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University Museum of Natural History

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The Oxford University Museum of Natural History houses the University's scientific collections of zoological, entomological and geological specimens. The Museum itself is a Grade 1 listed building, renowned for its spectacular neo-Gothic architecture. Among its most famous features are the Oxfordshire dinosaurs, the dodo, and the swifts in the tower.

Series associated with University Museum of Natural History

Behind the Scenes at the Oxford University Museums
Biodiverse Objects
Illuminating the Museums conference 2014
Museum of Natural History Public Talks
Temple of Science
# Episode Title Description People Date
42 Biodiversity on the rocks: joining the dots between animate and inanimate This podcast explores some of the countless relationships between biology, biodiversity, and geology, past and present. Elaine Charwat, Esteban Acevedo Trejos, Mark Carnall, Lita Manners 31 Aug 2022
41 Extinction and the Museum: skeletons and other remains in our cupboards In this podcast, we look at extinction and the role of collections and museums. Elaine Charwat, Mark Carnall, Jackie Chapman-Gray, Robert Douglas 31 Aug 2022
40 On display: nature’s dramas, nature’s dioramas A journey from 3D dioramas from the 19th century that contain taxidermy animals to today’s virtual reality reconstructions of ancient or hidden worlds. Elaine Charwat, Ricardo Perez-De-La Fuente, Katrin Böhme 26 Aug 2022
39 Of parasites, dinosaurs, and other model animals Elaine Charwat has been on a journey into the attic storerooms behind the scenes of the Museum to discover 19th-century wax models of parasites. Elaine Charwat, Mark Carnall, Péter Molnár 11 Nov 2020
38 Episode 5 – Babylon: Natural Theology versus Scientific Naturalism When Museum opened in 1860, a new secular approach to science was on the rise. In the final episode of Temple of Science we see how ‘natural theology’ responded to the challenges of Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution and natural selection. John Holmes 01 Oct 2020
37 Episode 4 – Chambers of the Ministering Priests: Building Scientific Disciplines The Museum was founded on the principle that art should be used to teach science and to inspire generations of scientists. In episode 4 of Temple of Science we see how this was put into practice in some of the building’s less familiar spaces. John Holmes 01 Oct 2020
36 Episode 3 – The Sanctuary of the Temple of Science: The Central Court The central court of the Museum was described by one founder as ‘the sanctuary of the Temple of Science’. In this episode we see how every detail of this unique space was carefully planned and crafted to form a comprehensive model of natural science. John Holmes 01 Oct 2020
35 Episode 2 – 'God’s Own Museum': The Façade In episode 2 of Temple of Science, we take a closer look at the decoration on the outside of the Museum building, which captures the vitality of nature, presented in Victorian Oxford as the study of God’s creation. John Holmes 01 Oct 2020
34 Episode 1 – Oxford's Pre-Raphaelite Natural History Museum In the first episode of Temple of Science we find out how the Museum came to be, involving not only scientists but artists, architects and designers in one of the most original creative collaborations of the Victorian age. John Holmes 29 Sep 2020
33 Creative Commons When Life Got Hard In this podcast episode Museum research fellow Dr Duncan Murdock talks about the first animals to build skeletons, and what they did with them. Duncan Murdock 13 Sep 2019
32 The Great Debate; Should We Engineer Our Way Out of Climate Change? We must reduce emissions of carbon dioxide to avoid dangerous climate change, right? But can we? Is it too late? Should we focus our efforts on adapting to the coming change instead? Or should we engineer the earth system to avoid climate change? Gideon Henderson, Nick Eyre, Felix Heilmann, Friederike Otto 04 Jul 2019
31 Creative Commons The Gut-Brain Axis and How What We Eat Affects How We Feel For Brain Awareness Week, Dr Phil Burnet (Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford) speaks about how the gut microbiome can affect mood and mental health. Phil Burnet 19 Mar 2019
30 Mobile in Museums Theodore Koterwas, Mobile Development Team Lead, IT Services, gives a short talk for Oxford University Museums Staff Conference Theodore Koterwas 31 Oct 2016
29 Celebrating Diversity: An LGBTQ+ Tour of Oxford University’s Museums and Collections Beth Asbury, Assistant to the Director and Administration Team, Pitt Rivers Museum, gives a short talk for Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Beth Asbury 31 Oct 2016
28 Quantifying and Mitigating Human Generated Vibration in Museum Exhibits Daniel Bone, Deputy Head of Conservation, Ashmolean Museum, gives a short talk for Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Daniel Bone 31 Oct 2016
27 Interacting with Artefacts, Oxfordshire Collections Project Stephen Barker, Oxfordshire County Council Museums Service, gives a short talk for Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Stephen Barker 31 Oct 2016
26 A year in the Zoology Collection Mark Carnall, Collections Manager (Life Collections), Museum of Natural History gives a short talk for the Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Mark Carnall 21 Oct 2016
