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.
Three scientific organizations dedicated to the preservation and use of biocollections have provided comments to the federal government about digitization of natural history collections as part of ‘big data.’ The letter to the National Coordination Office (NCO) for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development outlines the Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance (NIBA), an initiative developed by […]
Annual NSCA Board elections are getting underway, as per the NSCA Bylaws, which state: “The Nominating Committee shall furnish the names of nominees to the Secretary, who shall circulate them either in written or electronic form (e.g., web site) to the members at least thirty (30) days in advance of the election in order to provide […]
The brain size of some mammal species is getting larger, possibly due to human alterations in the natural environment. University of Minnesota biologist Emilie C. Snell-Rood studied a collection of mammal skulls at the Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Snell-Rood studied ten species of small mammals, including mice, shrews, […]
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is redefining public expectations. In addition to displaying fossils, the museum has added exhibits of live animals, such as turtles and snakes. One of the new exhibits looks at how people have influenced the environment in the Los Angeles area. “Not only are we interpreting natural history. […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance is pleased to announce the start of the 5th Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event.  This national initiative encourages scientists across the nation to showcase for federal and state lawmakers the people, facilities, and equipment required to conduct scientific research. The event is made possible by the American Institute […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is poised to receive a sizeable increase in fiscal year 2014 if congressional appropriators have their way. In July, House and Senate panels each advanced funding bills for the agency that would provide new funding. The 1.6 percent increase proposed in the House would mean an additional $111 million for […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded eight grants as part of the Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections (ADBC) program. The program aims to increase accessibility of biological collections and associated data. The latest round of funding will support three major grants and five smaller projects. “The ADBC program continues to grow in the breadth […]
The 2013 U.S. Virtual Herbarium Survey is now online. This survey is designed to assess the progress herbaria in the United States are making towards the goal of making records of all specimens in all U.S. herbaria available online. The information provided by survey participants is used in reports, grant proposals, and articles highlighting a […]
A recent post on the blog “The Lab and Field” explored why natural history museums are “essential for science.” The blogger described his recent use of bird specimens to study moult energetics in Least Auklets. The species spends most of the year over the Pacific Ocean, where they are inaccessible to researchers. Using 60 specimens […]
Proposals for the National Science Foundation’s Collections in Support of Biological Research program are due 16 July 2013. The Collections in Support of Biological Research program provides funds: 1) for improvements to secure, improve, and organize collections that are significant to the NSF BIO-funded research community; 2) to secure collections-related data for sustained, accurate, and […]