A white marble bust of James Dana on display in the museum gallery

Visit

We are committed to ensuring the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery is a safe, inclusive, and respectful place for all visitors and museum staff. Help us make the museum an enjoyable place for everyone by being considerate of each other and the gallery space, exhibits, specimens, art, and objects on display. The museum’s exhibition gallery is located on the ground floor of the Deike Building on Penn State’s University Park campus. The gallery is open to everyone and is always free of charge.

LOCATION

6 Deike Building
University Park, PA 16802-5000
814-863-6017
museum@ems.psu.edu

Spring Semester (normal hours)

Monday - Friday, 10 am to 5 pm

Spring Break (reduced hours)

Tuesday, March 11: 10 am to 3 pm

Wednesday, March 12: 10 am to 3 pm

Closed most weekends, legal holidays, and scheduled University breaks (Thanksgiving week), and Winter Break (from Christmas Eve to the New Year). Email us for special appointments.

Group Visits and Field Trips

Every year we host hundreds of visitors through facilitated trips to the gallery. These groups range from college students and visiting scientists, to schoolchildren and lifelong learners. Each visit is different—and we do our best to accommodate different needs. If you would like to schedule a tour with museum staff, please contact museum staff at museum@ems.psu.edu.

Parking

The Museum does not have dedicated parking. However, visitor parking options are available. The nearest parking deck to the EMS Museum & Art Gallery is the Nittany Deck.

Link to PSU Transportation Services, Daily Visitor Parking page: https://transportation.psu.edu/daily-visitor-parking

Street and garage parking is also available in downtown State College.

Link to Downtown Parking page: https://www.statecollegepa.us/169/Downtown-Parking 

Accessibility

The EMS Museum & Art Gallery subscribes to the principle of “universal design” to make our exhibits as accessible as possible to the broadest range of visitors. This is work in progress however, the following currently applies to our public gallery space:

Our location is on the first floor of the Deike building. This floor is accessible through three power-assist exterior doors. Entry points on the south and east side of the building are Zero-Entry (no steps).
All exhibits are designed to be enjoyed from multiple heights and accessible to all ages.
We attempt to write all exhibit labels in plain-language using font sizes that are easily visible.
Benches and stools are available throughout the gallery.
Service animals are welcome. Each animal should be clearly identified by visual indicators such as a vest or harness.
All-gender restrooms are available in the nearby Steidle or Reber Buildings.
If you require additional assistance, our gallery attendants are happy to assist.

Visitor Policies

No outside food or drink in the gallery.

Photography is allowed and encouraged in Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery. When taking pictures and videos, please be aware of your surroundings and other visitors.  To ensure the health and safety of museum visitors, staff, and exhibits, the use of tripods, selfie sticks, or flash photography is prohibited.

Please do not touch objects, art, and specimens on display in the gallery unless they are labeled as touchable. Help us protect the EMS Museum & Art Gallery collections on display.

Sketching is allowed and encouraged in the gallery. Please use graphite pencils when sketching or taking notes. The use of ink or gel pens, paints, crayons, pastels, or colored pencils is discouraged.

Animals are not permitted in the building or gallery, except for clearly identified service animals.