campus. In the same year, the graduate school on the College Park campus awarded its first Ph.D. degrees and the university's enrollment reached 500 students. In 1925 the university was accredited by the Association of American Universities . By

9990-461: The science-consuming public audience. By doing so, museums were able to save space in the exhibit areas and display a smaller, more focused amount of material to the public. This also allowed for greater curation of exhibits that eased the lay viewer's learning and allowed them to develop a more holistic understanding of the natural world. Natural history museums became a story of our world, telling different organisms narratives. Use of dual arrangement

10101-530: The script for the exhibit, ordered his museum staff to make additional changes, and rearranged the sequence of the exhibit panels so that the discussion of climate change was not immediately encountered by museum visitors. Shortly before the exhibit opened in April 2006, officials at NOAA and the United States Department of Commerce expressed to their superiors their opinion that the exhibit had been changed to accommodate political concerns. In an interview with The Washington Post in November 2007, Samper said he felt

10212-702: The spring and fall semesters, with a print circulation of 17,000 and annual advertising revenues of over $ 1 million. Notable journalists who have been with the paper include David Simon of HBO 's The Wire and NBC 's Homicide: Life on the Street , and cartoonists Jeff Kinney , who created the Diary of a Wimpy Kid fiction series and whose Igdoof strip appeared in The Diamondback ; Aaron McGruder , who first published his cartoon The Boondocks in The Diamondback ; and Frank Cho , who began his career with

10323-452: The tenth consecutive year in 2020. The University of Maryland is ranked among Teach for America 's Top 20 Colleges and Universities, contributing the greatest number of graduating seniors to its 2017 teaching corps. For the fourth consecutive year in 2015, the university was ranked 1st in the U.S. for the number of Boren Scholarship recipients – with nine students receiving awards for intensive international language study. The university

10434-493: The time the first black students enrolled at the university in 1951, enrollment had grown to nearly 10,000 students—4,000 of whom were women. Before 1951, many black students in Maryland were enrolled at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore . In 1957, President Wilson H. Elkins pushed to increase the university's academic standards. His efforts resulted in creating one of the first Academic Probation Plans. The first year

10545-401: The type of insects that live in different environments and how they have adapted to a freshwater pond , house, mangrove swamp , desert , and rain forest . The zoo is sponsored by Orkin , a pest control company. The Sant Ocean Hall opened on September 27, 2008, and is the largest renovation of the museum since it opened in 1910. The hall includes 674 marine specimens and models drawn from

10656-422: The university and insisted on classes continuing. A new administration building was not built until the 1940s. During Phillips Lee Goldsborough 's tenure as Governor of Maryland , the state purchased Maryland Agricultural College, taking control of the school in 1916 and renaming it Maryland State College . In the same year, the first female students, Elizabeth Gambrill Hook and Charlotte Ann Vaux, enrolled at

10767-523: The university to divest from companies that support the Hamas-Israel war. Activism continued in next academic year with the placement of small flags in the lawn on McKeldin Mall, representing the more than 150,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza. The center of the university's 1,250 acres (5.1 km ) is McKeldin Mall, which is the largest academic mall in the United States. The Mall is bordered on

10878-580: The university was ranked among the top 10 universities in The Princeton Review ' s annual survey of the Top Schools for Innovation & Entrepreneurship; this was the sixth consecutive such ranking. The university's faculty has included four Nobel Prize laureates. The earliest recipient (1956), was Juan Ramón Jiménez , a Spanish language and literature professor. Four decades later, physics professor William Daniel Phillips won

10989-457: The western world including northern Iraq, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and the recent discovery of the Iceman , a Copper Age mummy found in an Italian glacier ." This exhibit was closed on September 26, 2010. The Korea Gallery was a special showcase to celebrate Korean traditions and examine its unique influence and complex role in the world today. The exhibit expressed the continuity of

11100-626: The world), and the Carmen Lúcia Ruby, one of the largest and most valuable Burmese rubies in the world. The collection is displayed in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals, one of the many galleries in the Museum of Natural History. Some of the most important donors, besides Hooker, are Washington Roebling , the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge , who gave 16,000 specimens to

