Museum of Paleontology Purpose

The Museum of Paleontology was established at Berkeley in 1874 by the California State Legislature, when the collections of the California Natural History Survey and the Second (Whitney) Geological Survey were deposited in the University Museum. Other collections were added in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Miss Annie Alexander of Oakland provided an endowment to fund the Museum permanently. Later the University recognized the academic and scientific value of the Museum and provided additional, continued funding. Research, collections development, student support and special projects are currently funded from various donors, granting agencies, and contracts.

The Museum of Paleontology's purpose is twofold. First, the Museum serves as a unique and invaluable storehouse for collections of fossil and modern organisms. Second, the Museum provides research oppurtunities to faculty and students. UCMP is widely known for advancing new technologies such as environmental scanning electron microscopy and molecular paleontology. These two separate avenues, collection and research, document the history and evolution of life.

The Museum of Paleontology is located in the Valley Life Sciences Building, along with other museums affliated with the Integrative Biology Department.

The Museum address is:

Museum of Paleontology
1101 Valley Life Sciences Building
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720
Phone: (510) 642-1821
Fax: (510) 642-1822
E-mail: ucmpwebmaster@uclink.berkeley.edu

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