Dinosaur replica exhibit headed for UNI

It sounds reminiscent of Godzilla eats Tokyo, but a tyrannosaurus rex is headed for Cedar Falls, though this critter isn’t hungry. The University Museum at U-N-I says it’ll get the exhibit called “A T-Rex Named Sue” early next year. Museum spokeswoman Kay Thuesen is putting out the word. Thuesen says it’s a “significant” exhibit that will require a lot of effort, volunteer work and financial sponsors to market the exhibit as a tourist opportunity for northeast Iowa. The actual dinosaur bones are on permanent exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago, so Thuesen says this is a detailed copy. It’s an exact cast replica of the real “Sue,” which was discovered in 1990 in South Dakota. It’s 42-feet long and is the largest, most complete and best-preserved T-rex ever discovered. Thuesen says the U-N-I Museum is looking for corporate sponsors now to make the exhibit available to a wide audience.The exhibit will also include video footage, freestanding interactive exhibits and touchable casts of bones, in addition to closeup views of Sue’s foot-long teeth. It’ll be in Cedar Falls from March 5th through May 27th. This will be its only Iowa appearance. For more information, surf to “www.uni.edu/museum”.