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.
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 […]
The National Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Program is partnering with the National Preservation Institute to offer in-depth training on preparing for and writing NAGPRA grant proposals will be held twice during the month of September 2015. Learn how to assess the needs of a NAGPRA program, identify fundable projects, and write […]
The upcoming Research Data Sharing without Barriers Plenary will include a session on “Unlocking the potential of biological collections data for climate change research.” The session will highlight successful case studies on digitization and label transcription processes and will discuss the challenges regarding the mobilization of data and fit-for-use of datasets in climate and environmental […]
The National Science Foundation has released a new program announcement for the Genealogy of Life (GoLife) program. The program aims to resolve the phylogenetic history of all life’s lineages using an open access, dynamic format and to synthesize as much organismal data as possible with this genealogy of life. Research proposals are due in March […]
iDigBio will be offering a four-part webinar series on the value of digitizing vertebrate collections. The webinars will emphasize the imaging of herps, mammals, birds, and fishes. The online events may be of interest to vertebrate zoologists, curators, collections managers, and others. September 8, 3-4 pm EDT The Value of Digitizing Mammal Collections Cody Thompson, […]