On October 5, the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) partnered with the U-M Museum of Natural History to host ID Day, an annual event where the public brings their own collected objects—plants, fossils, shells, insects, and more—for identification by experts.

“ID Day is such a wonderful experience for the public and for the scientists involved,” said Dr. Hayley Crowell, lecturer. “It gives everyone a chance to talk to new people, learn new things, and maybe even meet a future collaborator. It’s so important, now more than ever, that we as museum folks and researchers take every chance we get to share our work with the public. ID Day is a unique opportunity to generate curiosity and create meaning; it's one of my favorite things that we do as a united EEB and U-M museum community.”

Local resident getting a hands-on experience on ID Day.

 

The day drew an 445 visitors, involved 42 volunteers, and resulted in more than 100 items identified! Visitors shared that they were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet and engage directly with experts.

This year’s event introduced several new interactive activities, including a popular coloring station featuring coloring sheets created by EEB Scientific Illustrator John Megahan, based on U-M Herbarium specimens. A scent-identification activity and a fish-printing station also offered hands-on ways for visitors to explore biodiversity and museum science.

Thais Vasconcelos, associate chair for the Herbarium, shares a specimen with visitors.

 

“Sharing natural history specimens — whether these come from community members or from our own collections — creates opportunities to spark curiosity, highlight the wonders we have to offer, and build meaningful connections between science and the community,” said Benjamin Nicholas, collection manager, fishes.

Alison Harrington, collection manager, division of fungi, lichens, bryophytes, agreed and said, “Every item that someone shares with us -- or that we get to share with them -- is a chance for engagement, and to have a moment of discovery. It was great to talk about fungi and offer fundamental information that helps people see just how fascinating they are.”

Yu Kai Tan, Ph.D. student shares his mollusk expertise with visitors.

 

A huge thank-you to everyone who helped make the day a success—especially our EEB participants:

Birds
Matt Hack

Fishes
Benjamin Nicholas
Emily Troyer

Herpetology
Matheus Januario
Anthony DiMeglio
Natasha Stepanova
Alison Davis Rabosky
Mike Hogan
Tristan Schramer
Hayley L. Crowell
Alex Coulouris
Ashley Jones
Clara Sandall
Dan RaboskyInsects
Oliver Keller
Evie Tanaka
Allie Fletcher

Mammals
Cody Thompson
Nicté Ordóñez-Garza
Juan Pablo Carrera-E
Cheyenne Graham

Mollusks
Yu Kai Tan
Diana Vergara
Katie Watkins
Tom Duda
Taehwan Lee

Plants and Fungi
Alison Harrington
Rosemary Glos
Thais Vasconcelos
Brad Ruhfel

Scientific Illustration
John Megahan

Great job to all involved in making this year’s ID Day a success!