The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology is a museum located at the University of California Berkeley and at this museum they study and research mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds. The goal of this museum is to further their research on vertebrates using their collections that the museum already has and growing on those collections. Joseph Grinnell was the director of the museum and he was a systemist that spent his time collecting and observing data while studying the correlation between vertebrates and evolution. Grinnell has over 500 published works, but his journal “Ecology” (1) captures the type of researcher and “teacher” that Grinnell was. He would document his scientific collection knowing that this information was for future students and researchers to learn from. That being said, he made sure to be clear, concise and informative in his journals and articles. He is an important factor in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology because in a sense, he was essentially the backbone of the museum. As the director he was responsible for countless things whether it was collecting data, researching, documenting his observations, conducting experiments and on top of all of those responsibilities he was fulfilling his personal obligation to the future biologists and zoologists by saving his work for them and doing so in a precise manner. Joseph Grinnell also wrote a newspaper article (2) discussing the methods that they conduct an experiment at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and mentioned that the museum should have a liberal policy of being open to students and researchers because a museum would not be successful if its value and collections were stored away with no use or purpose, instead it would be a cold warehouse which is why Grinnell believes that people with purposeful; use to the information should be given access to the museum’s collection within guidelines of course. Overall the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology is a place that holds value because of its collection and research but also because of the access and availability of resources that they offer to students and researchers. In essence that is the museum summed up. The museum also has laboratories which is the intersecting feature that I particularly found interest in. According to the evolutionary genetics lab, scientists in these lab study the genetic evolution of vertebrates and collect genetic data in order to further understand “evolutionary responses to changing environments, types of animal behavior and social systems, determinations of mate choice, routes and timing of migrations, and many other questions of vertebrate natural history.”(3)The labs that are included on the fourth floor of the museum are shared with the Biology department and the Evolutionary genetics laboratory. Overall, the labs and the museum go hand in hand to discover new findings and share them with the rest of us.

On a historical aspect, the founder of the Museum was Annie M. Alexander. She was a woman that had great wealth yet knew how to spend her money wisely. Unlike other researchers or relevant historical figures, it was mentioned in a biography(4) that she did not like to be in the spotlight and preferred to keep a discreet profile while contributing to the museum and her research. She used her money to fund the museum and its employees until she passed away. In her free time she enjoyed traveling the world with her partner and discovering new specimens. Overall she was a well respected scientist and historical figure and worked closely with Joseph Grinnell which led him to become the director of the museum. Now that you have basic knowledge of the founder and director of the museum it is time to get into the time period and why this museum has historical significance. For starters the museum was established in 1908 which is the time period which is not too far after Ernst Haeckel (one of the first to study the linkage between evolution and ecology). So I think it’s safe to say that although we did have some knowledge of evolutionary ecology, the museum of vertebrate zoology with the help of Alexander, Grinnell and its employees heavily contributed to new findings and collections that we continue to study today, which is a pretty big deal if you ask me. Today the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology has “740,000 specimens of vertebrates and 100,000 frozen tissue samples which can be used to study molecular evolution and comparative genomics. The collections also include over 90,000 pages of field notes, over 5,000 sound recordings, over 12,000 photographs, and many other ancillary data associated with specimens”.(5)It is because of the findings and support of Annie M. ALexander and Joseph Grinnel that the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California Berkeley has been and continues to be a world class institution. Although the museum was admired for its collection and research, Grinnell and the other directors wanted more out of the museum and wanted to modernize it. However, their main ideas to modernize the museum all consisted of overlapping features including getting new technology, infrastructure and equipment. So no, unfortunately the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology that you see today is not what it looked like back in 1908 (although it would be cool if it was the same), but it was due to those changes and upgrades that provided the support for the future students and scientists to further their research and add to the collections provided at the museum. During my own research of the museum I came across an interesting statement which was: “A museum without collections is just a building… array of technologies, this new infrastructure alone cannot be interpreted as a successful indicator of modernization”.(6) I thought this statement was extremely well written because it touches base on the fact that a museum does not hold value simply because it is modern nor does it hold value if its collection and research cannot be shared with students and researchers, which is an admirable aspect of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, because they have information and collections that are available to students and researchers to be used for learning purposes. Having this background and historical knowledge helps us understand the value of the museum and its profound research.

The relationship between the museum and its contribution to ecological collections has tremendous historical context and I like to think that Grinnell’s field collections and observations play a key role in the success of the museum’s research today. His extremely detailed journals led the path for future students and researchers to continue the journey he started. An example of Grinnell’s contribution to ecological collections is when he found a specimen laying dead in a puddle of water and had Mr. Urie ( a mammalogist) analyzed the specimen which ended up being a Euderma Maculatum and for 13 years this was the only one found and known of. The bat is now at the American Museum of Natural History,(7) but it goes to show the significance of the findings and research that have come out and continues to come from UC Berkeley.

I guess what is left is the “so what” question. So what if UC Berkeley has one of the world's most reputable museums and institutions? So what is significant about this museum to UC Berkeley? Yes, of course having such a reputable institution at Berkeley raises its prestigiousness but it’s also affected the culture of UC Berkeley. When the museum grew its collection and research so did the life sciences and continued to transform and create an environment for naturalists and experimentalists. Through the growth of its research in the sciences it molded an atmosphere for future students to dive into the scientific realm at UC Berkeley. Due to the growth of population and interest in UC Berkeley, Clark Kerr asked to break up the research collections from the museum and Miller (former student of Grinnell) fought the case to preserve and keep the collections because of their importance.(8) It is that same perseverance and dedication that adds to the culture of UC Berkeley. It is no shocker that we as UC Berkeley students are known for our resilience to fight for what we believe in, and I think that the historical figures that fought to research and preserve their collections at Berkeley taught us and will continue to teach the future students to be persistent in what we believe in because with our voices, knowledge and history we can continue to grow in our research, academics and prestigiousness. After all, isn’t that the culture of Berkeley?… To relentlessly fight for what we believe in and to continue to educate ourselves so we can continue to be impactful members of society.