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.

BCoN 2018 Webinar Series

The Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) will convene a series of webinar programs in 2018 to share information about BCoN activities with the community and to receive community input on prior and pending BCoN programs. These webinars will include a formal presentation followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions and share information. All programs will be recorded and posted to the BCoN website.

NIBA: A Status Report from BCoN

In 2017, the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) convened a two-day workshop of biodiversity collections community stakeholders to review community progress toward the goals and objectives outlined in the Strategic and Implementation Plans for a Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance. This webinar will summarize the findings from that workshop.

This webinar program will be held 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on April 25, 2018.

Organizer: Dr. Robert Gropp, American Institute of Biological Sciences
Location: Online
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Click here to register for this webinar.

Collections Communications: A Report from BCoN

One goal of the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) is the identification of ways for the community to sustainably advance the goals and objectives outlined in the Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance (NIBA) strategic and implementation plans. Among these goals are improved community governance and the development of a community positioned to sustainably advance the digitization efforts associated with biodiversity collections. Toward this end, BCoN recognized that improved communication with various stakeholders within and outside of the biodiversity collections community is essential. BCoN thus organized a workshop to identify communication needs and resources to help advance the goals of the NIBA and the community more generally. This webinar explores the recommendations arising from this workshop.

This webinar program will be held 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on May 2, 2018.

Organizer: Dr. Robert Gropp, American Institute of Biological Sciences
Location: Online
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Click here to register for this webinar.

Data Attribution and Integration

This webinar will share insights gained from a BCoN organized workshop held at the University of Kansas in February 2018. The workshop brought together various data providers and users to discuss the biodiversity data pipeline and opportunities to increase integration and attribution.

This webinar program will be held 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on May 23, 2018.

Organizer: Mr. Andrew Bentley, Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas
Location: Online
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Click here to register for this webinar.

Using Natural History Collections Data to Address National Challenges

This webinar will share insights from a recent survey conducted by iDigBio and BCoN and will use these findings to stimulate ideas and input from webinar participants about future needs and opportunities for the use of natural history collections data to advance science and contribute solutions to societal challenges. The information captured during this webinar will inform and guide discussions during a BCoN workshop planned for fall 2018.

This webinar program will be held 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on June 13, 2018.

Organizer: Dr. Barbara Thiers, New York Botanical Garden
Location: Online
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Click here to register for this webinar.

Addressing Legal Issues Involved in Digitized Collections: The Nagoya Protocol as a Test Case

This webinar will summarize discussions and findings from a BCoN organized workshop held at Harvard University in March 2018 to address legal concerns associated with digitized collections and mitigating these issues using digital means. Participants with practical knowledge of how biological collections should manage legal issues in regards to changing policy, utilizing cyberinfrastructure, and advising stakeholders used compliance with the Nagoya Protocol as a test case to investigate how U.S. institutions must respond to the need for increased transparency of their biodiversity collections and the required digital tracking.

This webinar program will be held 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on June 27, 2018.

Organizer: Dr. Linda Ford and Dr. Breda Zimkus, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
Location: Online
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Click here to register for this webinar.

Natural History Collections and Digital Biodiversity Data: Challenges and Emerging Opportunities

Natural History collections and the mobilization of specimen and occurrence based data has opened new opportunities for education and outreach. This webinar will introduce challenges and emerging opportunities for integrating specimen based data and natural history collections into the k-12 and undergraduate curriculum, citizen science efforts, and broadening participation initiatives.

This webinar program will be held 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on September 19, 2018.

Organizer: Dr. Anna Monfils, Central Michigan University

Hosts: Dr. Anna Monfils, Central Michigan University; Dr. Molly Phillips, iDigBio; Dr. Libby Ellwood, La Brea Tar Pits & Museum; Dr. Debra Linton, Central Michigan University; and Dr. Lisa White, University of California, Berkeley

Location: Online
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Click here to register for this webinar.

Small Collections

Details: Coming soon.

This webinar program will be held 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on October 17, 2018.

Organizer: Dr. Anna Monfils, Central Michigan University, and Dr. John Bates, The Field Museum of Natural History & President, Natural Science Collections Alliance
Location: Online
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Click here to register for this webinar.

BCoN 2018 Webinar Series
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