POCATELLO — The Idaho Museum of Natural History has announced the launch of its Mobile Museum, which is part of its Museum Everywhere Program.
Funding from the David B. Jones Foundation, a nonprofit that supports research in paleontology and educational programs for young and amateur fossil hunters, helped the Idaho Museum of Natural History, or IMNH, launch the Mobile Museum, according to a news release from Idaho State University.
This ambitious initiative will be an interactive experience complete with touchable fossil displays that will allow visitors to learn more about the prehistoric past of Idaho in a memorable way.
“As an extension to the Pocatello museum location, this van will be equipped with an exhibit for visitors to walk through and interact with original and exact replicas of objects directly from our collection,” the news release said. “Starting this summer the exhibit will feature Idaho’s dinosaurs and be able to conduct parking lot, auditorium and classroom visits.”
Robert Gay, education manager at IMNH, added, “We’ve got an amazingly talented educator who will be delivering programs across the state with this van. The exhibit we’ve designed for the Mobile Museum is going to allow everyone in the state to be able to get hands-on with Idaho’s dinosaur fossils.”
This program will help inspire young Idahoans to take an interest in paleontology.
“Idaho scientists have just begun to scratch the surface of the Age of Dinosaurs here in the Gem State,” Gay said in the news release. “This program will both educate and inspire Idahoans in our cool, unique and scientifically important dinosaur record.”
The Museum Everywhere Program also includes nine-month educator Pam Pascali, who will travel throughout the state providing educational resources to schools, libraries and other community centers.
The Idaho Legislature has allocated funds for the fiscal year 2026 that will ensure the sustainability of the project.
This project will ensure that IMNH will make Idaho’s natural history accessible for everyone throughout the state.
This grant-funded initiative has the goal to connect with every library district in the state on a rotating three-year basis, free of charge to the communities involved.
However, fees apply to visits to schools, universities, departments, or other institutions outside of our regular library schedule. For a quote based on travel mileage, please contact the IMNH.
The Museum Everywhere program includes Pam Pascali, a nine-month educator. Pascali will travel statewide, delivering engaging educational programs to schools, libraries, and community centers. She joins the IMNH from the Bannock County Historical Museum, where she previously provided educational programming to the local community.
Additionally, the Idaho Legislature has allocated funding for fiscal year 2026 to ensure the program’s sustainability, The IMNH Mobile Museum is already on the move, having visited programming in Boundary County earlier this month.