Weis Earth Science Museum facts for kids
Weis Earth Science Museum
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| Established | 2002 |
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| Location | Menasha, Wisconsin |
| Type | Earth science |
| Nearest parking | On site |
The Weis Earth Science Museum (also called WESM) is a cool place in Menasha, Wisconsin, USA. It opened in 2002 and teaches all about Wisconsin's amazing geology and its history of mining. Before it was even built, in 2000, it was named the Official Mineralogical Museum of Wisconsin! You can find it on the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, Fox Cities Campus.
What You Can See at the Museum
The Weis Earth Science Museum has lots of fun things to explore. It has different themed rooms, hands-on displays, and special exhibits that change sometimes.
- Amazing Collections: The museum has about 10,000 different items! Around 1,000 of these are always on display for you to see. These items include cool minerals, ancient fossils, and different types of rocks.
- Learning for Schools: The museum staff loves to teach kids. They offer tours for school groups and are even working on creating online "virtual field trips." This means you might be able to explore the museum from your classroom!
- What They Study: The museum's collections focus on many exciting topics related to Wisconsin and nearby areas. These include:
- Minerals and Fossils
- Different kinds of Rocks
- How the Earth's layers are formed (Geology)
- The history of people (Archaeology)
- How people found and dug up valuable materials (Mining)
- Important places where geology can be seen
- The history of studying the Earth and ancient people
Explore the Galleries
The museum has several exciting galleries, each with a different theme:
- Space Rocks: See real meteors and meteorites that have fallen to Earth from space!
- Introduction to the Earth: Learn how our planet was formed and what it's made of.
- Wisconsin Through Time: Discover how Wisconsin has changed over millions of years.
- Wisconsin Industry: Find out how Wisconsin's natural resources have been used by people.
- Water Everywhere: Learn about the importance of water and its role in shaping the Earth.
- Animals Through Time: This gallery features the Bruce Danz Collection and shows you what ancient animals looked like.
- Barlow Gallery of Minerals: See a dazzling display of beautiful minerals from Wisconsin and beyond.
Museum Leadership
The Weis Earth Science Museum is named after Leonard and Donna Weis. They gave the first big gift to help start the museum and support its director.
The first director, Dr. Joanne Kluessendorf, helped design the exhibits. After she passed away in 2018, Scott Mikulic became the temporary director. In July 2019, Dr. Joseph A. Frederickson became the new permanent director. Dr. Donald G. Mikulic has also been a helpful volunteer curator since the museum began.
Images for kids
