Tomasz Pyrcz

In 2014, the Nature Education Centre of the Jagiellonian University (CEP) begins its operation. It is a completely new unit, which will house the Zoological Museum, the Geological Museum as well as the University’s anthropological and paleobotanical collections. The construction of CEP is financed largely from EU funds. The two-storey building of CEP has an area of 4700m2. The ground floor houses the hall, part of the geological and astronomical exhibitions, the history cabinet and modern storage space for the geological collections and one of Europe’s largest scientific collections of tropical butterflies, along with staff rooms, laboratories and a lecture hall. The Hall will also contain an aviary in which live insects and other invertebrates will be on display. The first floor will house main zoological and geological exhibitions under the leading theme “Evolution of Life and Earth” and a temporary exhibition room. The main part of the zoological exhibition will be a review of systematics of the animal world and thematic blocks devoted to biogeography, mechanisms of evolution, adaptation to life in various environments, etology and a large anthropology block. The geological part will contain a review of geological eras and a number of thematic exhibitions. CEP will conduct activities connected with education at all levels, including thematic activities on various nature-related themes, science promotion workshops and the knowledge of nature. Campaigns promoting the values of nature and raising environmental awareness of the general public will be organised. CEP is intended to be a modern unit participating in teaching curricula of the Jagiellonian University and schools from Małopolska and all over the country.