Riverside’s Entomology Research Museum
The second largest collection of insects is housed at the University of California’s Riverside Campus. In 1923, specimens had to be moved to the location from Sacramento at the California State Insectary. During this time, Harry Smith had become a part of the faculty. There were some other sizable collections That had been added in 1924 by P.H. Timberlake.
Additional collections include the 1948 addition of L.D. Anderson, and in 1965 the purchase of G.P. McKenzie’s collection which belonged to the North American Coleptera. Meanwhile, major changes occurred at the UCR Entomological Museum when the descriptive, and unofficial initial name had been “UCR Entomological Teaching and Research Collection.
In 1994, the huge collections at the UCR consisted of various insects, along with other related arthropods, having a new building dedicated to them and at the same time, officially provided a name: “Entomology Research Museum”. There are two lower floors that are used for housing their collections, provides space used for curating, as well as doing studies and allowing other scientists to visit, including students. These floors also consist of a small library, a large size room in which was intended for teaching, and to hold specific seminars, among other events that are sponsored through the Department of Entomology.
Mission Statement and purpose
The location at UCR functions a lot like any other large library, similar in that “there is no library that has all of the books in the world,” just as “there is no one insect collection that consists of all the insects in the in the world.” This is true even though there are numerous collections that are all part of an international network which works together and cooperating to make as many different specimens as possible available for studying.
The curation process entails the preparation and pinning, the slide mounting or the alcohol storage, then there is the labeling and identifying, cataloging, and the storing of the specimens using a way that is systematic, so they can be retrieved at a later time. Hence, different collections are being maintained there, all of which are either dried pinned specimens, those being preserved in a solution of alcohol or another type of fluid, and slide mounted specimens.
A close-up on what the museum does
Entomology is the study of insects, and there is a collection of arthropods at the museum which acts as the repository for various specimens representing local arthropods, along with fauna and other locations worldwide. Meanwhile, collections located at various museums worldwide are focused towards biological science, this includes the UCR Entomology Research Museum. Additionally, it is a resource of pest control and agricultural industries, forensic medicine, public health, environmental biology, and criminology, along with generalized public, including garden pest, household pests, and biting insects.