Harvard Museums of Science and Culture

The mission of the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture (HMSC) is to foster curiosity and a spirit of discovery in visitors of all ages, enhancing public understanding of and appreciation for the natural world, science, and human cultures. HMSC works in concert with Harvard faculty, museum curators, and students, as well as with members of the extended Harvard community to provide interdisciplinary exhibitions, events and lectures, and educational programs for students, teachers, and the general public. HMSC will draw primarily upon the extensive collections of the member museums and upon the research of their faculty and curators.

History

The Harvard Museums of Science and Culture (HMSC) consortium was established on July 1, 2012 by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Michael D. Smith, to develop a strong, coordinated public face for the six museums that are within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard:

The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

Mineralogical and Geological Museum

Harvard Semitic Museum

Harvard University Herbaria

Museum of Comparative Zoology

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

It includes the Harvard Museum of Natural History, formed in 1998, which is the public face of the Mineralogical and Geological Museum, the Harvard University Herbaria and the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

HMSC has a Faculty Executive Board, which includes the directors of the member museums, senior administrators, faculty-at-large, and the HMSC Executive Director. Both the Executive Director and members of the Faculty Executive Board serve at the discretion of the Dean.