Michigan Technological University just can't stop coming up with good ideas. Their latest one is the Seaman Mineral Museum, which the institution broke ground on recently. The museum will make a world-class collection more accessible to the public, such as Keweenaw Copper and Lake Superior Iron District minerals.
"This is a collection a century in the making," says MTU president Glenn Mroz, noting that it began under the direction of its first curator, Arthur Seaman, and quickly grew to 27,000 specimens.
Located on Sharon Avenue next to the Advanced Technology Development Complex, it will provide easy access and free parking. Signage on US-41 will make it easy for visitors to find the facility.
The move will be just temporary, though no one can say for how long, specifically, the minerals will remain at the new site. The reason is due to the intention that a permanent home at the Quincy Mine and Hoist site in Hancock will eventually be built. However, since sufficient funds for that project are not available, and the academic departments urgently need the museum's current space, a new building near the ATDC was the alternative. In addition, the new building can be re-purposed should the museum move again.
The 9,000-square-foot museum will be open to the public next summer. The $1.5 million project is being supported through alumni donations.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Glenn Mroz, Michigan Tech University
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