Museum of Culture & Environment

The Museum is currently closed for the summer. We will re-open on September 27, 2023.

Current Exhibits

Animal Model: How a Tiny Worm Helps Us Understand the Human Brain, Feb. 15, 2023-Dec. 9, 2023 (a College of the Sciences “Window on Central” display!)

C. elegans, commonly referred to as the nematode, is a microscopic worm that lives in soils all around us. But scientists like CWU Biology professor Lucinda Carnell also grow C. elegans in their labs, since this tiny worm can be used as an “animal model,” a proxy for the human brain. In this exhibit, we learn about why C. elegans has been so important to neuroscience research—and how some of this research happens within our own university!

Check out our online exhibits! Explore our collections! Check out our Facebook and Instagram!

Students from the CWU Museum Club install their 2019 exhibit Thanks for the Memories.

The CWU Museum of Culture & Environment resides on land ceded by the Yakama people in 1855. We must respect and take care of this land and all that comes from it. The Yakama people continue their relationship with the land to this day, offering gratitude and stewardship. We acknowledge that the Museum and the collections we steward came to be at CWU because of the many complex legacies of colonialism. And we acknowledge Indigenous CWU students, past, present, and future.