20080116014 - Batie Natural Science Center Opens

Material Information

General Note:: Dr. Dave Martin inside the new Batie Natural Science Center; one end of the building houses a hands-on laboratory, an area where students from kindergarten through college are able to handle some of the over 8000 botanical and zoological specimens collected from the Pacific Northwest or other regions by generations of college students and faculty; another focus of the Center is the display area. Here, taxidermy specimens can be viewed within glass cases which preserve and protect them. Visitors can read about the behavior or natural history of the displayed animals; the third area of the Center is a central assembly room with tables, chairs, and a speaker's podium, available for group presentations, meetings, or receptions. A unique mural covers one wall of the assembly area. Created by Penny Martindale, a member of the Art Department, the mural presents a geologic cross-section of Washington State with additional reference to animal distribution and the ancestral homes of Washington's Native Americans.