Iowa City Press-Citizen

The University of Iowa fell one slot short of making a Top 10 list for the "most amazing" university natural history museums in the country.

The UI Museum of Natural History ranked No. 11 on a list of “The 30 Most Amazing Higher Ed Natural History Museums” compiled recently by the website www.bestcollegereviews.org.

Founded in 1858 by an act of the Iowa Legislature, the UI museum boasts of being the oldest university museum west of the Mississippi River. Located in Macbride Hall, the Natural History Museum complements the Old Capitol Museum on the university's historic Pentacrest area.

Best College Reviews praised the UI museum especially for its “Taking Flight: The World of Birds” and Mammal Hall exhibits.

The website ranked the UI museum between the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History at the University of Connecticut (No. 10) and the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College in Massachusetts (No. 11).

The No. 1 slot went to the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University in Connecticut.