Texas Natural Science Center: The University of Texas at Austin

Rooted in the resources and reputation of The University of Texas at Austin, the Texas Natural Science Center (TNSC) works to create awareness, understanding and appreciation of the past, present and future of biological diversity, especially that of the state of Texas. Exhibits and educational programs are located at the Texas Memorial Museum. Research laboratories and collections are located at the Pickle Research Campus and include the Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (ranked 9th in the nation), Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (6th largest collection in the U.S.), and Texas Natural History Collections. Research areas are not presently available to the general public. Texas Natural Science Center TNSC's world-renowned research has produced a collection of 6 million specimens in the disciplines of paleontology, geology, biology, herpetology, ichthyology and entomology. The Center maintains close working relationships within each of these fields of study at The University of Texas at Austin. More than 85,000 people visit the exhibit hall, the Texas Memorial Museum, each year, including 40,000 schoolchildren, most participating in guided tours. Exhibits focus on dinosaurs and fossils, Texas wildlife, gems and minerals, and evolution. A working Paleontology Lab encourages visitors to interact with scientists preparing fossil finds.