Storrs, CT — The University of Connecticut’s Biodiversity Research Collections (BRC) in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) and the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (CSMNH) are hosting the public event Biodiversity Bonanza: Celebrating Natural History Collections at UConn Storrs from 2–6:30pm on Thursday April 17, 2025. It will be held in the Biology Physics Building and the Gant Science Complex Light Court on North Eagleville Rd, in Storrs.

The Biodiversity Bonanza will feature a talk by National Academy of Sciences members Drs. Pam and Doug Soltis, faculty members from the Florida Museum at the University of Florida. Their talk, titled “Natural History Collections for 21^st Century Research,” will highlight the key roles Natural History Collections play in discoveries about the natural world. This talk is part of the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology’s weekly seminar series.

Prior to the talk, guided tours of our collections will be offered from 2–3pm. Visitors can see some of the over 2 million specimens from across the globe in the BRC and the spectacular diversity of living plants on display in the University Botanical Conservatory. Those wishing to join a tour should meet at the giant ant in the Biology/Physics Building lobby.

Following the talk a reception will be held in the Gant Science Complex Light Court and a selection of spectacular specimens from UConn’s Natural History Collections will be on display. Visitors can learn from faculty, students, and staff while viewing specimens of some of the world’s most iconic and unusual animals and plants—including giant butterflies, miniature orchids, a passenger pigeon, the skull of a hippopotamus, carnivorous plants, the skeleton of a platypus, and an herbarium specimen prepared by renowned essayist and nature lover Henry David Thoreau!

Another highlight of the event will be the travelling exhibit “The Legacy of a Lifetime of Collecting: The Carl & Marian Rettenmeyer Story.” The Rettenmeyers, former members of EEB, spent over 50 years studying army ant colonies and their associated species in the jungles of Central America. This exhibit traces the journey of the specimens from rainforests to the UConn’s BRC. It emerged from a collaboration between the BRC, the CSMNH, and the Department of Digital Media & Design.

Other activities will include a poster session during which students and researchers from across the University will share their fascinating natural history discoveries. Also, students from a Digital Media & Design "Animating Science" class will showcase their "Science Explainers" and "Scientific Poetic" works.

We aim for you to come away from the event with a deeper appreciation for Natural History Collections and the wonders of the natural world.

The Biodiversity Bonanza will run from 2:00–6:30pm on the following schedule: Collection Tours: 2–3pm in Biology/Physics Building Lobby; Special Lecture: 3:30–4:30pm in Biology/Physics Rm 131; Reception with Exhibits & Posters: 4:30–6:30pm in Gant Science Complex Light Court. Visitors from off campus are encouraged to park in the North Parking Garage, which is adjacent to the Gant Science Complex. The Biology/Physics Building can be accessed from Gant and is next to it on North Eagleville Rd.

The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP for the reception is appreciated.

Visit https://s.uconn.edu/biodiversitybonanza for the full schedule of programs and to RSVP.

If you have questions or require any accommodations to participate, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Monday April 14.

Contact: Elizabeth Barbeau

860-486-4460 | Web: csmnh.uconn.edu | Facebook: @CSMNH | Instagram: @ctnaturalhistory

Biodiversity Research Collections

Facebook: @UConnBRC | Instagram: @UConnBiodiversity

UConn Botanical Conservatory

Facebook: @EEB.Greenhouse| Instagram: @uconnbotanicalconservatory