The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued their annual science and technology (S&T) priorities memorandum on August 27. The document guides federal agency priority-setting in the coming budget cycle. The directive identifies pandemic readiness and prevention, climate change action, national security […]
Research Funding in the House Reconciliation Package
On September 9, 2021, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology approved $45 billion in research funding as part of a larger $3.5 trillion budget plan that Democratic lawmakers are looking to pass through the budget reconciliation process. The bill would make significant investments in the National Science Foundation (NSF) and labs at the […]
Collections in the News
According to a recent news report, data gathered from museum collections played a critical role in informing a new ruling from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that designates 190 miles of streams and rivers in Florida and Georgia as critical habitat for a rare species of freshwater mussel once thought to be extinct. The […]
Study Shows Museum Collections Can Predict Species Abundance in the Wild
According to a new study published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution by researchers at the University of Vermont and international scientists, museum natural history collections of plants, small mammals, fish, insects, and amphibians can be used to predict most species’ relative abundance in the wild. Findings from this study can help to address certain […]
Register for ESA’s Strategies for Success Online Course
NSC Alliance members are invited to register for the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) Strategies for Success online course for project leaders. The course will provide participants with the financial management, strategic planning, communication, and fundraising skills and tools you need to make your project or program more successful and financially sustainable. Expert faculty will […]
NSC Alliance Writes to OSTP, NIH about the Importance of Collections to Human Health
The Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSC Alliance) has joined the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) in submitting comments to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the new Advanced Research Project Agency – […]
White House Report Highlights Scientific Collections as Key Research Infrastructure
Earlier this month, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a new report that standardizes the definition of research and development infrastructure (RDI) across the federal government. The National Strategic Overview for Research and Development Infrastructure report was prepared by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on RDI, composed […]
Science Agencies Slated for Boosts in FY 2022 Appropriations
The U.S. House of Representatives has now cleared 9 out of the 12 appropriations bills and the Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced three spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2022, providing significant increases for most federal science agencies and programs. On July 29, 2021, the House passed an appropriations package or ‘minibus’ containing seven spending […]
Expert Nominations Sought by IPBES
The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is soliciting nominations for experts to participate in the thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health (nexus assessment) and the thematic assessment of the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and the determinants of transformative change and options for achieving the 2050 Vision […]
Publication Highlights Need for Permit Management
A new article published in Collection Forum explores the need for permit management within biodiversity collection management systems to digitally track legal compliance documentation. The paper discusses how the Nagoya Protocol mandates operating changes within U.S. biodiversity collections and describes how the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology has made changes to its procedures and […]