Chieti University G. d'Annunzio
Chieti Pescara

	Address: Piazza Trento e Trieste City: Chieti Cap: 66100 Link to Home Page Director: Luigi Capasso
Image name: Hall Description: Biomedical Science Museum Hall

The University museum is located in the heart of the old town center in Chieti where it now occupies an important cultural space; the museum indeed testifies the strong link the University has forged with its surrounding environment and its inhabitants.
The University museum, which today has gained the status of University Center, is the place where University scientific events are kept on record, with the objective of that they become part of the  surrounding environment's scientific heritage.
The museum is essentially a biomedical sciences museum but in recent years other cultural events have been held on the premises. Some of these events include art exhibitions based on historical-artistic research, for example the exhibition on Leonardo Da Vinci's fingerprints, scientific conferences and nature oriented exhibitions. All the activities that are held at the museum are intrinsic to their local setting.
It houses a number of collections, some of which are temporary and others have been received by bequest. Only a small percentage of the collections are actually on public display. The museum also has ample warehouse storage space where specimens from all over Italy are kept. There are so many specimens that there are always new exhibits on display, and therefore the public consistently has the opportunity to learn more.
The main permanent exhibition is divided into the following six sections: (1) The Origins of Life on Earth; (2) The Origins of Man; (3) The History of Human Settlement in Abruzzo; (4) The History of Diseases; (5) Man, Bears and Diseases; (6) An Biological Archive of Mummies. The exhibits contain an extensive repertory of original specimens, for example a series of human mummies discovered in various areas of Abruzzo and a series of fossilized human skeletons from the Fucino basin near Avezzano in Abruzzo. It is also possible to see three dimensional reconstructions, dioramas, audiovisual and multimedial exhibits. It takes at least three hours to visit the permanent collection. It provides the visiting public with an overview of the history of the human species and an overview of the biological history of man in the Abruzzo region; this part of the exhibit is currently in its final phase of preparation.
The museum also has a special library with specialized texts and material on anthropology and paleontology which is open to the public as well as university students. Furthermore, it is equipped with state-of-the-art research laboratories for the study and documentation of ancient biological, mainly human, remains from archaeological and paleontologic sites. The laboratories are the most technologically advanced feature of the museum; new discoveries in the areas of anthropology and conservation of archaeological materials are made in these laboratories.
Finally, the museum actively participates in collaborative research with other institutions. Anyone who is interested in coming into virtual contact with the museum may do so by consulting the "G. d'Annunzio" University website on www.unich.it/museo. The museum webpage is a means of accessing information on the exhibits, of being able to have a preview them; of asking questions about them and of finding out about the educational packages as well as research activity conducted by the center, and which is available to the public.