FROM next year, you can expect to see dinosaurs on campus at The University of New England, but it won’t be as part of a prehistoric exchange student program.
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They will be part of an exciting exhibit, housed in the university’s own museum.
The news broke yesterday, when university vice-chancellor Annabelle Duncan announced the campus would be home to the region’s first Natural History Museum.
The museum will be the showcase of $27 million dollar project at the university as a part the Integrated Agriculture Education Project precinct.
Professor Duncan said the museum will be the first of its kind in the northwest region of NSW.
“The university is very excited that in less than a year, our new Natural History Museum will be open,” Professor Duncan said.
“The museum will be an important education resource.”
The new museum will feature a five-metre Australovenator dinosaur, an unseen meteorite collection, animal and hominid skeletons and fossils.
Head of the School of Environmental and Rural Sciences Iain Young said the magic of museums was “capturing young people”.
The dinosaur-loving academic said he was looking forward to seeing the response from the community.
“I think it’s going to be wonderful,” Professor Young said.
“This is now a community space as well as a university space and I think that’s what excites us most.”
The project will not only be focused on the showcasing of natural history but also a working museum for research.
“The large exhibition space will allow touring exhibits and international research,” Professor Young said.
