“In a world where a changing climate, habitat loss, invasive species, and many other influences are affecting our natural world, we are in urgent need of a repository for as much of its current diversity as possible. The Ohio Wesleyan natural history museum has served this purpose for more than 150 years, and it is one of the jewels in the crown available to our students to prepare them for the important mandate of documenting and interpreting our natural history for the common good.”

– Dr. Edward H. “Jed” Burtt Jr.
(1948-2016)

For Learning, It's a Natural...

Ohio Wesleyan's Brant Museum of Zoology houses teaching collections of mammals, birds and their eggs and nests, insects, mollusks, and corals, with smaller collections of other taxa.

This natural history museum features more than 400 mounted birds, including a golden eagle. It draws researchers from across the country, but its collections are used primarily for classroom and laboratory teaching, including helping students to better understand both taxonomic and evolutionary relationships.

For many years, student-curators in the museum have enjoyed an unusually rich internship experience, with many using their involvement as a springboard for graduate education and career opportunities.

Thousands of Ohio Wesleyan Zoology students alone have benefited from the facility, officially called the Brant Museum in recognition of Alan G. Brant ’54 and Nancy Hennis Brant ’54 and their generous support of the Schimmel/Conrades Science Center.

Outside the sciences, the OWU Department of Fine Arts also brings classes to the museum to draw its collection of intricate organisms, eggs, and bones.

In addition, prospective students visit the museum regularly to better understand the breadth and depth of OWU's offerings, and teachers in local secondary schools and community colleges borrow specimens to illustrate biological principles.

Museum Info

Location

Schimmel/Conrades Science Center
Room 166

Contact

Lisa M. Tabak
The Edward H. Burtt Jr. Curatorial Director
Zoology Laboratory Coordinator
740-368-3887
lmtabak@owu.edu