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.
A recent article in the New York Times highlights the efforts of natural history collections to make their specimens and associated data available online. “Everybody knows there’s a tremendous amount of information in natural history collections,†Larry Page told the newspaper. Page is the president of NSC Alliance, the director of iDigBio, and a curator […]
A new technique for analyzing DNA has resulted in the construction of the first complete family tree for birds. Researchers discovered that all birds evolved from a group of dinosaurs and that more than 10,000 bird species evolved within a few million years after the extinction of dinosaurs. A study describing the discovery was published […]
Do you like biological diversity? Do you want to help us increase our understanding of the diversity of life? Do you want to be a part of a global effort to digitize specimens in biological diversity collections? If you said yes to any of these, you should participate in the WeDigBio (Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing […]
The Institute of Museum and Library Services has published a guide to fiscal year 2016 funding. Grants are available to museums through several programs: Museums for America: $5,000 to $150,000 per grant for activities that strengthen museums as active resources for lifelong learning, vital components of livable communities, and good stewards of the nation’s collections. […]
On 9 September, the Los Angeles Times’ Amina Khan wrote a feature highlighting the rediscovery and revitalization of the Campanile fossil collection at University of California Berkeley. Tucked away in one of the oldest buildings on campus, the collection of fossils from the McKittrick and La Brea tar pits was half-forgotten for many years. The […]
The GBIF Task Force on Accelerating the Discovery of Biocollections Data is conducting a survey on digitization of biocollections. The purpose of the survey is to collect data to enable the task force determine and demonstrate (1) the digital readiness of the world’s biocollections and their institutions; (2) the benefits to the collection/institution that digitization […]
The National Science Foundation has released a program solicitation for the Dimensions of Biodiversity program. The agency anticipates awarding at least $16 million in fiscal year 2016. The Dimensions of Biodiversity program aims to transform “how we describe and understand the scope and role of life on Earth.†Research awards are for up to 5 […]
A partisan fight over the Illinois state budget will result in the closure of the Illinois State Museum on September 30, 2015. Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner (R) and the state legislature have been feuding over how to address a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. The state has been operating without an adopted budget since July 1. […]
In August, the National Science Foundation (NSF) made seven new awards in the Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections program. Two new Thematic Collection Networks (TCN) will address “grand challenges” in the areas of microfungi and marine invertebrates fossils. Both projects will bring together institutions across the country to digitize their biological specimens. The Microfungi Collections […]
The International Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will hold a virtual conference to scope two forthcoming assessments on invasive species and conservation of biodiversity. The e-conference will take place in three sessions over three weeks from 7-25 September 2015. Participants will provide input through online discussion boards. That information will be used to […]