No matter how many buildings a student has had to traverse to attend classes, there remain parts of campus that have never been explored. Colorado State University hosts a number of hidden gems throughout its grounds, including the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity.
Commonly referred to as the “bug museum” by students, the establishment is open every weekday, showcasing a variety of preserved arthropod specimens. Visitors have the option to simply admire the display room, which presents some of the most unique insects from Colorado and various international locations, or they can dive in deeper with a guided tour of the facility presented by museum Director Marek Borowiec.
Though it attracts many curious guests, the museum’s purpose extends far beyond providing an interesting experience for the Fort Collins and CSU communities. Housed inside the museum’s walls is an extraordinary collection of biological, agricultural and environmental information, all rich in history.
“The museum is a vibrant place to learn about what’s around. It’s important to know what used to be here and what’s here now. This is a great repository to see what the history looked like over the last 140 years.” -Chuck Harp, collections manager
“The museum was started in the 1890s when Dr. Clarence Preston Gillette arrived at what was then called the Colorado Agricultural College to teach entomology,” Borowiec said.
While the insect collection was created by Gillette for his research, it also served as a resource for students at the time.
Now the establishment is dedicated to the promotion of arthropod diversity through a variety of initiatives as stated in its strategic plan. Collections Manager Chuck Harp said the museum’s contents have continued to expand as CSU has developed, with 4.7 million arthropod specimens and a variety of diverse collections today.
The museum’s content is divided into four main categories, the largest being the pinned collection, housing approximately 85% of the preserved insects. There is also the wet collection, comprised of aquatic insects preserved in alcohol; the Bruner Family Library, housing entomology research and literature; and a para-collection encompassing photo albums, maps, field notes and other historical documents.
“The more you work around museum collections, the more you start to realize the importance of all the data that those museums are taking care of,” CSU entomology Instructor Crystal Cooke said. “When you boil it down, science is data.”
This diversity provides a valuable resource for researchers across the globe due to the museum’s contents, which are available for loan, free of charge. Over the past two years, the museum’s materials have been utilized in over 75 taxonomic revisions.
“Our specimens are good for DNA since we keep the collection dry and cool,” Harp said. “It’s able to be sent out and have DNA tested for identifications and genetic work.”
Borowiec said many opportunities are available for students to gain entomological experience through paid internships or volunteering. There is also the option to complete an independent study project, in which students receive credit in exchange for completing a research project.
Harp said the establishment’s current main projects include digitizing their bee specimens — of which 57,000 have been digitized so far — and processing moths collected in Montana last year. He said two new species were discovered in the latter venture, creating opportunities to increase student involvement and other community members.
“The museum is a vibrant place to learn about what’s around,” Harp said. “It’s important to know what used to be here and what’s here now. This is a great repository to see what the history looked like over the last 140 years.”
Reach Hayley Bisant at science@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.