Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum

The Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum is a small natural history museum located on the second floor of the Michael and Kay Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University. The museum represents the work of Fr. Hilary Jurica, O.S.B. and his brother, Fr. Edmund Jurica, O.S.B. who collected specimens for their students to use during their almost 100 combined years of teaching at Benedictine University. In the early 1970's, the Museum was placed in the hands of Fr. Theodore Suchy, O.S.B. who turned their collection of specimens into a thriving nature museum. Fr. Ted continued collecting and the collection grew to over 10,000 specimens, ranging from a tiny aphid to a whale skeleton. In the 1990's, Mrs. Mary Mickus created the educational outreach programs and the Discovery Box Loan Program. These outreach programs have now grown to serve over 11,000 local school children annually. Today, the museum is overseen by director/curator, Karly Tumminello. The museum serves over 20,000 patrons annually.

The Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum is open to the public as well as to school groups to enjoy and learn from the life's work of these three dedicated Monks. To learn more about the history of the museum and Frs. Edmund, Hilary and Theodore, visit the History of the College of Science website.

 

 

The museum currently has over 3,500 specimens on display!

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Museum Virtual Resources!

Check out our new museum virtual resources on our Visit the Museum page or our Resources page. Also, be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and on Instagram for weekly activities and science news. 

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Support the Museum!

All of our museum endeavors are supported by generous donors. Your gift to the museum directly impacts the museum's ability to carry out its mission and continue its work. Help us to continue to offer high-quality life science education, properly care for our 150 year old collection, and futher our connections into the community to inspire people to reconnect with nature and learn more about the natural world. Please consider supporting the museum today.