Robert A. Hefner Museum of Natural History
100 Upham HallOxford, Ohio 45056
513-529-4617 | http://miamioh.edu/cas/academics/centers/hefner-museum/
Robert A. Hefner Museum of Natural History
In Miami University’s Upham Hall, the Hefner Museum of Natural History helps make connections with the natural world in one’s backyard and beyond.
The Hefner Museum of Natural History’s exhibits of specimens and its educational opportunities provide opportunities to connect with the natural world in one’s neighborhood and beyond. The museum’s exhibits of flora and fauna native to Ohio help build an understanding of the species who live in our backyards and how we interact with them. Through an exhibit on the Myaamia people, the Native American group with ties to the area for whom the university was named, the museum illustrates the relationships that this group of people have with the natural world around them, especially some of Ohio’s native species. An exploration of the Ice Age in Ohio shows how today’s natural world was shaped by ancient environmental forces.
A model of scientist, teacher, and conservationist E. Lucy Braun’s workspace helps illustrate how scientists work to understand the natural world and may even inspire scientific exploration of one’s own. Braun was born in Cincinnati and became a professor at the University of Cincinnati. Her environmental studies of the Eastern deciduous forest over seven decades resulted in four books, including the definitive Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America.
Notes for Travelers
Young children will especially enjoy the Imaginarium, part of the museum that invites learning about habitat through imagination and play. Visit Miami University’s Parking Services website at http://miamioh.edu/cca/facilities/visitor-parking for more information about parking on campus.