11211-456: Was broken on a new Physical Science Complex, including an advanced quantum science laboratory. The university suffered multiple data breaches in 2014. The first resulted in the compromise of over 300,000 student and faculty records. A second data breach occurred several months later. The second breach was investigated by the FBI and Secret Service and found to be done by David Helkowski. Despite

11322-399: Was chosen to design the structure. Testing of the soil for the foundations was set for July 1903, with construction expected to take three years. The Natural History Building (as the National Museum of Natural History was originally known) opened its doors to the public on March 17, 1910, in order to provide the Smithsonian Institution with more space for collections and research. The building

11433-663: Was designed by Reich + Petch. This exhibit displays a "variety of vertebrate skeletons grouped by their evolutionary relationships." Opened since 2013, this exhibit is the museum's interactive and educational area. Using microscopes and touch screens, the area hosts various interactive activities and puzzles visitors can experience and contains a "collection zone" that houses over 6000 different specimens and artifacts visitors are able personally handle. The area also hosts various events such as allowing visitors to meet and discuss with Smithsonian scientists and hosting school groups. "This hall explores some examples from various cultures in

11544-460: Was designed by Reich + Petch. This exhibit closed in 2017. In the lower level, there is a bird exhibit, Urban Bird Habitat Garden, with all the migratory and native birds to Washington, D.C. The Global Volcanism Program is housed in the department of Mineral Sciences. Natural history museum The primary role of a natural history museum is to provide the scientific community with current and historical specimens for their research, which

11655-705: Was displayed in the Rex Room, while specialists performed a conservation assessment and the Smithsonian Digitization Program scanned each bone, to create a 3-D model for research. The Nation's T. rex is the centerpiece of the new fossil hall, which opened in 2019. The Behring Hall of Mammals was designed by Reich + Petch. The mammal specimens are presented as works of modern art within minimal environmentals. Visitors discover mammal's evolutionary adaptions to hugely diverse contexts, and ultimately discover that they too are mammals. The museum has

11766-583: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. Research in the museum is divided into seven departments: anthropology , botany , entomology , invertebrate zoology , mineral sciences , paleobiology , vertebrate zoology . The NMNH represents 90% of the Smithsonian Institution's collections and forms one of the largest, most comprehensive natural history collection in the world. The Smithsonian gives an approximate number for artifacts and specimens of 146 million. More specifically,

11877-495: Was not fully completed until June 1911. The structure cost $ 3.5 million (about $ 85 million in inflation-adjusted 2012) dollars. The Neoclassical style building was the first structure constructed on the north side of the National Mall as part of the 1901 McMillan Commission plan. In addition to the Smithsonian's natural history collection, it also housed the American history, art, and cultural collections. Between 1981 and 2003,

11988-643: Was possibly that of Swiss scholar Conrad Gessner , established in Zürich in the mid-16th century. The National Museum of Natural History , established in Paris in 1635, was the first natural history museum to take the form that would be recognized as a natural history museum today. Early natural history museums offered limited accessibility, as they were generally private collections or holdings of scientific societies. The Ashmolean Museum , opened in England in 1683,

12099-463: Was quickly adopted and advocated by many across the world. A notable proponent of its use was German zoologist Karl Mobias who divided the natural museum in Hamburg in 1866.   The goal of such museums was not only to display organisms, but detail their interactions in the human world as well as within their unique ecosystems. Naturalists such as American Joseph Leidy pushed for greater emphasis on

12210-626: Was the acting president from 1859 to 1860. On October 5, 1859, the first 34 students entered the Maryland Agricultural College. The school became a land grant college in February 1864. During the Civil War , Confederate soldiers under Brigadier General Bradley Tyler Johnson moved past the college on July 12, 1864, as part of Jubal Early's raid on Washington, D.C. By the end of the war, financial problems forced

12321-727: Was the first natural history museum to grant admission to the general public. The natural history museum did not exist as a typical museum prior to the eighteenth century. Civic and university buildings did exist to house collections used for conducting research, however these served more as storage spaces than museums by today's understanding. All kept artifacts were displayed to the public as catalogs of research findings and served mostly as an archive of scientific knowledge. These spaces housed as many artifacts as fit and offered little description or interpretation for visitors. Kept organisms were typically arranged in their taxonomic systems and displayed with similar organisms. Museums did not think of

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