Ecosystems aren't just limited to the outdoors! Gather some household items and get ready to build a microbial ecosystem in this DIY Winogradsky Column tutorial. Then, check out the museum's Winogradsky Column in person—we're even open an extra day this month! Join us on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 16th, a day with extra planetarium shows.

The Family Edition is issued on the first Wednesday of the month, and the Adult Edition on the third Wednesday.  

Stay curious!

Have you seen the Microbial Masterpieces display in the museum's Lower Level Lobby? This glowing purple plexiglass wall looks like a piece of abstract art, but it is really an entire ecosystem. A Winogradsky column is a simple way to culture microbial communities from soil and display them for easier viewing or scientific research. In this video, produced by the Microbial Masterpieces team, you can learn to make your own Winogradsky column from household objects and mud.

Microbial Masterpieces is the work of University of Michigan students Erica Gardner, Anna Urso, and Bruna IunesSanches.

Check out Museum@Home online for more science fun!

We've added a new introductory film to our Science Forum, alternating with our current film about Michigan’s natural history. The Power of Collections focuses on the University of Michigan's world-class natural sciences collection and how its specimens contribute to teaching, learning, and research at the University. Come learn about the people who care for these collections and learn about the broad range of objects they oversee: extinct butterflies, unusual fungi, fossilized trilobites, projectile points, snake skeletons, and much more.

Click Here to View the More Information About University of Michigan Museum of Natural History : Winogradsky Column—Museum At Home: Family