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The MSU Museum is undergoing an 18-month renovation, with a planned reopening in January 2026. During this time, we continue to create experiences at the intersection of arts, sciences, cultures, and technologies.

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MSU Museum Welcomes New Curators

- News

The Michigan State University (MSU) Museum is excited to announce the appointment of two new curators who will join the Museum beginning in Fall 2025. Micah Ling, Ph.D and Chan Kin Onn, Ph.D bring expertise in traditional arts, and evolutionary biology, respectively. Their appointments mark a significant expansion of the Museum’s curatorial capacity and its commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, research, and community engagement.

“The MSU Museum is transforming to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world,” said Devon Akmon, Director of the MSU Museum. “These new curators reflect our continued commitment to building a 21st-century collaboratory—an innovative space where the sciences, arts, cultures, and technologies intersect. Their expertise will help shape the future of our collections, exhibitions, and programs as we deepen our connections with communities and expand our impact across disciplines.”

Dr. Micah Ling
Appointed as Curator of the Michigan Traditional Arts Research Collections, Dr. Ling is the Associate Director of the MichiganClose-up portrait of a woman with long, wavy light brown hair and red lipstick, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a gray collared shirt and hoop earrings, standing in front of a dark wooden wall with green and red ivy leaves. Traditional Arts Program. A folklorist and musician, she coordinates the Michigan Heritage Awards and Apprenticeship Program, conducts ethnographic fieldwork, and stewards MTAP’s Folklife Research Collection. With experience across archives and cultural institutions, Dr. Ling brings deep expertise in collections, public folklore, and community partnership to her role.

Dr. Chan Kin Onn
Dr. Chan will serve as Curator of Vertebrate Collections and is an Assistant Professor in MSU’s Department of Integrative Biology. HisALT text: Close-up portrait of a man with short, spiked black hair, a trimmed goatee, and a slight smile, wearing a light gray button-up shirt against a pale blue background. research explores the evolution of Southeast Asian amphibians and reptiles, biodiversity conservation, and genomics. Dr. Chan’s curatorial focus will enhance the Museum’s natural science collections and support experiential learning in evolutionary science and ecology.

These curatorial appointments align with the MSU Museum’s strategic goals as it prepares to reopen in January 2026 following a major renovation. The expanded curatorial team will contribute to future exhibitions, collections stewardship, research collaborations, and public-facing programs that support MSU’s land-grant mission.