Boone Hall, named after the College’s founder, William Judson Boone, is the center of math and science study and research on campus. The building first opened in 1970 and underwent a $2.3 million renovation which was completed in 2015.
On top of classrooms, faculty office space, and multiple labs, other scientific resources are located inside Boone Hall.
Boone Hall Facilities
The Whittenberger Planetarium, with steps down to its door located just inside the main entry, opened in 1970. The Planetarium’s projector sits beneath a 24-foot dome and seats up to 50 people for shows and presentations. It is one of the only planetariums in the state of Idaho. Learn more about the Planetarium here.
The Harold M. Tucker Herbarium is located on the first floor of Boone Hall and serves as a primary resource for students interested in botany and environmental sciences. It is the oldest herbarium in Idaho. As of 2021, the herbarium contains about 60,000 vascular plant specimens, mostly from southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, many of which were discovered and named by College faculty or students.
The Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, located in the basement of Boone Hall, is the only natural history museum in the region encompassing southwestern Idaho, southeastern Oregon, and northern Nevada. As such, it is a tremendous resource for environmental and natural history education in the region. Learn more about the Museum here.
The Glen & Ruth Evans Gem & Mineral Collection is viewable in two places inside Boone Hall: a portion of the collection is just inside the main doors, next to the stairway to the Planetarium, and more is located inside the Museum of Natural History. The collection, one of the largest in the west, contains specimens from over 100 countries.
