Natural Science Collections Alliance
Our members are part of an international community of museums, botanical gardens, herbariums, universities and other institutions that house natural science collections and utilize them in research, exhibitions, academic and informal science education, and outreach activities.
CollectionsWeb and the Coalition on Public Understanding of Science are promoting the involvement of science collections in the Year of Science 2009. Initiatives to engage the public, such as science cafes, citizen science involvement, and science magazines or brochures generated by collections, are an effective way to communicate science and increase its value to society. […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released the results of a survey of the status of 611 scientific collections. The study was based on 147 institutions that have received funding from NSF since 1985. The survey, which was conducted in conjunction with the efforts of the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections, highlights the challenges […]
On 27 March, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a new grant opportunity for institutions that maintain biological collections. The Improvements to Biological Research Collections Program provides funds for improvements to network, secure, and organize established natural history collections in order to improve accessibility of the collection to the biological research community. Applicants are encouraged […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced two grants opportunities for research on biological natural collections. The Biological Research Collections Program has $6 million available to fund 25 grants to support biological collection enhancement, computerization of specimen-related data, research to develop better methods for specimen curation and collection management, and activities such as symposia and […]
Federal agencies have begun announcing funding opportunities arising from the $787.2 billion economic stimulus that was signed into law on 17 February. Several of these grants programs may be of interest to public institutions. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will award $50 million in grants to fund projects that focus on the preservation […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) released a statement for the scientific community on 18 March regarding their plan to spend the $3 billion directed to the agency in the economic stimulus. NSF will spend most of the $2 billion they received for research on grant proposals that the agency has already received. These proposals will […]
The deadline for paper submissions is approaching for the 1st International Workshop on Database Challenges in Biodiversity Informatics, which will be held in Linz, Austria on 2 September 2009. The event is in conjunction with the 20th International Conference on Database and Expert Systems Applications (www.dexa.org). The workshop will focus on challenges to databases and […]
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) has launched the AIBS Legislative Action Center. This science policy advocacy tool is provided by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) to members of the biological sciences research and education community. Financial contributions from the Society for the Study of Evolution, American Society for Limnology and Oceanography, […]
The economic stimulus package, also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, has been at the forefront of the news for several weeks. Passed by Congress on 13 February, the legislation was signed into law by President Obama on 17 February 2009.  Obama signed the $787.2 billion package into law at a […]
February 18, 2009 Dear Colleague: We are initiating a national search for the National Science Foundation’s Assistant Director for Biological Sciences (BIO) and seek your assistance in the identification of candidates. Dr. James Collins has served in this position with great distinction since October 2005. The Assistant Director, BIO, leads a Directorate comprised of five […]