The Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB) is a research and teaching facility in the Department of Biology, University of New Mexico (UNM). It is physically located in the new Center for Environmental Research, Informatics & Art (CERIA) building on the campus of UNM.

MSB houses collections of vertebrates, arthropods, plants and genomic materials from the American Southwest, Central and South America, and from throughout the world. It is primarily a research museum, although tours of the facility can be scheduled by appointment.

The MSB consists of ten divisions, one special program (the USGS Arid Lands Field Station) and an inter-divisional program in biodiversity informatics.

General Contact Information

Hours: 8:00 am-5:00 pm (MTZ) Monday - Friday
Phone: +1-505-277-1360
Fax: +1-505-277- 1351

MSB Director:
Thomas F. Turner, Ph.D., +1-505-277-7541, email: turnert@unm.edu

MSB Administrator:
Catherine Osborn, +1-505-277-1360, email: cosborn@unm.edu

Mailing Address	Shipping Address (UPS, FedEX, Airborne, DHL)
Museum of Southwestern Biology MSC03 2020 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, USA 87131-0001	UPS: University of New Mexico 302 Yale Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM, USA 87106 FedEx, Airborne, DHL: University of New Mexico CERIA Bldg 83, Room 204 Albuquerque, NM 87131

Visiting the Museum

MSB is open by appointment Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Directions to the CERIA Building:
MSB is on the UNM campus in the CERIA building (building 83), also known locally as "the old bookstore." The main door to CERIA is on SW side of the building facing the fountain (Castetter Hall, the home of the biology department, is the building on the SW side of the fountain).

To locate CERIA, orient from the intersection of Central Ave & Yale Blvd. From here, continue north onto campus along Yale Blvd, cross Redondo South Dr. and continue along the promenade until you reach the fountain. CERIA is the building NE of you.

Maps:
Click here to bring up a Google street map of the area surrounding the SW portion of campus superimposed over a satellite image. CERIA is the roughly triangular building NW of the dot above where it says "Yale Blvd NE" in white. Note that where it says "Yale Blvd NE" is a walkway, not a road.

Click here to get a UNM campus map (pdf, 354kb). CERIA is building 83 in H-4.

Click here to get a map showing where UNM is in relation to Albuquerque, NM, I-25, and I-40.

Nearby Public Parking:
All-day parking is available in a number of lots along Yale Blvd, south of Central Ave (~2$/day). There is also metered parking on campus along Redondo Dr. and along Central Ave. A visitors parking pass may be obtained at Parking Services at the NW corner of Central Ave. & University Blvd. for ~3$/day that will allow you to park on campus.

In addition there is a new large parking structure on campus along Redondo South Blvd., east of the intersection of Central Ave & Yale Blvd. You can get to this structure by turning north from Central Ave. at Stanford Dr.

Tours of the Museum

MSB does not currently have a formal program for public tours. With our new facilities in the CERIA building, however, it is likely we will be more equipped to handle tours in the near future. Contact the MSB administrator for more information.

Museum Studies Program

MSB is currently developing a curriculum for the Museum Studies Program at UNM. Classes are tentatively scheduled to begin in Spring of 2006. Contact the MSB administrator for more information.

History of the Museum

Information coming soon.

Staff Descriptions

Curators have the authority to make final decisions regarding divisional activities and policies. The Curator also is responsible for providing funding to the museum, and to represent their division to the university administration and general public.

Collection Managers are responsible for the daily museum operation, and provide supervision for museum staff. The Collection Managers maintain the collection, database, and all of the museum facilities. The Collection Managers work closely with the Curator to make decisions regarding museum operation and policies, and supervise the Museum Assistants. The Collection Managers are the first persons to contact regarding use of museum facilities or for questions regarding specimen loans, specimen donations, identification services, museum visits, and educational outreach.

Curator Emeriti are retired curators of a division who may maintain an active role in the collection.

Museum Assistants are UNM graduate and undergraduate students who provide assistance for museum operation. Graduate Museum Assistants and undergraduate

Museum Technicians conduct many curatorial tasks such as incorporating specimens into the collection, entering database records, preparing specimen loans, and producing specimen labels.

Other Associated Personnel

Associates are people who work in the museum on research involving the collections. Associates include people who are both associated with UNM, plus people from outside of the university community. Associates provide specimens and information to the museum, including teaching and public outreach activities.

Graduate and Undergraduate Students contribute to the museum through their research and teaching activities. Students involved in research or teaching use museum facilities, and provide the museum with specimens and educational outreach.

Short-horned lizard Phrynosoma hernandesii (I. Murray), Organ Mountains (M. Weisenberger), Escobaria organensis (T. Todsen)