John Bartley Science Museum

The museum is closed for the summer and will reopen on Sept 2 with a new exhibit, “Climate and Ecosystems.” See you in the fall.

Free and open to the public, the John Bartley Science Museum is part of MCC’s ongoing dedication to education in our community. The museum engages children and adults alike in hands-on, interactive science education, conveniently located near our popular planetarium.

The Bartley Legacy

Dr. John Bartley

The museum continues Dr. John Bartley’s legacy of scientific outreach. John was a scientific researcher in the world of bryozoans, which are aquatic invertebrate animals sometimes called “moss animals.” His love for science included the Science Olympiad, and for many years he volunteered as the president of the Michigan Science Olympiad.

From 1989 to 2011, John taught geology and math at MCC. He was highly revered by his students, who gave affectionately nicknamed him “The Big Kahuna” for his Hawaiian shirts lovingly made every year by his wife, Jackie. He was equally beloved by MCC’s faculty and staff for his kind and gentle manner, for his service on many committees, and as a chair of the Math and Physical Sciences Department. Unfortunately, just a few months shy of his retirement in 2011, John was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and succumbed to the disease shortly thereafter. The museum is now in his former classroom.