Generales

The University Museum at Universidad de Antioquia (MUUA) and the London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) have signed a cooperation agreement in order to work together through a diverse range of academic, educational, research and cultural activities. This agreement will allow both institutions to engage in activities involving scientific, academic, cultural and collection exchanges. 

Photo: Permanent exibition of the natural sciences collection at the Universidad de Antioquia museum

Natural science museums seek to challenge people's views of life on Earth. Through research and a wide range of activities targeting the general public, museums explore questions about the origin and evolution of the planet and the life on it, and the creation of a sustainable future.   Engaged with issues of global importance, museums usually forge partnerships and links with partners abroad in order to expand their work beyond their physical boundaries.     

The idea of a cooperation agreement emerged when NHM’s Lepidoptera curator Blanca Huertas visited UdeA in 2014, where she met with MUUA’s natural science curator Fernando Valencia. Some months later, Jim Broughton, Head of International Engagement at NHM, also met with Mr. Valencia in order to establish the terms and conditions of the agreement.

“The Natural History Museum strives to find international partners in countries with high levels of biodiversity, large populations and stable economies, that also have a reputation for high-level research and education,” Broughton said.   

NHM is a world-renowned research center located in London’s South Kensington area. Established in 1881, it houses the world’s largest specimen collection as well as a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history that have great historical and scientific value, such as specimens collected by Charles Darwin.  The museum's extensive library is home to a large number of books, journals, manuscripts, and illustrations.  The museum is also well-known for its innovative and specialized exhibitions. 

 “From a scientific perspective, natural science museums play a significant role as repositories of biodiversity. Museums not only allow people the opportunity to see and study closely a wide range of real specimens and collections but also contribute to the emergence of new scientists. Visiting a museum is like having the opportunity to visit a vast number of places and moments of history. It is just like traveling,” says Dr. Huertas.  

UdeA’s museum has a hall dedicated exclusively to natural history. MUUA's functions include providing support to the various UdeA academic programs, disseminate research findings, and promote outreach and extension activities. The museum’s natural science collection includes of a large array of skeletons, fossils, minerals, rocks and animals of all groups as well as a number of exotic animals.

Curators and collection managers are currently working to develop a new script for MUUA’s permanent exhibitions. According to the curator of the natural history collection Fernando Valencia, the views of both Dr. Huertas and Broughton have played an important role in planning the coming exhibitions.  The museum has also received advice from renowned institutions like the Humboldt Institute and Instituto Vallecaucano de Investigaciones Científicas (INCIVA).

“Through a wide range of activities, the museum provides advice and guidance to high school students seeking to pursue undergraduate studies, children who are beginning to discover the wonders of nature, and undergraduates doing research on issues such as taxonomic classification,” says MUUA director Santiago Ortiz.

Universidad de Antioquia, otherwise known as UdeA, is Colombia’s oldest public university.  Its excellence in teaching natural sciences and its strong reputation for research in tropical infectious diseases, food security and climate change, are outstanding qualities that make it an unrivaled partner for the prestigious British museum. According to Mr. Broughton, NHM is fortunate to count among its staff outstanding Colombian researchers and postdocs, thus narrowing further ties between the two countries.  

Colombia is home to the largest number of bird species in the world, apart from a vast variety of mammals, amphibians and a wide diversity of insects. Universidad de Antioquia is well-known for its outstanding research in the fields of invertebrates and marine science. “At NHM we are looking forward to working closely with MUUA and highlight the importance of Colombia as one of the world’s most megadiverse countries,” Dr. Huertas said.

The museum offers a wide range of programs and activities including internships, research projects, teaching and training, among many others, for anyone with an interest in topics such as heritage management and conservation, art, regional studies, anthropology, sociology, education, languages, communications, and engineering.

The purpose of the MUUA-NHM agreement is to promote research on native species, boost research nationwide, and raise awareness among the various audiences of the biodiversity of the natural world.