25 Memories under the microscope: collaborations between Oxford University Partnership Museums and University of Oxford research departments Helen Fountain, Reminiscence Officer, Oxford University Museums and Kate Hamblin, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford Institute for Population Ageing give a short talk for the Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Kate Hamblin, Helen Fountain 21 Oct 2016
24 VERVE: Connecting the public with displays at the Pitt Rivers Museum Beth McDougall and Madeleine Ding, VERVE Team, Pitt Rivers Museum give a short talk for the Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Beth McDougall, Madeleine Ding 21 Oct 2016
23 Joint Museums Youth Forum Project Sarah Lloyd and Carly Smith-Huggins, Education Officers, Museum of Natural History give a short talk for the Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Sarah Lloyd, Carly Smith-Huggins 21 Oct 2016
22 Cabinet: Integrating Text and Object in Oxford Teaching Giovanna Vitelli, Director, University Engagement Programme, Ashmolean Museum gives a short talk for Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Giovanna Vitelli 21 Oct 2016
21 Why community groups work with museums Nicola Bird, Community Engagement Officer, Oxford University Museums gives a short talk for the Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Nicola Bird 21 Oct 2016
20 Discussing Penicillin Marie-Louise Kerr, Penicillin Exhibition Curator, Museum of the History of Science gives a short talk for the Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Marie-Louise Kerr 21 Oct 2016
19 Transportation Transformation Andrew Hughes, Move Project Team Leader, Pitt Rivers Museum, gives a short talk for the Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Andrew Hughes 21 Oct 2016
18 Dodo Roadshow Scott Billings, Digital Engagement Officer, Museum of Natural History gives a short talk for Oxford University Museums Staff Conference. Scott Billings 21 Oct 2016
17 Oxford Cultural Leaders Lucy Shaw, Oxford University Museum Partnership Manager, gives a talk on the Oxford Cultural Leaders Programme Lucy Shaw 21 Oct 2014
16 Count me in - volunteers in museums Joy Todd, Oxford University Museums Outreach Manager, gives a talk on the successes of the Count me in project Joy Todd 21 Oct 2014
15 Invisible Digital in Museums Anjanesh Babu, Ashmolean museum, gives a talk on the different roles and uses IT has in museums Anjanesh Babu 21 Oct 2014
14 Funding Museums Heidi Kurtz and Hattie Warburton, Univesity of Oxford, give a talk on how Oxford museums get thier funding Heidi Kurtz, Hattie Warburton 21 Oct 2014
13 Working in partnership, community engagement at the Museum of Oxford Helen Fountain and Antonia Harland-Lang give a talk on the ways in which the Museum of Oxford reaches out to the local community Helen Fountain, Antonia Harland-Lang 21 Oct 2014
12 Collections and commercial enterprise Dec McCarthy, Ashmolean museum, gives a talk on the commercial aspects of the Ashmoelan Museum Dec McCarthy 21 Oct 2014
11 Managing a playing collection Andrew Lamb, Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, gives a talk on how to manage a collection of musical instruments which are fragile but need to be played to understand them. Andrew Lamb 21 Oct 2014
10 Working with source communities Chris Morton, Pitt Rivers Museum, gives a talk on working with first nations and source communities to enhance the museum's understanding of its collections Chris Morton 21 Oct 2014
9 From Museums to the Historic Environment Dan Hicks, Pitt Rivers Museum, gives a talk on object based research at the Pitt Rivers Museum Dan Hicks 21 Oct 2014
8 Converting academic research into education activities Andrew McLellan, Pitt Rivers Musuem, gives a talk on how the Pitt Rivers Museum has been using academic research to create new educational activities Andrew McLellnan 21 Oct 2014
7 Digital Sketchbooks: using tablets to support a museum art trip Adrian Brooks and Helen Ward, Ashmolean Museum, give a talk on how using iPads and tablet device in museums have helped improved student engagement during museum visits Adrian Brooks, Helen Ward 21 Oct 2014
6 Museums and STEM Engagement: Objects of Invention Chris Parkin, Museum of the History of Science, gives a talk on engagment events at the Museum of the History of Science Chris Parkin 21 Oct 2014
5 Museums: a showcase for science Sarah Lloyd, Botanic Gardens, gives a talk on how scientists can engage with the public about thier research through innovative events and learning experiences Sarah Lloyd 21 Oct 2014
4 Once in a Whale Bethany Palumbo, Museum of Natural History, gives a talk on her work to restore the museum's collection of whale skeletons Bethany Palumbo 21 Oct 2014
3 Crowdsourcing and community groups Alison Roberts, Ashmolean museum, gives a talk on how the museums are crowdsourcing ideas from community groups to improve collections and exhibitions Alison Roberts 21 Oct 2014
2 Redeveloping the Ashmolean Greece Galleries Susan Walker, Ashmolean Museum, gives a talk on how the Ashmolean museum is redevloping thier Ancient Greece exhibitions Susan Walker 21 Oct 2014
1 Geek is Good - planning an exhibition programme Stephen Johnston, Museum of the History of Science, gives a short talk on the Geek is Good exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science Stephen Johnston 21 Oct 2014