The WWU Dept. of Geology houses a large collection of fossils, minerals, and other natural history specimens. This collection has grown over the years through donations from professors, alumni, and local residents, and much of the collection is on display in the halls of the department on the first and second floors of the Environmental Studies Building. This collection primarily features specimens from Washington State and is visited and viewed daily by WWU students, K-12 classes, and visitors to the WWU campus.

In an effort to better curate the collections, undergraduate geology majors Chris Weer and Katie Brower are classifying, cataloging, and digitizing the collections. Ultimately, this project will result in an online database of the collections complete with descriptions, photographs, and three-dimensional scans of each display specimen. House the digitized collections online will improve access to the collections for WWU students, local residents, and any others with an interest in the natural history of Washington State.

Until our online site is created, you can view a few of the 3D fossil scans below: