University Post
University of Copenhagen
Independent of management

Theme

Natural History Museum of Denmark

Science

Thrilled to bits: Natural history museum in turnaround after losses

The Natural History Museum of Denmark had 452,000 visitors in 2022. This is a tripling of its visitor numbers over the course of five years. According to museum director Peter C. Kjærgaard, the boost in numbers is due to a transformation towards using the museum as a laboratory and in understanding how reality changes.

Academic life

Need a butterfly expert? Call 23-year-old Emil

When others went to rock festivals, Emil Blicher Bjerregård went out into the wilderness hunting butterflies. Now his hobby, and his studies, have merged together. He hopes to reverse the imminent death of the Danish butterfly, but tells himself that there are also other things in life.

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Coronavirus

My sister's algae

As the pandemic lays waste to large parts of university life, the aquariums are still humming at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. PhD student Anna Olesen keeps the algae collection alive - and almost scared the life out of a security guard.

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Politics

After brain drain and collapse of merger: Natural History Museum now, yet again, an independent department

Just before Christmas you could find a brief story at the bottom of a newsletter about the Natural History Museum of Denmark. The news item was a small, low key conclusion to a huge conflict at the University of Copenhagen.

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Education

Almost 200 sign protest letter from Department of Biology to UCPH board

Employees at the Department of Biology spent months battling a now-cancelled merger between the institute and the Natural History Museum of Denmark (SNM). Now, they have sent a joint letter to the board criticizing UCPH’s management for ignoring employee perspectives.

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Science

Window to the past: Natural History Museum of Denmark buys huge amber collection

One of the world's largest collections of amber has just been acquired by the Natural History Museum of Denmark. This means possible discoveries of new species of insects and other biological materials.

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Politics

Opposition to merger wrapped up in dinner and champagne

Toasts, dinner and champagne could not suppress employees' frustrations when the Department of Biology held its New Year reception. Employees wanted clear answers from the department head.

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Campus

Natural history museum fires 17 staff

After a month of uncertainty, it is now clear how many staff are to be fired at the natural history museum. Staff representatives express disappointment in their management. It has failed them, they say.

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Politics

Staff reps at natural history museum: “Management has failed”

Due to major financial problems the Natural History Museum of Denmark is to be merged with the Department of Biology and faces a round of layoffs. Staff representatives criticise management for not taking timely precautions. According to the Dean at the Faculty of Science, John Renner Hansen, it is only now that they have got the full overview of how bad things were with finances.

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Campus

The butterflies get their own home in the Botanical Gardens

They are beautiful and they are dazzling. But the butterflies are also important topics for research. The Botanical Gardens has set aside a whole new area for them.

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