Virginia Museum of Natural History

The Virginia Museum of Natural History will enhance its science education programs and outreach activities by transforming an existing underutilized laboratory into a new Exploration Lab. The lab will include new microscopy tools that will aid museum educators and curators in programming for school groups and homeschool families. Museum curators also will use the lab to teach high school and college students as well as citizen scientists in the Virginia Master Naturalists program. This space also will serve as a facility for visiting scientists and high school and college interns conducting specimen-based research with museum curators. Members of the public will be able to observe ongoing lab activities and attend related museum programming for intergenerational exploration and hands-on learning.