Get Your Mystery Objects Identified at the Field Museum: Annual ID Day Coincides with September 15 Free Day, the Museum’s 125th Birthday.
Picked up a rock that looks suspiciously like a dinosaur fossil? Snapped a photo of a bright blue bird that you can’t identify? Your annual chance to get a world-renowned scientist’s take on it is coming up on Saturday, September 15, at the Field Museum’s ID Day.
You can bring in clean, dry bones, fossils, rocks, meteorites, seashells, artifacts, and photographs of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and insects—just nothing that’s alive or was recently, or the animals (or their fleas) could get loose in the museum. And even if you don’t have anything to bring in, stop by anyway—the museum’s scientists will have specimens on display for you to see (and touch) and are ready to talk shop about your favorite scientific topic. Plus, it's a Free Admission Day for Illinois residents.
The Field Museum is an active research institution that relies heavily upon its behind-the-scenes collections of nearly 40 million scientific specimens and artifacts. As a result, it’s “home” to dozens of scientists studying everything from moss to Mosasaurus, and ID Day is the one day every year when visitors can bring in specimens to show these scientists and ask questions about them.
This event marks the museum’s fifth annual ID Day. Last year, over a dozen Field Museum scientists specializing in zoology, paleontology, geology, and more were available to identify specimens and answer questions. This year, to meet the popular demand of the event, even more scientists will be on hand.
ID Day this year also falls on the weekend of the Field Museum’s 125th anniversary. In addition to the regular suite of scientists, the museum’s librarians will be on hand to talk with visitors about the 1893 World’s Fair and how the Field Museum was first established.
ID Day will take place from 10 am- 2 pm on Saturday, September 15, at the Field Museum’s main hall (near Máximo the Titanosaur). See you (and your mystery objects) there!
