Lamar High School students Allyssa Austell, right, and Emma Jokisch look at preserved specimens during the Night at the Museum event Oct. 21, 2025, at the Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center.
On West Campus lies a building nationally and internationally recognized for its collection of books and research on reptiles and amphibians. Twice a year, this building opens for students, faculty, staff and residents to tour.
In collaboration with the Herpetology Club, UTA’s Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center will host its semesterly A Night At The Museum event at 6 p.m. Friday, allowing attendees to explore specimens of reptiles and amphibians.
Greg Pandelis, collections manager and biological curator at the center, said the event will feature a guided tour of the herpetology museum, including the specimen preparation room, department library and research specimen rooms.
Pandelis said educational events like A Night at the Museum can create a more informed society, and one that could become more interested in the things around them.
“Even if you don’t understand the details of what we do with specimens or what we do in herpetology, it’s good for people to just generally know, why do things like this exist? Why do we have research museums? How do scientists study x, y, z?” he said.
The event usually brings in about 30 people each semester and is among the department’s most popular events, Pandelis said.
Parking is available near the museum for permit holders, with additional options in lots 26 and 27. Visitors without permits can use two-hour visitor parking spots at Lot 26.
Although the reptiles and amphibians don’t come alive to talk and explore the facility like the exhibits in the film “Night at the Museum,” Pandelis said people ask him if the space ever creeps him out.
“Being alone at night or something, that never even occurred to me to be creeped out or anything like that,” he said. “But I’m a special kind of person.”
@samip.parajuli.54