University of California Museum of Paleontology

37°52′16.18″N 122°15′43.24″W﻿ / ﻿37.8711611°N 122.2620111°W﻿ / 37.8711611; -122.2620111

Natural history museum in Berkeley, California

University of California
Museum of Paleontology

The University of California Museum of Paleontology is located within the Valley Life Sciences Building

Established| 1921 (1921)
Location| Berkeley, California
Type| Natural history museum
Director| Charles R. Marshall
Website| ucmp.berkeley.edu

The University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) is a paleontology museum located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.

The museum is within the Valley Life Sciences Building (VLSB), designed by George W. Kelham and completed in 1930.[1][2] Its collections are primarily intended for research and are, thus, not accessible to the public. A limited number of fossils from the collection is on display in the VLSB.[3] Although located on the Berkeley campus, the museum is the primary locality for storing fossils collected statewide. The original fossils, around which the current collection has grown, were those gathered as part of the California Geological Survey from 1860 to 1867.

## Website

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UCMP was one of the first museums to have its own website in the early 1990s, due to its location within a technology-oriented university with a good Internet connection. The site has been applauded for its use of visually appealing graphics,[4] was nominated for a Webby Award five times, and received a medal from the Smithsonian Institution. It also had a cameo appearance in the movie Deep Impact, albeit under an incorrect name.[citation needed]

## Notable figures

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Annie Montague Alexander was the first benefactor of the museum, and led some early expeditions.[5]

### Faculty

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A Tyrannosaurus skeleton located on the first floor of the VLSB

Many notable paleontologists have worked as staff at UCMP. Dates given after each name indicate when the person was part of the university faculty or working in the museum.

* John C. Merriam (1869–1945)
* Charles Lewis Camp (1921-1975)
* William Diller Matthew (1927–1930)
* Ruben Arthur Stirton (1930–1966)
* Samuel Paul Welles (1940–1997)

### Directors

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1. Bruce L. Clark (1880-1945)
2. William Diller Matthew (1871-1930)
3. Charles Lewis Camp (1893-1975)
4. Ruben Arthur Stirton (1901-1966)
5. Donald E. Savage (1917-1999)
6. Joseph T. Gregory (1914-2007)
7. William B. N. Berry
8. William A. Clemens Jr.
9. Jere H. Lipps
10. David R. Lindberg
11. Roy L. Caldwell
12. Charles R. Marshall

## See also

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* Paleontology in California
* Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

## References

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1. ^ The Centennial Record of the University of California
2. ^ Helfland, Harvey. 2001. The Campus Guides: University of California Berkeley, p. 147
3. ^ "Public Exhibits". University of California. Retrieved June 5, 2025. "The UCMP is primarily a research museum and thus our collections are not open to the public. However, we do have a limited number of fossil exhibits on display outside of the collection. These can be viewed, free of charge, any time the Valley Life Sciences Building is open (see building hours and location)."
4. ^ Duff, Jon M.; James L. Mohler (1996). Laura Lemay's Web Workshop: Graphics & Web Page Design. pp. 73–74. ISBN 1-57521-125-4.
5. ^ "Annie Montague Alexander: Benefactress of UCMP". University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved August 4, 2010.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to University of California Museum of Paleontology.

* UCMP website
* The Paleontology Portal
* Understanding Evolution website

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