The Tech Museum began programming with an evening lecture series in the spring of 1991; the official dedication of the building was in 1992. Since its opening, the building has been used to collect, preserve and educate students and the public about the history of human experience within the River Valley region.
Today, the building sits closed due to remodeling.
“The space is simply being repurposed. It won’t be the same, that’s for certain because there is no longer a museum director and the budget has been mostly eliminated. So that part of its history is indeed over,” Dr. Jeffrey Cass, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, said.
“But the collections and spaces will now be more than for pure display purposes that you physically have to visit. We [the college] felt the space would be better utilized in new academic goals.”
One of the new goals would include an archaeology training lab, small classrooms used for meetings and hands-on learning.
“Students can receive training in cutting-edge archaeological methods and techniques, pursue undergraduate research, and develop skills that will make them highly competitive candidates for a wide range of careers in cultural resource management,” Dr. Joshua Lynch, assistant professor of behavioral sciences, said. Lynch is in charge of transforming the museum spaces and
The building holds thousands of uncatalogued objects that would require years of internships and formal identification worked on by students wanting to go into the field. Right now, the program is using the resources available and more discussions with the administration will be taking place this spring on how to make these goals possible for students. The building will still exhibit objects, galleries and seminars as wanted or needed by the university. Additional information is available by contacting Lynch at jlynch8@atu.edu
